Merlin Smartgauge specifications and accuracy

[WotEver]

 

His batteries were at were over 90% when I arrived yet the gauge showed 73% after charging the previous day to a lower tail current.

Yes. The gauge was faulty. We've already established that.

 

What we hadn't established at any stage was what the SoC actually was because Tommy still didn't have ANY method of checking it at that time. Everybody had been telling him to get a hydrometer for days and days.

 

It's no different to someone buying a faulty hydrometer. If it's the only tool they have and it's telling them lies then with the best will in the world distance fault-finding would be very difficult and misleading.

[Graham.m]

1. I gave you at least three links to specs of and independent reviews of SmartGauge many weeks ago. You chose to ignore them all saying "they're not on Merlin's site". So what? They were the exact same specs as Merlin have.

 

2. It is better than 1% accurate. It's accurate to within 0.05V (on a properly calibrated unit). That's about 0.4%.

 

Tony

 

I am sorry you do not seem to get the point the request was manufacturer's published specs, not what a journalist wrote about it

 

Even now you are still stating incorrectly that it is better that 1%. That from the published spec is not true it has a spec of 5%.

The official word from the Head of Engineering at Merlin in response to "What's going on?":

 

And yes Graham, I have his permission to post that.

 

Tony

 

So why not post the full email header and all

[nicknorman]

 

So why not post the full email header and all

It might have to be redacted! He is not renowned for always using language suitable for the forum!

[Graham.m]

Yes. The gauge was faulty. We've already established that.

 

What we hadn't established at any stage was what the SoC actually was because Tommy still didn't have ANY method of checking it at that time. Everybody had been telling him to get a hydrometer for days and days.

 

It's no different to someone buying a faulty hydrometer. If it's the only tool they have and it's telling them lies then with the best will in the world distance fault-finding would be very difficult and misleading.

 

You don;t get the picture, the information was there on the forum but I seem to remember posts telling me not to ask for voltages, I was asking because it was in the voltages the info was. You are too wound up in the belief that it is perfect.

 

As for a fault hydrometer, so easily tested just a bottle of distilled water, and frankly in 60 years I have never had a faulty one,

[WotEver]

 

So why not post the full email header and all

Not that it's any of your business but it was sent to me by Messenger, not in an email.

It might have to be redacted! He is not renowned for always using language suitable for the forum!

That too! Lol

[cereal tiller]

There was in that specific case, but then there wasn't anything else to go on. Over the years there have been loads and loads of threads with people complaining that their Smartgauge is not reading what they think it should. In every case it has eventually transpired that the gauge was correct and there was something wrong with the the batteries, the charging, the load or whatever. This is why we were inclined to believe the gauge, but in this one case it transpired that it was wrong.

Recently purchased a Smart gauge,am on home mooring with Shorepower at present but have deliberately discharged and recharge the 600 A.H. Battery bank 6 times to 'settle in' the SG.

 

The Gauge does display the S.O.C. as accurately as it should ,in fact,when the sterling PDAR Controller remote panel finishes Absorption charge the SG is usually approaching 98 %

 

Have verified the voltage readings with 2 different multimeters as well as the 3 LED. gauges dotted around the Boat.

 

It does what it says on the tin.

 

Am glad that I finally gave in to the Evangelical persuasion of Nick,Wotever et al.

 

CT(retired Marine Engineer)

[WotEver]

 

Even now you are still stating incorrectly that it is better that 1%. That from the published spec is not true it has a spec of 5%.

Voltage accuracy is to within 0.5%, not 5%. Would you like to borrow my specs?

 

SoC accuracy is great too, being within 5%, which is better than anything else available.

[WotEver]

Recently purchased a Smart gauge,am on home mooring with Shorepower at present but have deliberately discharged and recharge the 600 A.H. Battery bank 6 times to 'settle in' the SG.

 

The Gauge does display the S.O.C. as accurately as it should ,in fact,when the sterling PDAR Controller remote panel finishes Absorption charge the SG is usually approaching 98 %

 

Have verified the voltage readings with 2 different multimeters as well as the 3 LED. gauges dotted around the Boat.

 

It does what it says on the tin.

 

Am glad that I finally gave in to the Evangelical persuasion of Nick,Wotever et al.

 

CT(retired Marine Engineer)

I'm pleased you're happy, CT.

 

Just like all the other users ?

It's a shame we've had one (Tommy's) way out of spec and possibly a couple of others out by somewhat less. For what it's worth, Merlin ain't pleased about that but until they have some 'faulty' ones back to inspect there's nothing more can be said on that.

[nicknorman]

Recently purchased a Smart gauge,am on home mooring with Shorepower at present but have deliberately discharged and recharge the 600 A.H. Battery bank 6 times to 'settle in' the SG.

 

The Gauge does display the S.O.C. as accurately as it should ,in fact,when the sterling PDAR Controller remote panel finishes Absorption charge the SG is usually approaching 98 %

 

Have verified the voltage readings with 2 different multimeters as well as the 3 LED. gauges dotted around the Boat.

 

It does what it says on the tin.

 

Am glad that I finally gave in to the Evangelical persuasion of Nick,Wotever et al.

 

CT(retired Marine Engineer)

Hallelujah!

You don;t get the picture, the information was there on the forum but I seem to remember posts telling me not to ask for voltages, I was asking because it was in the voltages the info was. You are too wound up in the belief that it is perfect.

 

As for a fault hydrometer, so easily tested just a bottle of distilled water, and frankly in 60 years I have never had a faulty one,

 

But the voltage was coming from the faulty Smartgauge, so how would that have helped you? Edited January 14, 2016 by nicknorman

[Graham.m]

It might have to be redacted! He is not renowned for always using language suitable for the forum!

 

Not that it's any of your business but it was sent to me by Messenger, not in an email.

 

That too! Lol

 

mmm suggests a relationship that is regularly used.

 

Make me even more surprised that neither of you could not get a link to the manufacturers spec

Voltage accuracy is to within 0.5%, not 5%. Would you like to borrow my specs?

 

SoC accuracy is great too, being within 5%, which is better than anything else available.

 

No mine are quite sufficient STATE OF CHARGE (DISCHARGE) +/- 5%

Hallelujah!

But the voltage was coming from the faulty Smartgauge, so how would that have helped you?

 

Your supposed to hold an electronics degree work it out

[WotEver]

mmm suggests a relationship that is regularly used.

Then you'd be very very wrong indeed. Not that that's an unusual experience for you on here. Last contact 1st Dec 2011.

 

Make me even more surprised that neither of you could not get a link to the manufacturers spec

Looks like you definitely do need new specs. I supplied you with those specs weeks and weeks ago. It was YOU that repeatedly stated that they weren't on Merlin's site, not any of us.

 

The first time any of us bothered to look for them it was Nick - he just googled it and posted it here.

 

Edited for tryping - AGAIN

Edited January 14, 2016 by WotEver

[Loafer]

Then you'd be very very wrong indeed. Not that that's an unusual experience for you on here. Last contact 1st Dec 2011.

Looks like you definitely do need new specs. I supplied you with those specs weeks and weeks ago. It was YOU that repeatedly stated that they weren't on Merlin's site, not any of us.

 

The first time any of us bothered to look Nick just googled it and posted it here.

 

Edited for tryping - AGAIN

 

 

I've never understood the specification faff either. I googled them ages ago, and there they were, as if by magic.

[WotEver]

I've never understood the specification faff either. I googled them ages ago, and there they were, as if by magic.

Hardly difficult to find, as you say.

[Graham.m]

 

The first time any of us bothered to look Nick just googled it and posted it here.

 

Edited for tryping - AGAIN

 

lol Then maybe you should have look earlier

Hallelujah!

But the voltage was coming from the faulty Smartgauge, so how would that have helped you?

 

 

 

Your supposed to hold an electronics degree work it out

[Graham.m]

There was in that specific case, but then there wasn't anything else to go on. Over the years there have been loads and loads of threads with people complaining that their Smartgauge is not reading what they think it should. In every case it has eventually transpired that the gauge was correct and there was something wrong with the the batteries, the charging, the load or whatever. This is why we were inclined to believe the gauge, but in this one case it transpired that it was wrong.

 

Operating with a closed mind; when there is a fault nothing is OK. Even more so in this case, new charger, new batteries and gauge. Did they not teach fault finding on your degree course.

[Graham.m]

So it's my fault that you couldn't be bothered to type "Merlin Smartgauge specifications" into Google? You were the one who wanted to find it, I already knew from experience that it was accurate enough for the job. And don't forget you implied that your favourite BMV did publish accuracy figures when in fact they don't and can't. Which is a complete reversal of the facts.

 

I'm not sure who said it was 1% accurate, not me. I think I said it was accurate to within a few % for SoC, which you can take to be 2 or 3. Of course that isn't the max possible error, just the typical error I've observed in 4 years of use.

 

For tommy's problem we had one bit of kit to go on. It might have been a DVM, in fact it was a Smartgauge. Yes it mislead us but no more than if it had been a faulty DVM or any other bit of faulty kit. When trying to diagnose by remote control and with limited information, mistakes arise.

 

Regarding your penultimate sentence it is not a golden egg but it does its job very well although a few examples have a problem with calibration. What other problems does it have IYO? It is not a question of bug-squashing because you disagree, it is a question of refuting your claims when they are baseless.

 

Well I searched the Merlin site, not there. And NO I assumed Merlin would have specs easily visible.

 

You did not have one bit of kit to go on, again you were operating with a closed mind.

 

Well you treat it as a golden eggs.

[Loafer]

Well if Tommy has sent his Smartgauge back for checking, we may soon see him join the ranks of satisfied customers.

[WotEver]

Well if Tommy has sent his Smartgauge back for checking, we may soon see him join the ranks of satisfied customers.

Hopefully we will also receive feedback from Merlin as to what happened too.

[Graham.m]

Hopefully we will also receive feedback from Merlin as to what happened too.

 

Shouldn't

[dmr]

 

Operating with a closed mind; when there is a fault nothing is OK. Even more so in this case, new charger, new batteries and gauge. Did they not teach fault finding on your degree course.

 

I doubt if fault finding is included in any typical degree courses, its not really appropriate, though I really don't want to resurrect old arguments about engineers vs technicians. I was luck enough to do a degree course that did have an unusually large amount of "practical" electronics but even that did not explicitly teach fault finding.

 

...................Dave

[Graham.m]

 

I doubt if fault finding is included in any typical degree courses, its not really appropriate, though I really don't want to resurrect old arguments about engineers vs technicians. I was luck enough to do a degree course that did have an unusually large amount of "practical" electronics but even that did not explicitly teach fault finding.

 

...................Dave

 

In that case I was lucky being 16 years before you. But then regrettably things have changed not for the best it would seem.

It is a one thing being a designer but unless you can sort out problems with the equipment you have designed...

 

But I would suggest the ability is even more important when trying to sort problems out on a forum like this

Edited January 14, 2016 by Graham.m

[Chewbacka]

 

Well I searched the Merlin site, not there. And NO I assumed Merlin would have specs easily visible.

 

You did not have one bit of kit to go on, again you were operating with a closed mind.

 

Well you treat it as a golden eggs.

Try this Merlin link for the spec

www.merlinequipment.com/page/document.asp?id=159

[DHutch]

 

At the end of the day the smartgauge is a glorified voltmeter with an algorithm we're expected to trust that provides SoC, of which the details are closed-source.

 

In fairness; at the end of the day an Ah counter is simply a glorified Ammeter with and algorithm we're expected to trust that provides SoC, of which the details are closed-source.....

 

Obviously its appears a number have left the factory incorrectly calibrated, which is a great shame and obviously at that price not acceptable.

 

 

Daniel

[WotEver]

 

In fairness; at the end of the day an Ah counter is simply a glorified Ammeter with and algorithm we're expected to trust that provides SoC, of which the details are closed-source.....

 

 

Daniel

And the really important distinction of course is that SmartGauge gives an accurate, self-correcting figure for SoC (discounting one example that we are aware of that is faulty), even in the most inexperienced hands. Whereas an Ah counter will tell lies about the SoC which compound themselves daily unless continually adjusted by an extremely competent user.

[Paul C]

I'm not sure that's true - the algorithm used is simply that it counts the amps in or out, is programmed with the battery capacity and its SoC is one divided by the other. I'll have to look at the Victron BMV700 manual, but I think it contains the equations it uses.