Smartgauge

[nb Innisfree]

This is good

[RLWP]

This is good

 

It's certainly educational. In between the slugging, I've learned loads about batteries and Smartgauge

 

Richard

[nb Innisfree]

It's certainly educational. In between the slugging, I've learned loads about batteries and Smartgauge

 

Richard

 

Perhaps Gibbo will inadvertently let slip the secret of SG

[bottle]

I did wonder if that was the reason for the questions.

[nb Innisfree]

Probably but I think it's blood from a stone and all that

[GUMPY]

Perhaps Gibbo will inadvertently let slip the secret of SG

If you have paid attention, the way smartgauge works has been broadly described on here before.

Not exactly but the broad theory and not by Gibbo.

[RLWP]

Probably but I think it's blood from a stone and all that

 

I believe the secret of the Smartgauge is freely available to anyone who can defeat Gibbo by three falls or a submission in an all-in electrical theory wrangling competition

 

Richard

[smileypete]

Good job SmartGauge doesn't rely on conductance then eh?

Are the methods it uses affected by battery temperature?

 

cheers,

Pete.

[Gibbo]

Are the methods it uses affected by battery temperature?

 

This thread is getting quite humourous.

 

I'm struggling to think of anything, anywhere in the entire universe that isn't affected by temperature. And so far I have failed.

[mayalld]

Your conclusions are about right. But you don't seem to have any idea how deeply you are discharging the batteries.

 

That's good to hear.

 

On the how deeply I'm discharging front; I know that if I attempt a second night without running the engine the inverter (Sterling 3kW PSW) goes low voltage around 2am.

 

On that basis, I assume that I'm discharging to around 70% by the time I start the engine next morning.

[smileypete]

If you have paid attention, the way smartgauge works has been broadly described on here before.

Not exactly but the broad theory and not by Gibbo.

 

There's a good paper on battery testing here (clicky)

 

cheers,

Pete.

Edited September 17, 2010 by smileypete

[david and julie]

I have a SG on my boat and upon seeing it a friend also fitted one. We both believe you don't really need them if you're cruising for lengthy periods each day. They come into their own when your moored for several days at a time because they take much of the guess work out of equation. Although they aren't marketed as fuel saving devices we do believe they achieve this by avoiding unnecessary engine running.

[smileypete]

It is not surprising that the biggest critics of this product are those that: have not tried it; do not understand it; or both.

 

True, and I've no doubt it does what it says on the tin.

 

But on the other hand, how many boating users have given the next best alternative a fair trial?

 

The next best alternative being a decent panel voltmeter, ammeter, and a small amount of knowhow.

 

cheers,

Pete.

[Doorman]

Can anyone enlighten me as to what a 'Smart Gauge' is? The only ones I've seen to date are those on my Beta-Marine control panel .

 

Mike

[bottle]

Smartgauge

 

Now sold by Merlin.

[NB Alnwick]

True, and I've no doubt it does what it says on the tin.

 

But on the other hand, how many boating users have given the next best alternative a fair trial?

 

The next best alternative being a decent panel voltmeter, ammeter, and a small amount of knowhow.

 

cheers,

Pete.

 

All well and good for those who enjoy reading and translating electrical data but the SmartGauge is much better at convincing the OH why we might need to put the generator on when she wants to run the vacuum cleaner or watch TV!

[Top cat]

 

 

Now sold by Merlin.

 

 

OH NO Just as well I dont need one

 

Terry

[Doorman]

Smartgauge

 

Now sold by Merlin.

 

 

Thanks Keith, it looks like a great piece of kit!

 

Mike

[bottle]

It is but remember I am biased, as I have one.

 

The main thing to remember when you have one is to understand what it is telling you, not difficult.

 

It is all in the manual.

 

If you go to the Smartgauge site there is an absolutely massive amount of information in the 'technical info' section about batteries and charging and...........

[Doorman]

It is but remember I am biased, as I have one.

 

The main thing to remember when you have one is to understand what it is telling you, not difficult.

 

It is all in the manual.

 

If you go to the Smartgauge site there is an absolutely massive amount of information in the 'technical info' section about batteries and charging and...........

 

Thanks again. Biased you may be, but there's no better referral than that of a current (no pun intended) user of a product.

 

Mike

[The Commodore]

Slightly off topic here but i have a heart interface Link2000 control panel that is playing up, does anyone know if the SG could easily replace the Link2000?

[Gibbo]

Slightly off topic here but i have a heart interface Link2000 control panel that is playing up, does anyone know if the SG could easily replace the Link2000?

 

Not really. The Link is also the remote control for your inverter so it won't do that. The Link also measures battery current which SmartGauge doesn't. ALl it will do is give you your state of charge and battery voltage.

 

What's wrong with it?

[The Commodore]

I had the live supply in short on the charger/inverter case, since then It wont display the charge float lighting sequence although it is working, i have also tried to use the equalisation function and it wont have it, i went through the processor reset stages but got nowhere.

[Guest]

I almost hate to ask this for fear of getting my head ripped off but here goes...

 

We have one of these -

 

http://www.mastervolt.com/marine/products/system-panels/masterlink-micc/

 

What does a Smartgauge offer that this doesn't.

 

From reading right through this thread I can see our current boating usage would mean a SG would be a luxury but hopefully if all goes to plan we will be planning to spend days on end (er no more than 14 at a time) in one place some time in the future.

 

When that time comes (in a year or 2) I could see a SG could be useful if I can understand what it offers over what I've already got...

[nb Innisfree]

I almost hate to ask this for fear of getting my head ripped off but here goes...

 

We have one of these -

 

http://www.mastervolt.com/marine/products/system-panels/masterlink-micc/

 

What does a Smartgauge offer that this doesn't.

 

From reading right through this thread I can see our current boating usage would mean a SG would be a luxury but hopefully if all goes to plan we will be planning to spend days on end (er no more than 14 at a time) in one place some time in the future.

 

When that time comes (in a year or 2) I could see a SG could be useful if I can understand what it offers over what I've already got...

 

Amp hour counters, based on a shunt, measure amps going in and out and add or subtract that from the size of your battery bank to give an estimation in percent of how much is left in that bank. Problem is the size of that bank is constantly reducing so it's a case of 'shifting sands' and the reading will be increasingly inaccurate. The SG uses a different principle and is the only monitor that gives an accurate estimate of power left in battery banks despite varying battery capacity.