Fitted My Smartguage - Settings??

[WotEver]

I've not heard of this either until recently. I wonder if there is a bad batch, or if they've re-specced the buttons somewhere along the line.

[Terryb]

Tony, I have charged both Sunday and Monday to 100% indicated (6 hrs Sunday and yesterday 3 hours cruising + 4 in the evening) After watching TV for around 3 hours last night I noted 87% but only 12.6v. This morning it was 79% and 12.5v so no appreciable drop overnight. As of this moment I havn't started Alfie today and the readings are 12.35v and 68% I have been on the lappy for nearly 2 hrs and remember I have 4x100wt panels but then it is a real murky grey day here.

[WotEver]

Terry - that's all sounding like you're getting accurate readings already. One question - after you stop charging and start using the batteries does the reading suddenly drop from 100% to a lower figure or does it just gently start to reduce?

 

The next step will be for you to do a power audit to try to estimate how much power you use in a day and then, from the readings on Smartgauge, you can quickly get to estimate the actual size of your bank.

[nicknorman]

Tony, I have charged both Sunday and Monday to 100% indicated (6 hrs Sunday and yesterday 3 hours cruising + 4 in the evening) After watching TV for around 3 hours last night I noted 87% but only 12.6v. This morning it was 79% and 12.5v so no appreciable drop overnight. As of this moment I havn't started Alfie today and the readings are 12.35v and 68% I have been on the lappy for nearly 2 hrs and remember I have 4x100wt panels but then it is a real murky grey day here.

Well that doesn't sound too bad. 3 hours of your 120w tv is around 35 AH with a light or two, which should be about 9% used, so you batteries are a bit down in capacity but not too bad. I think perhaps you are now seeing that you need to charge for much longer than you expected and hopefully with good charging the batteries may recover a bit more capacity.

[Terryb]

Good stuff guys. I have a Marine Sparks booked in for later in the week to asess my batteries for volt drop. Maybe I could save some money there and contract him to tidy up my wiring instead. BTW is there some magic answer to the lap top charging syndrome. I was thinking of just plugging it in when I need it rather than on charge all day. But my reasoning is like heating water ie let it cool down too long needs extra power to re heat ( recharge ) whats your thinking?

[Terryb]

Tony with regards my Audit it really is quite meagre. Tv (120Wt) only from 18.00 till 22.00 ish. No fridge etc. All lights are 10wt LEDs on only when I need them. I recharge a LED lamp for the bedroom and dark corners. A camera battery charger once a week for half hour toothbrush dito. I'm begining to realise that it's the laptop causing the bulk of my woes.

[nicknorman]

Good stuff guys. I have a Marine Sparks booked in for later in the week to asess my batteries for volt drop. Maybe I could save some money there and contract him to tidy up my wiring instead. BTW is there some magic answer to the lap top charging syndrome. I was thinking of just plugging it in when I need it rather than on charge all day. But my reasoning is like heating water ie let it cool down too long needs extra power to re heat ( recharge ) whats your thinking?

Firstly I would not have your batteries "assessed for volt drop" if by that you mean checked with a drop tester. These are only relevant for seeing if a starter battery can give enough oomph for engine starting, not relevant for domestic batteries. But if you mean have the wiring checked for voltage drop then fair enough.

 

The best time to charge the laptop is during the second half of the engine / genny running period, when there will be plenty of spare capacity in the charger's output due to the batteries getting towards full.

 

Many laptops can run on external power without the battery fitted so perhaps the thing to do is to fit and charge the laptop battery when the engine /genny is running, use it unplugged (inverter off) until the battery is flat, take battery out and run directly off the charger. Rinse and repeat! (without the rinsing!).

Edited December 15, 2015 by nicknorman

[Terryb]

OOooh thanks Nick, never thought of taking the battery out. I'm doing it as we speak.

[WotEver]

What Nick said, but I'll just add that "my reasoning is like heating water ie let it cool down too long needs extra power to re heat" is commonly believed but is also completely incorrect.

 

Here are a few other similar myths.

 

Tony

[cereal tiller]

Yes Richard, bought on Friday arrived Saturday and fitted Sunday.

Mike, could you (better than the manual) describe how to put read out on permanently. I cant get my head round the ambling way it is explained in there

 

 

OK Mike, cancell that last post. I have managed to make sense of it. Funny I downloaded the PDF and it all became clear, yet it only says what the book does. Is that a sign of something wrong with me?

 

Richard, I still do have intermitant selection probs with the buttons. However there seems to be a pattern emerging. If I press and get no response, walking away for a couple of minutes seems to reset itself and allow my inputs later. Maybe worth a try.

Instead of pressing the Buttons,try pressing them gently while Swiping your finger from bottom to top of the button.

Works for me.

 

CT

[Graham.m]

Tony, I have charged both Sunday and Monday to 100% indicated (6 hrs Sunday and yesterday 3 hours cruising + 4 in the evening) After watching TV for around 3 hours last night I noted 87% but only 12.6v. This morning it was 79% and 12.5v so no appreciable drop overnight. As of this moment I havn't started Alfie today and the readings are 12.35v and 68% I have been on the lappy for nearly 2 hrs and remember I have 4x100wt panels but then it is a real murky grey day here.

 

Terry when were the voltage reading taken, in daylight or darkness?

 

I am wonder what effect any input from the solar panels is having on those voltages. It does not need much for the solar to raise the battery voltage.

[WotEver]

 

Terry when were the voltage reading taken, in daylight or darkness?

 

I am wonder what effect any input from the solar panels is having on those voltages. It does not need much for the solar to raise the battery voltage.

The battery voltage in this context is irrelevant. All we care about at the moment is the State of Charge and it appears that OP is getting his act together with his charging regime.

[blackrose]

Mine works brilliantly straight out of the box, and I LOVE the display, buttons, box etc. Reminds me of when I built a digital clock from a kit in about 1975.

 

Yes, I don't remember having to do any setup at all with mine. 3 cycles of below 74 and 100% SoC and that was it, it synchronised automatically. Mind you, I bought mine about 8 years ago so i may have forgotten setting it up?

 

I once had a problem with one of the buttons which turned out to be a cracked fascia. Gibbo kindly send me a couple of spare fascias for free. They just stick on.

Edited December 15, 2015 by blackrose

[Graham.m]

The battery voltage in this context is irrelevant. All we care about at the moment is the State of Charge and it appears that OP is getting his act together with his charging regime.

 

Ah total reliance on one way of checking battery condition, you know voltage can give a good idea

[blackrose]

What Nick said, but I'll just add that "my reasoning is like heating water ie let it cool down too long needs extra power to re heat" is commonly believed but is also completely incorrect.

 

Here are a few other similar myths.

 

Tony

Interesting one about cavity wall insulation. I know we're talking boats rather than houses but the same principal applies. I've always said that contrary to the popular myth the air gap between the insulation and the wooden lining is not strictly necessary, as a closed space there is no circulating air and it doesn't perform any ventilation function for itself or the bilges (unless the lining is intentionally vented to the inside of the boat)，and so may as well be filled with insulation. Mine is and it's fine.

Edited December 15, 2015 by blackrose

[WotEver]

Ah total reliance on one way of checking battery condition, you know voltage can give a good idea

Total reliance on a known accurate measurement. Yes. I suggest you take another look at the title of this thread.

 

Voltage with an unknown and variable input from solar gives no idea whatsoever.

Interesting one about cavity wall insulation. I know we're talking boats rather than houses but the same principal applies. I've always said that contrary to the popular myth the air gap between the insulation and the wooden lining is not strictly necessary, as a closed space it doesn't perform any ventilation function (unless it's intentionally vented to the inside)，and so may as well be filled with insulation. Mine is and it's fine.

Yep, there are some good ones in there. Edited December 15, 2015 by WotEver

[Terryb]

It's now 2 in the morning and my readings are the same as when I went to bed. Sadly I am near a pub and the silly hen party got chucked out at midnight, but hung around the carpark till one giggling.

 

Amyway, 12.75v and 94% at 22.00 like I said still the same now. So my rekoning is that my batteries seem to have recovered and there doesn't seem to have been too much long term damage. Would you concour?

 

I didn't get it to 100% as I switched on to late so by 8 switched off at 95%

[nicknorman]

Sounds good Terry. Of course you won't have taken much current out between stopping charging and going to bed so we can't really evaluate the actual capacity, but it does give the feeling that the batteries are fine.

[Terryb]

That's what I was worried about Nick, so in essence I'm relieved to at least have some good batteries on board. I guess the SmartGauge should have been installed with the batteries and the solar. Then I would have been learning from day one. But I will be very anal regards them in future, after all, they are the life blood of boating. Thanks for all your input. All of you, top doggies. You have all made my sleeping much easier.

[Richard10002]

I've not heard of this either until recently. I wonder if there is a bad batch, or if they've re-specced the buttons somewhere along the line.

Had an email today advising that Merlin have decided to replace mine with a new one. This suggests that the original was faulty and not easily repairable.

 

I hope the replacement has been properly quality checked!!

[Loafer]

It would seem that this instrument is excellent in telling you your SOC, but is poorly made. I still haven't ordered mine, based on that.

[cereal tiller]

It would seem that this instrument is excellent in telling you your SOC, but is poorly made. I still haven't ordered mine, based on that.

Not at all sure that there is a single graham of truth in what you are saying,Smartgauge is well made.

CT

[Sea Dog]

Not at all sure that there is a single graham of truth in what you are saying.

CT

Nicknorman might enjoy that spell check induced miss quote!

[WotEver]

Not at all sure that there is a single graham of truth in what you are saying,Smartgauge is well made.

CT

Totally agree. Mine is very well made.

 

Tony

[nicknorman]

Nicknorman might enjoy that spell check induced miss quote!

I thought it was an intentional slip.