Battery monitors are kinda a voodoo type instrument, if you don't wave
the chicken just right your reading is meaningless. If / when I get the
desire to put in a battery monitor I will go with a Balmar Smart Gauge
<http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge>, from what I've read it
is a good product. At $320 (Defender) it has not gotten to the top of
the required upgrades list yet...
Graham Collins
Secret Plans
C&C 35-III #11
On 2016-02-15 7:52 PM, Rick Brass via CnC-List wrote:
I replaced the original voltmeter on my 38 with a Blue Sea Systems 3
bank digital meter. It was a bit pricey, I thought (I did find one on
EBay for quite a bit less than it would have been at WM or any other
chandlery), but since I’ve had it I have become a fan and think the
expense justified.
But after taking a trip on a friend’s cruising boat I became sold on
the advantages of the Link battery monitor, and installed a Link Lite
on Imzadi. If I were to start over, I would forgo the Blue Seas
monitor or any other voltmeter and go right to the Link Lite.
Battery voltage doesn’t really tell you a heck of a lot about the
batteries. The Link monitor shows voltage, instantaneous current in or
out, Amp-hours taken out of the batteries, and percentage of total
capacity remaining. The Link Lite I have shows that information for
one (my house) bank, and shows voltage information for the start
battery. There is also a Link Pro that shows everything for both banks.
I bought the Link Lite on Ebay at a reasonable price. I only see two
on there right now, but my search was kind of cursory. Here is a link
to one of the monitors on EBay;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xantrex-Link-LITE-Battery-Monitor-84-2030-00-BRAND-NEW-FREE-SHIP-/322007589666?hash=item4af925e322:g:3yoAAOSwezVWv1bv&vxp=mtr
Rick Brass
Washington, NC
*From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of
*Jake Brodersen via CnC-List
*Sent:* Monday, February 15, 2016 1:30 PM
*To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com
*Cc:* Jake Brodersen <captain_j...@cox.net>
*Subject:* Stus-List Nav Station Panel and Volt Meter Recommendations
Greeting all,
One of my winter projects is to replace the black panel at the top of
my nav station. The current panel was the home to my old B&G speed,
depth, and wind computers. Their removal last spring left several
gaping holes. I’d like to start with a fresh panel and install a volt
meter and eventually some other items. The panel is 1/8” thick with a
matte black finish. It appears to be some sort of fiberboard product.
I have been looking at plastic panel materials at McMaster-Carr, but
I’m not really sure which kind to get. Plastic sheeting comes in so
many different materials. I’m sure someone here has replaced theirs
at some point. This is the same type of material used for the circuit
breaker panel. What works and looks like the original stuff?
The first instrument to go into the new panel will be a volt meter.
My B&G instruments had one built-in, but they’re gone now. It seems
there are only two options for digital volt meters; the high dollar
Blue Seas meters (pricey) and the cheap Chinese meters that run
$15-25. I’m looking to install a single meter with a toggle switch to
test both batteries separately. Does anyone have a source for a
reasonably priced digital volt meter?
Right now I’m looking at something like this:
http://www.sears.com/niceeshop-tm-mini-2-wire-dc-4.5-30v/p-SPM7958467523
Thanks,
Jake
*Jake Brodersen*
*C&C 35 Mk-III “Midnight Mistress”*
*Hampton VA*
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