12v DC Loadmeter

[mm58]

I might like to wire in an AMP/Charge/Loadmeter, and maybe also a volt meter, to my TH, so I'll be able to see a more accurate condition of my dc system. Has anyone done this to their unit? How did you wire it up? Where did you get the meter? Are there any off the shelf products that are made for RV applications? etc...etc...etc...

Thanks for any input,

Mike

[mm58]

I might like to wire in an AMP/Charge/Loadmeter, and maybe also a volt meter, to my TH, so I'll be able to see a more accurate condition of my dc system. Has anyone done this to their unit? How did you wire it up? Where did you get the meter? Are there any off the shelf products that are made for RV applications? etc...etc...etc...

Thanks for any input,

Mike

[WWFan]

Hey Mike:

Not quite sure what you are calling a Amp/Charge/Loadmeter- are you talking about a DC Ampmeter and Voltage Meter? If so, those are pretty easy to install...

[PbdBlue]

Motorhome lurker here. I think this is what you're looking for:

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/237/p/1/pt/5/product.asp

Great unit and the only real way to tell the status of your battery. It will tell you the voltage, current draw/charge at any given moment, amp-hours used and percentage of amp hours remaining. Voltage alone is pretty much meaningless when it comes to indicating the state of your batteries. I've had one of these in my motorhome for about 6 years now.

[mm58]

That's sort of what I have in mind, but I was thinking of using analog meters for each: DC Volts, DC Amps, and AC Volts. The microprocessor controlled units certainly look attractive. This is one that looks interesting also http://www.rc-electronics-usa.com/am...y-monitor.html
For me though, an analog presentation tells me more at a glance than just a number, and I like to be able to see all parameters at once. Also, I have to consider where to mount whichever system I finally do decide to go with. Thanks for the link...

Mike

[PbdBlue]

In my enclosed trailer I have a shunt wired to a lcd digital panel meter. It's wired up to switch between volts and amps so I can look at either but not both at the same time.
The Doc Watson meter looks interesting and the price is certainly right but I don't think it's quite as sophisticated as the Link. The Link takes into account such things as charging efficiency and also Peukert's exponent which is a formula that normalizes the discharge rate curve. We have three of them in the group and all have worked flawlessly. Anyway good luck with the project.

[WaveMaker]

Mike,
Do you have a solar panel is that why you want to have it metered

[mm58]

I don't have a solar charging system *yet*, but I plan to add one sometime down the road. I just like the idea of the metered monitoring system, because I like to know what the status of my DC system is more than what 4 little LEDs can provide. I like to know how much of a load I'm putting on the batteries. I have been looking at the meters from Blue Sea Systems. They have some very nice looking stuff.

Mike

[Vette Racer]

mm58, you know, if you are looking at going to solar down the road you probably ought to talk to some of their people before putting anything in, just to make sure it will work with solar. There are a couple of sites out there that can give you a lot of info about this. I can't remember the urls but if you search around I'm sure you will find more info than you can read. It's always better to do it right the first time.

[Ensign]

I have the Trimetric monitor. Bought it from Best Converter over the Internet. I tells me all I need to know.