Makana came with a Victron battery-monitor on battery #1. Works great. But I have nothing (except the factory-original volt-meter on the panel) to indicate what's going on with battery #2.
As long as we're still in the it's-too-cold-and-snotty-out-there-to-play-on-the-boat part of the year, that's on my list of things to ponder.
The "easy" thing to do would be to stay with Victron. I could get a second single-battery monitor and mount it next to the one I have. Wiring would be straightforward, and I think I understand it. Or I could replace the existing with a Victron 702-series which has the ability to monitor two batteries. I think I'd need to replace the existing shunt, too, but Victron seems to have made that easy.
Two good options.
But Maine Sail seems to be viewing the BalMar SmartGuage very favorably. In his reviews, he talks about how Ah-counters (like the Victron) get *less* accurate as the batteries age - they may be showing 100% SOC (state of charge) when in fact the battery is no longer capable of storing the 100% of rated amp-hours compared to when it was new.... but because it tracks amps-in and amps-out an Ah-counter isn't aware of that. That means that when the Ah-counter displays 70% (or whatever) SOC, you might actually be below 50% at the battery.
Maine Sail says that the BalMar, by measuring voltage rather than amps, gets *more* accurate over time.
Plus, the BalMar doesn't need to use a shunt, so the wiring is even easier.
So... before I get too far in my thinking on this... anyone using a BalMar and have feedback on it?
And, any electronics-geeks want to chime in on the relative merits of measuring voltage vs. measuring current? (please use short words when explaining)
I'd like to know the SOC of each of my batteries, and have it be a metric I can rely on. The Victron has been very good, but... I'm open to newer and better, if it exists.
Thanks,
Bruce
As long as we're still in the it's-too-cold-and-snotty-out-there-to-play-on-the-boat part of the year, that's on my list of things to ponder.
The "easy" thing to do would be to stay with Victron. I could get a second single-battery monitor and mount it next to the one I have. Wiring would be straightforward, and I think I understand it. Or I could replace the existing with a Victron 702-series which has the ability to monitor two batteries. I think I'd need to replace the existing shunt, too, but Victron seems to have made that easy.
Two good options.
But Maine Sail seems to be viewing the BalMar SmartGuage very favorably. In his reviews, he talks about how Ah-counters (like the Victron) get *less* accurate as the batteries age - they may be showing 100% SOC (state of charge) when in fact the battery is no longer capable of storing the 100% of rated amp-hours compared to when it was new.... but because it tracks amps-in and amps-out an Ah-counter isn't aware of that. That means that when the Ah-counter displays 70% (or whatever) SOC, you might actually be below 50% at the battery.
Maine Sail says that the BalMar, by measuring voltage rather than amps, gets *more* accurate over time.
Plus, the BalMar doesn't need to use a shunt, so the wiring is even easier.
So... before I get too far in my thinking on this... anyone using a BalMar and have feedback on it?
And, any electronics-geeks want to chime in on the relative merits of measuring voltage vs. measuring current? (please use short words when explaining)
I'd like to know the SOC of each of my batteries, and have it be a metric I can rely on. The Victron has been very good, but... I'm open to newer and better, if it exists.
Thanks,
Bruce
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