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A friend of ours has a 2004 Sea m/h with a battery monitor that just has 4 led's on it showing 1 green 2 orange and 1 red, and when it gets to the 1st orange the tv turns off. I have told her that is the time to recharge the batteries before they get to low.
My question is can she update the monitor to a more modern type showing the volts in the batteries instead of just the led's.
Thanks
Bob
Last edited by whistlinggypsy on Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:53 am; edited 1 time in total
We had a NASA control panel fitted a couple of weeks ago by Vanbitz as our Pheonix solar panel wasn't being recognised by the van control panel.
Another excellent bit of kit fitted by them, easy to use and tells us exactly what the state of our batteries are at all times, including time to discharge and time that it will take to recharge.
Price was good as was the service, wouldn't expect anything else from Vanbitz
Does the van have a 12v socket somewhere? other than the cigar lighter in the cab?
If so, here's a cheaper option. Tell your friend to buy a cheap multimeter (£5 or so on eBay), and test the battery voltage periodically at said socket. By the way you can't measure "the amps left in the battery" only the voltage. Anywhere between 12v and 13.8v is good, below 12v, start charging or stop using.
By the way you can't measure "the amps left in the battery"
Only true in the strictest sense Rayo
By sampling the current drawn and replaced using the nasa meter (other meters available) a good approximation of the state of charge can be arrived at and certainly its as reliable as off load terminal voltage.
The job normally requires finding a place to fit the meter and running cables to a very low value series resistor fitted in the negative lead of the battery common to all charging and load circuits. There will also be a lead to a positive supply to power the eter. A straight forward job for anyone with electrical know how.
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The job normally requires finding a place to fit the meter and running cables to a very low value series resistor fitted in the negative lead of the battery common to all charging and load circuits. There will also be a lead to a positive supply to power the eter. A straight forward job for anyone with electrical know how.
Still a bit complex though for the average DIYer! To test the difference between off load and on load terminal voltage while measuring, just switch everything on - lights, pump and anything else that draws 12v. Then if there is a significant drop in voltage in the socket, start charging!
The job normally requires finding a place to fit the meter and running cables to a very low value series resistor fitted in the negative lead of the battery common to all charging and load circuits. There will also be a lead to a positive supply to power the eter. A straight forward job for anyone with electrical know how.
Still a bit complex though for the average DIYer! To test the difference between off load and on load terminal voltage while measuring: just switch everything on - lights, pump and anything else that draws 12v. Then if there is a significant drop in voltage in the socket, start charging!
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Our thoughts are with you Chris and Graham. Fighting with Mavis and Ray 
