Battery Monitor -- Heart Link vs Salt vs Batcom

[Tweetybd]

Hi, Everyone

I just added a separate Group 24 starting battery to Tweety Bird and have paralleled the pair of 4Ds.  Now, I'd like to add an electrical monitor to monitor the house bank (I question whether it's necessary to monitor the starting bank).

The Batcon 300, available from West Marine ($100) is a basic two-bank unit that provides two "idiot lights" that turn-on when a bank is down to 1/3 of its capacity  and flash when a bank is "in danger of over depletion damage.)

Does anyone have experience with the Batcon?  Since it's a fraction of the price of a Hart Link unit (and you usually get what you pay for), I wonder whether it would be worth the extra cost for a Link 10 or Salt meter that have more features.

[tassber2]

+I installed a link 10 and really like it.  I monitor my house bank only (4 golf cart batteries).  With the link 10 you can also monitor charging amps from your AC charger and from your engine alternator.  You can also read the amp draw from from lights, refrigerator, tv, etc.  Very usefull.

Mike
1996 MkII #1321

[Tweetybd]

Thanks for the replies; it more-or-less confirmed what I already thought.  

Ron, you seemed to be chastising me for even considering the Batcon (perhaps "deserve" and the "hang" comment conveyed an unintended tone).
Your comments usually are more subdued, so I guess that you have strong feelings on the subject.

Of course, I see your point, have decided to get a Link 10 (which, by the way, is $199.95).  As usual, since I only intend to buy such a device once, I'll end-up getting the better, more expensive one.

regards,
Jon

[calewis]

See this Web site: http://www.bepmarine.com/showproduct.cfm?productid=109


Check out BEP Marine's new Digital monitors that are designed for easy installation. Units can be fitted to a surface with minium protrusion or recessed into a panel.

 The new 600-DCM offers full battery monitoring in one gauge.

 Features Include:

    *
      Voltage Monitoring for 3 battery Banks with custom selectable legends. eg. Start Batt, House Batt, Radio Batt.
    *
      Charge and Discharge Amps (House Bank Only)
    *
      Amp hours remaining (House Bank Only)
    *
      Hi-Low Voltage Alarms on 3 Battery Banks
    *
      Low Amp Hour Alarm
    *
      Operating Voltage 10-35VDC
    *
      Software includes Peukerts Exponent
    *
      Meter supplied with 450A-50MV shunt
    *
Suitable for monitoring Amp Hours on battery banks with a capacity between 100 & 3000 Amp Hours.

[Tweetybd]

Hi, Ron

Thanks for your advice on connecting to the centerpole of the battery selector switch (a great idea that I'd never have thought of).  It defintely sounds like the way to go.

Chris, thanks for the BEP info; I'll check it out.  I wonder whether anyone else has experience with it.

Hope to see you and Carmelita out there for the Interclub Race series that starts 4/12.

regards,
Jon

[seacatc34]

I put in the Link 10 and it's set up to monitor the pair of 4Ds which are now the house batteries.  The Optima starting battery is monitored by one of the voltmeters on the electrical panel.  I think that's adequate since I use an echo charge unit to charge the Optima from the house bank.

Mike Roy
1373 Cat's Paw

[Tweetybd]

Mike, what kind of battery charger do you have?   When my standard Flyback 20-3 died after 5 years, ProMariner gave me a full credit towards a Promatic 30-3 (net cost $125), and I've been quite happy with it.

However, now that I've added a separate starting battery, I wonder whether I need to add an Echo Charger to avoid "cooking" the starting battery (I'm hooked-up to shore power and keep the charger on to support full-time refrigeration that would otherwise drain the house bank).   I doubt that the ProMariner
is "intelligent" enough to properly adjust the charge to the starting battery (I've written to their Tech Support group, but haven't heard back yet).

Jon

[seacatc34]

Jon:  I'm on a mooring so with the little use it gets, my Flyback is still in service.  Good to know about Promatic.

Echo Charger:  This method was given an upcheck by Practical Sailor.  It draws on a charging house bank to charge the starting battery, allowing only the needed amount of power to flow to it.  From what I've seen, it works well.  

I mounted the Echo Charger under the sink, to the right of the AC charger.  I glued a piece of plywood using Liquid Nails to the bulkhead, just above the 2x4, and screwed the unit in place. That makes for a short run to the 4D  battery bank.  Just use the requisite sized wire for the run to your starting battery.  (Mine is in a battery box aft of the transmission.)

Mike

[Tweetybd]

For anyone interested, the BEP Marine's 600 DCM sells for a consumer direct price of $301.14, plus shipping (it weights about a pound).

I think that I'll go with the Link 10.  FYI: in addition to the $199.95 cost (West Marine matched PYacht's price), you also have to buy parts for $75-90 (wiring, fuses and holders, connectors, etc).  Sure adds-up quickly (still, cheap compared to the inverter and its plethora of expensive installation parts (including 2/0 battery cable, lugs, etc).

Still, it's a lot more fun than spending money on the house or cars.

[Eliosso]

Originally posted by Chris Lewis-163-Carmelita-1986-San Franc:
See this Web site: http://www.bepmarine.com/showproduct.cfm?productid=109


Check out BEP Marine's new Digital monitors

cHRIS ,
Where did you pick up this monitor how much did you have to dish out
Paul
Eliosso 1989 # 984

[Stu Jackson]

Paul

Chirs sold his C34 and bought a C42 Mark I.  I doubt if he lurks here anymore.  You may want to try his email address directly.

Stu

[DEMERY]

Jon,

You may want to also consider the Link 1000 if your looking at the Link 10. It's only a few more dollars and delivers all the Link 10 functions with the addition of remote control for a Heart Inverter. Provides a nice single solution for DC mnitoring and Inverter / Charger controls. This would only make sense if you foresee an inverter in the future.

[John Langford]

I installed my Link 10 using a 16 or 18 gauge 5 wire cable that my neighbourhood marine electronics store recommended. It cost considerably less per foot than the Xantrex cable and could be bought by the foot. They say that most of these multi wire cables are twisted enough to offset interference concerns. Anyway it works perfectly. You might want to check with a local supplier.

I am puzzled about the idea of using the Link 10 to monitor more than one battery bank. Part of the attraction of the Link 10 is its ability to continuously monitor the amp hours put into and taken out of your battery bank. If you switch back and forth between banks you lose that function.

I also don't see the problem with using the Link 10 to monitor a house battery bank containing two 4Ds. As long as the two batteries are in more or less the same state of health I can't see why you would want to monitor them separately.

Cheers
John

[James Moe]

For what it's worth, there's a comparison of the various battery monitors in the April 1 2004 issue of Practical Sailor. The Xantrex Link 10 of course gets a high rating.  I've used one for several years with good results and installed them in quite a few other boats.  They do have a dual unit as well which monitors two batteries independently and will give you the AH situation for both.