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How can I monitor a bank of batteries individually?


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Hi, I plan to have the normal 2 bank battery system (engine/domestic) but am a bit confused on the domestic side in the way the batteries should be charged & monitored. If I have a bank of 4x150amp hour batteries on the domestic side that are all linked together. Is there a way to monitor individual batteries within the bank to make sure they are all getting the correct charge?

I was only thinking that its not normally good to have a duff battery amongst the good ones, & wanted to pick up on this as soon as poss should it arise.

These 4 batteries will be wire individually to a local bus bar with equal length leads to each of the 4 domestic batteries.

 

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Cheers

 

Chris.

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Hi, I plan to have the normal 2 bank battery system (engine/domestic) but am a bit confused on the domestic side in the way the batteries should be charged & monitored. If I have a bank of 4x150amp hour batteries on the domestic side that are all linked together. Is there a way to monitor individual batteries within the bank to make sure they are all getting the correct charge?

I was only thinking that its not normally good to have a duff battery amongst the good ones, & wanted to pick up on this as soon as poss should it arise.

These 4 batteries will be wire individually to a local bus bar with equal length leads to each of the 4 domestic batteries.

 

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Cheers

 

Chris.

 

There are 2 ways I can think of:

 

1) Post charge: simply check them with a hydrometer to get the individual specific gravity of each cell. A good test but very time consuming and awkward if the batteries are tucked away.

 

2) During charge: insert an ammeter shunt in each battery +ve lead and connect the shunts to a shunt-ammeter via a 4 way switch so that the charging current on each battery can be monitored. Best to get the shunts and ammeter from ebay as otherwise they can be quite expensive.

 

Chris

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Chris,

 

how can I put this politely.... perhaps you may enjoy watching the world go by on your boat rather than worrying over the possible indicated state of your batteries from watching a bunch of ammeters?

 

Richard

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Hi, I plan to have the normal 2 bank battery system (engine/domestic) but am a bit confused on the domestic side in the way the batteries should be charged & monitored. If I have a bank of 4x150amp hour batteries on the domestic side that are all linked together. Is there a way to monitor individual batteries within the bank to make sure they are all getting the correct charge?

I was only thinking that its not normally good to have a duff battery amongst the good ones, & wanted to pick up on this as soon as poss should it arise.

These 4 batteries will be wire individually to a local bus bar with equal length leads to each of the 4 domestic batteries.

 

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Cheers

 

Chris.

 

 

1. Buy wet cells that you can top up.

 

2. Check level weekly

 

3. When a single cell or single battery needs more topping up than the rest you probably have a duff battery.

 

:-)

 

Remember that ideally the negative an positive main leads should be attached to opposite ends of the bank (not that I have found much difference, but I know some members have.

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Hi Chris,

Thanks for getting back. (I have been playing)! Link to diagram

This is roughly the set up with your Ebay suggestion.(Thank for the saving)

Wasn’t quite sure where you were thinking of the 4 pole switch was to be installed?

Chris.

 

You don't need four ammeters, just four shunts. You only need one ammeter and a 4-way switch to connect the ammeter to each shunt in turn. Much less expensive.

 

Chris

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I'm following this post with interest, and I have a couple of questions that you may be able to answer.

What is the resistance of the shunts? In the order of milli-ohms I expect, and what will the voltage be, measured across the shunts?

I realise that the meters will be calibrated in amps, but I have a decent digital AVO meter (a real AVO, not a foreign copy) that should be accurate at around 100mV, so would not want to buy another meter.

 

Cheers

Keithtug

Edited by Keithtug
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You don't need four ammeters, just four shunts. You only need one ammeter and a 4-way switch to connect the ammeter to each shunt in turn. Much less expensive.

 

Chris

 

Hi, thanks everyone for your input.

Chris, would the 4 way switch be better with just 4 d/pole switches (1 off 1 on to read) or could I get away with a rotary switch like this revised link.

(Hadn't put any fusing in as yet on the meter side as yet)

 

Thanks.

 

Chris.

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I'm following this post with interest, and I have a couple of questions that you may be able to answer.

What is the resistance of the shunts? In the order of milli-ohms I expect, and what will the voltage be, measured across the shunts?

I realise that the meters will be calibrated in amps, but I have a decent digital AVO meter (a real AVO, not a foreign copy) that should be accurate at around 100mV, so would not want to buy another meter.

 

Cheers

Keithtug

Keith, the shunts used for these ebay meters are all 75mV

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/e3b6a5y-GlobalDig...1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

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Hi, thanks everyone for your input.

Chris, would the 4 way switch be better with just 4 d/pole switches (1 off 1 on to read) or could I get away with a rotary switch like this revised link.

(Hadn't put any fusing in as yet on the meter side as yet)

 

Thanks.

 

Chris.

 

The 4-way switch illustration is correct.

 

Chris

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