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04-10-2015, 03:52 PM
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#1
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Guru
City: Windsor
Vessel Name: Keeper IV
Vessel Model: 44 Viking ACMY
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,350
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Balmar Smart Gauge
I'm finalizing my inverter design and came across an article on Panbo about the Balmar Smart Gauge. It's an SOC meter. Unusual setup as it doesn't use a shunt and measure current draw , just the voltage. Supposedly extremely accurate and doesn't require calibration as your batteries age. I already purchased the Victron SOC but now am wondering if anyone has one of these installed Would like to get some feed real world feed back.
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04-10-2015, 04:07 PM
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#2
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,148
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I have one and I think all the claims are true.
Very hard to say without going through the same tests Maine Sail has.
Next year I'll know better as I am completely redoing my electrical system and feel I have a better way to wire the Balmar according to how I have my battery busses set up.
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04-10-2015, 05:15 PM
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#3
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Guru
City: Windsor
Vessel Name: Keeper IV
Vessel Model: 44 Viking ACMY
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,350
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Care to elaborate on "better way'.
I'll be tearing out all the big stuff power wise to accommodate the inverter as I go from 2 - 8Ds up to a total of 5 batteries and all the new stuff to support them.
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04-10-2015, 05:19 PM
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#4
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,148
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It may be peculiar to my system and the way my house banks are wired...but I think I need to move the negative sense wire to the farthest negative post from the joint buss bars.
Just a guess..a little experimentation may be required...
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04-10-2015, 06:44 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,148
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caltexflanc
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His article convinced me last year...at the same time Active Captain had them on the weekly good deal promo with Defender....way below regular pricing...
Sorry Hopcar...jumped on it but should have taken the time to check with you.....it was a really low price though...
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04-10-2015, 07:28 PM
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#7
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Guru
City: Windsor
Vessel Name: Keeper IV
Vessel Model: 44 Viking ACMY
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,350
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Quote:
Originally Posted by psneeld
It may be peculiar to my system and the way my house banks are wired...but I think I need to move the negative sense wire to the farthest negative post from the joint buss bars.
Just a guess..a little experimentation may be required...
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It makes sense what you say. You'd have to monitor and decide.
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04-10-2015, 07:33 PM
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#8
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Guru
City: Windsor
Vessel Name: Keeper IV
Vessel Model: 44 Viking ACMY
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,350
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caltexflanc
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I read this as well. That's what got me rethinking my position. Since I already have the shunt version I might install both as the Balmar doesn't provide realtime current draw and my existing ammeter won't give me the inverter consumption just house draw.
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04-10-2015, 10:48 PM
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#9
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Guru
City: San Diego
Vessel Name: Circuit Breaker
Vessel Model: 2021..22' Duffy Cuddy cabin
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,691
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbevins
I already purchased the Victron SOC but now am wondering if anyone has one of these installed Would like to get some feed real world feed back.
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I have both! The Victron gives me all the amp info...amps in/amps out/total amps consumed, etc. It also gives me a state of charge value but the instrument needs synched every so often. (Very easy to do.)
The Balmar Smart Gauge deals in volts only. Main battery bank & starter bank. It is extremely accurate & as previously noted, the older it gets, the more accurate it is!
__________________
Done with diesel power boats! Have fallen in love with all electric!
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04-15-2015, 07:42 AM
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#11
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TF Site Team
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,826
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Balmar Direct Batty Connection?
I've read about the Balmar monitor and like the KISS concept.
My question has to do w/ installation...
Instructions indicate connection must be made directly to the batty terminal - anyone done this w/ auto type terminals?
I have 2 8D battys w/ auto type posts and conventional clamp type terminals on main leads to batt selector switch.
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Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
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04-15-2015, 08:01 AM
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#12
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Valued Technical Contributor
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,785
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Bacchus:
Balmar wants you to connect directly to the battery terminals to avoid any problem with connecting downstream and having a voltage drop. I can think of a couple of ways to do it, one easy but not strictly to Balmar's specs and another more expensive:
Easy- Connect at the first downstream cable point, usually a 1,2,all switch for positive and at a ground buss for negative. This will result in minimal voltage drop. But if either is a long distance away and you sometimes draw big DC loads that cause a voltage drop even in big cable, it could introduce errors.
More expensive- Replace the clamp on terminals with lugs at the end of each cable. Then use a automotive clamp on terminal to lug terminal adapter available at WM and Defender, like this one- Ancor Lead Battery Terminal Set. A lot of work and expense, but it meets Balmar's installation criteria.
David
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04-15-2015, 08:22 AM
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#13
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TF Site Team
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,826
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David
I thought of the second suggestion but hesitate to get into the rewiring & $ req'd.
Another thought I had was to use a ring terminal and attach it to the clamp bolt...
Any thought +/- of that approach.
Thanks
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Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
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04-15-2015, 08:32 AM
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#14
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Guru
City: Cypress Landing Marina (NC)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacchus
Another thought I had was to use a ring terminal and attach it to the clamp bolt...
Any thought +/- of that approach.
Thanks
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Why not? It's the simplest way..
__________________
Steve
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04-15-2015, 10:13 AM
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#15
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Valued Technical Contributor
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,785
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Using the terminal clamp bolt is a little kludgey, but since there is minimal current flowing (a few milliamps I would suspect) it should work fine.
David
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04-15-2015, 01:32 PM
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#16
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Guru
City: North Carolina for now
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,348
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As long as it has good contact with the current carrying horseshoe of the clamp (in other words not between a nut and washer if any) that works fine. Put a multimeter there and directly on the battery post and you will get the same reading.
__________________
George
"There's the Right Way, the Wrong Way, and what some guy says he's gotten away with"
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04-16-2015, 07:05 AM
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#17
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TF Site Team
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,826
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My earlier Installation question is a mute point... after further reading & contact w/ Balmar tech rep I find their unit will not work in my situation.
The Balmar unit requires isolation of the 2 batteries (banks) being monitored - and will not work on any system w/ a batt sel sw.
My system has 2 8D batt'ys wired through a sel sw and are used for both start & house.
I've considered combining these into one bank and realize there are some advantages to doing this but I don't want to give up the starting back-up...
Looks like I'll have to rethink the whole system before going to a monitor.
__________________
Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
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04-16-2015, 07:49 AM
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#18
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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If one's battery bank is weak and won't hold a charge very well, will that affect the Balmar regulator operation?
Reason I ask is because I was seeing
low voltages of about 13v coming out of the regulator while underway, and at the end of 8-10 hours of running the batteries were all but depleted.
I always started out with a full charge after being plugged into shore power all night with the battery charger running. . Just wondering if weak batteries could somehow trick the regulator into a float charge scenario somehow?
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04-16-2015, 08:31 AM
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#19
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TF Site Team
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,826
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardude01
If one's battery bank is weak and won't hold a charge very well, will that affect the Balmar regulator operation?
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Note - above thread is re: the Balmar Smartgauge - battery monitor.
There is another thread re: Balmar Regulator Settings
You might find some regulator users there that have more experience w/ their regulators.
If not I got a quick response from the Balmar Tech via email link on their site.
__________________
Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
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04-16-2015, 08:42 AM
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#20
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Whoops! Thought that's where I was posting! Too may subscribed threads...
Thanks!
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