Smartgauge and smartbank

[lesrollins]

I would like to replace my volt meter with a smart gauge, I have a bank of 3 x 220a bateries which are all connected and a 90a starter battery which as its own connections. Do I need a smartbank as well as a smartgauge and when I disconnect the volt meter can I use the wires as feed to the smartgauge. Is a smartgauge a good thing to have. Thanks

[Ark Right]

I would like to replace my volt meter with a smart gauge, I have a bank of 3 x 220a bateries which are all connected and a 90a starter battery which as its own connections. Do I need a smartbank as well as a smartgauge and when I disconnect the volt meter can I use the wires as feed to the smartgauge. Is a smartgauge a good thing to have. Thanks

 

Hi Les

Lack of replies , so here I am

A bit more info is required, you have two battery banks, do you have an alternator for each one?

If you have an alternator for the cabin batteries and one for the start battery then a Smartbank may be of little use.

IMO a Smartgauge is a great bit of kit.

If you buy one it needs to be installed as the instructions , I.E. using old wiring is not an option.

Hope this goes some way to answering your query

A

[Grace and Favour]

Les,

 

You may possibly find some interestingly diverse replies to your questions - some rather anti - some rather pro . . .

 

I fall into the latter category, I fitted a Smartgauge/smartbank advanced last year.

I wired it up with new cabling - - VERY simple to do, Very simple to use - - I've found it extremely useful!

[Proper Job]

The Smartgauge is a battery voltmeter and capacity monitoring device.

 

The Smartbank is split charging system that takes information from the Smartgauge and decides what battery bank requires charging priority.

 

As Ark Right says, it will depend on your current system charging arrangements.

 

The basic Smartgauge takes a positive wire from your domestic bank up to the gauge (you will also need to put in a negative return wire). This will give you the domestic bank voltage and (after a while) the banks state of charge (SoC) in a percentage term.

 

Additionally (if you want to), you can also run another positive wire up to the Smartgauge to sense another battery banks voltage (usually start batteries). The Smart gauge will only give you a voltage reading for this bank. It will not give you the SoC. The meter uses the same negative return.

 

If you already have twin alternators for charging domestic and start batteries, or a split charging diode etc, etc, you do not need the Smartbank.

 

There is loads of info on this subject on the Smartgauge web site

[canalowl]

I've had my SmartGuage / SmartBank for around 4 years now - easy to fit and its been trouble free. Great bit of kit, does what it says on the box. Dave

[Smelly]

I suppose it's worth being explicit in saying that SG needs a direct connection to the battery posts

[jonathanA]

just to throw a slightly different view in to the mix...

 

I don't have either and having seen the price wonder whether spending the money on better batteries, LED lighting and voltmeters/shunt ammeters wouldn't be a better use of money.

 

Of course I'm not liveaboard and have a landline, so therefore not quite as obsessed about my batteries as I might be if I did...

 

There's no doubt those who have them think they're great and its definitely worth looking at the smartguage website to understand exactly what it does. (although it gets pretty technical in places)

 

Smartguage have introduced a new nifty looking shunt ammeter thing that fits in a 52mm mounting (like most gauges) and that looks tempting. (was on anther thread on here but can't find it now).

 

Also there was some gossip about a new model of smartgauge being due out sometime soon.

 

As others have said slightly depends on what you've got already and what you need... If you only have a tiny single alternator and duff batteries SG ain't going to solve anything...

[Albion]

just to throw a slightly different view in to the mix...

 

I don't have either and having seen the price wonder whether spending the money on better batteries, LED lighting and voltmeters/shunt ammeters wouldn't be a better use of money.

 

Of course I'm not liveaboard and have a landline, so therefore not quite as obsessed about my batteries as I might be if I did...

 

There's no doubt those who have them think they're great and its definitely worth looking at the smartguage website to understand exactly what it does. (although it gets pretty technical in places)

 

Smartguage have introduced a new nifty looking shunt ammeter thing that fits in a 52mm mounting (like most gauges) and that looks tempting. (was on anther thread on here but can't find it now).

 

Also there was some gossip about a new model of smartgauge being due out sometime soon.

 

As others have said slightly depends on what you've got already and what you need... If you only have a tiny single alternator and duff batteries SG ain't going to solve anything...

And just why would anyone expect that a battery monitor and intelligent split charge relay solve such a basic problem?

Roger

[lesrollins]

Thanks for all the information, the engine is fitted with twin alternators one 45amp and the other 95 amp. I was thinking of a smart gauge as an upgrade from a voltmeter when I get new batteries, at around £150 it is pricey but the idea was to look after the new set of batteries better. Or would adding an ammeter to the voltmeter do the same job and keep the price down.

[bottle]

Yes they will but you will have to know how to interpret what they tell you.

 

The same as with a Smartgauge.

[Smelly]

 

The same as with a Smartgauge.

 

and smartauge works all the variables out apart from battery condition

[blodger]

Thanks for all the information, the engine is fitted with twin alternators one 45amp and the other 95 amp. I was thinking of a smart gauge as an upgrade from a voltmeter when I get new batteries, at around £150 it is pricey but the idea was to look after the new set of batteries better. Or would adding an ammeter to the voltmeter do the same job and keep the price down.

I would fit a digital ammeter and shunt off Ebay (about 20 quid) and maybe a digital voltmeter (a fiver) and put the balance of the 150 towards the batt replacement fund.

 

Nobody has mentioned the Nasa BM battery monitors that cost 30% less than SG aimed at the same market.

[luctor et emergo]

Where's Gibbo?

[Smelly]

Where's Gibbo?

 

In the spirit world!

[Richard10002]

I would fit a digital ammeter and shunt off Ebay (about 20 quid) and maybe a digital voltmeter (a fiver) and put the balance of the 150 towards the batt replacement fund.

 

Nobody has mentioned the Nasa BM battery monitors that cost 30% less than SG aimed at the same market.

 

NASA BM-1 about £90 reads up to 100A

NASA BM-2 about £120 reads up to 200A

[bottle]

Whatever gauges are fitted, the user has to know exactly what it is 'telling' you they all need interpretation even the Smartgauge.

 

I have a Smartgauge and it is probably the easiest to interpret but knowledge of what it is actually 'telling' is needed.

[Keeping Up]

In the spirit world!

 

Then we need to find a happy medium.

[jonathanA]

And just why would anyone expect that a battery monitor and intelligent split charge relay solve such a basic problem?

Roger

 

I agree but some people might think '£150 it must be good I'll stick one of them in to solve all my woes...'

[lesrollins]

I would not stick a smartguage in to solve my woes but hopefully help to manage and understand the battery bank. it looks like i might need to buy new batteries but until i have tried a few things i can,t be 100% sure. and to replace the battery bank i have now is probably going to cost around 600. so i think they should be understood somehow.

[Proper Job]

I agree but some people might think '£150 it must be good I'll stick one of them in to solve all my woes...'

A SmartGauge won't solve anything. It will give you information on the voltage of two battery banks and it will give you a SoC percentage reading of 'Bank 1'.

 

You then need to interpret that information depending on your circumstances.

 

Unfortunately a lot of people think that a 500Ah battery bank will give them 500Ah storage for the whole of the battery life. Therfore, if the SmartGauge says I have 50% then I must have 250Ah available. No. Over time (dependent on abuse) the storage capacity of batteries deminishes.

 

My boat has 5 x 110 Ah batteries (550Ah total). In 24 hours (with no other input), they will go from 100% to 60%. When I first fitted them (3 years ago), they'd go 3 days before getting to 60%. That's not because I'm taking more out. It's because thay don't have the storage capacity that they used to have.

 

I think in another thread 'lesrollins' said he had 600+Ah capcity on his battery bank. I think after he's done his tests, he'll find that he has a lot less than that now.

[blodger]

I would not stick a smartguage in to solve my woes but hopefully help to manage and understand the battery bank. it looks like i might need to buy new batteries but until i have tried a few things i can,t be 100% sure. and to replace the battery bank i have now is probably going to cost around 600. so i think they should be understood somehow.

Well I thinkk you have started by getting a hydrometer and you already have a voltmeter but if it is an auto analogue one with green & red sectors and a few close together numbers it is not really good enough.

Could I suggest a 20 quid induction 'clamp' ammeter next rather than anything all singing and dancing?

[Richard10002]

.

Could I suggest a 20 quid induction 'clamp' ammeter next rather than anything all singing and dancing?

 

Where can you get a DC clamp meter for 20 quid?

[ditchcrawler]

Where can you get a DC clamp meter for 20 quid?

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/testmeters/meters.php#iam

[lesrollins]

Well I thinkk you have started by getting a hydrometer and you already have a voltmeter but if it is an auto analogue one with green & red sectors and a few close together numbers it is not really good enough.

Could I suggest a 20 quid induction 'clamp' ammeter next rather than anything all singing and dancing?

 

 

I do have a analogue volt meter by durite. If I were to exchange it for a led voltmeter could you recomend one and perhaps give me a link to some. I could use the existing wires. As for a led ammeter would it be an easy guage to fit and would I need a 40 amp or 80 amp and what is the shunt used for. Can you get them from maplin ? Cheers

[Albion]

I do have a analogue volt meter by durite. If I were to exchange it for a led voltmeter could you recomend one and perhaps give me a link to some. I could use the existing wires. As for a led ammeter would it be an easy guage to fit and would I need a 40 amp or 80 amp and what is the shunt used for. Can you get them from maplin ? Cheers

No disrespect Les but, if you don't know what ammeter to get and don't know what the shunt does then are you going to be able to interpret the results that you get from a volt and ammeter set up? It does require some understanding of the basics of batteries and charging to be able to successfully interpret the readings that you will see. I would have thought that the simpler 'fuel gauge for batteries' style of the SG would have been more suited.

Roger