Is this electrical system monitor adequate?

[Porchhound]

Supposedly it gives me the charge status (0-100%) as well as whether the batteries are charging and the volts. The system I had in the last boat (brand escapes me) was digital. This appears to be an earlier model.

[waughoo]

It is simply a voltage meter with a selector for 3 batteries.  I would prefer something like a victron smart shunt for the house bank.  It operates more like a fuel gauge.

[Holger Dieske]

... it gives you a trend and it's okay. but nothing more.

As Wahoo has already written, there are affordable prices much better.

Holger

[KWKloeber]

Suggest you look at Rodd Collins' website and his reviews of battery monitors.   Victron and Smart Gauge are two
That voltmeter isn't very useful.
https://marinehowto.com/category/electrical/

Bookmark his website!!

If you are interested in the Smart Gauge Gen 1 (there's a more involved SG 200) that I might have an extra new one, still in the original box to sell.
https://pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge

[Porchhound]

"If you are interested in the Smart Gauge Gen 1 (there's a more involved SG 200) that I might have an extra new one, still in the original box to sell.
https://pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge"

I got directed to an old site.

[KWKloeber]

"If you are interested in the Smart Gauge Gen 1 (there's a more involved SG 200) that I might have an extra new one, still in the original box to sell.
https://pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge"

I got directed to an old site.

You got directed to two sites.  New and old.
Rodd has the SG200 on the new site but the original SG is on the old site.

[Ron Hill]

Porch : I've had a Link 10 for Many Many years.  It is one of the BEST electrical items I've purchased for my electrical system.  Go with a Battery Monitor - nothing less.

A few thoughts

[Stu Jackson]

There are a handful of ways to check on your batteries.

1.  Ignore them until they die.  Not kidding.  Before the proliferation of more electrical intensive systems on boats, primarily refrigeration followed by nav systems and autopilots, little was known about battery chemistry by boaters.  Slap a battery or two on a boat and go, when they died, replace them because they were considered a commodity.  Note also that much of this was pre-internet.  As Maine Sail has said many times, "Batteries don't die, they are murdered."

2.  Voltmeters:  a step in the right direction.  Unfortunately, many didn't and still don't understand the difference between loaded and unloaded voltage readings.

3.  The "original" Battery Monitors - begun IIRC by Ample Power out of Seattle, they began publishing layman's guides to battery care and understanding and the first battery monitors that measured amps out and recharging amps in.  The LINK systems and Victron's highly regarded BVMs are of this type.  They are also called "coulomb counters."  They are sometimes maligned because the users didn't learn how to reprogram the default values in the basic programming that came from the manufacturers.  Both Ample Power (and their still very valid Primer) and properly programming battery monitors are covered in my Electrical Systems 101 Topic.

4.  Current Generation SGs - There are two of these and they are discussed in great detail here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f14/balmar-sg-200-battery-monitor-209056.html