Callum asked: > Does anyone here have one of these fitted to their battery banks? I'm in > need of something to measure the current draw, time left etc.
I haven't got one fitted (although I'm about to have one on a new boat because it is part of the standard fit) but this type of device has one inherent disadvantage. It estimates battery remaining life by using amp-hours in, minus amp hours out (put simply) and can get out of sync with the battery 'real' remaining charge after a while. Much better for 'real' charge remaining is a SmartGauge (see:http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartgauge.html) as it does its calculations based on voltages at full charge and is self-learning. It monitors the voltage in both domestic and start batteries (assuming that they are both the same voltage ie both 12V or both 24V, but not mixed). It is a simple wiring job, only three wires back to the battery terminals as there is no shunt involved because it doesn't measure current. To be honest, battery remaining charge was more useful to me than current in or out when I had one of these units on a boat in France. It is very good when linked to a SmartBank and heavy duty relay for intelligent split-charge purposes. I intend to fit a SmartGauge on my new boat (as an additional item to the Victron that is a standard fit) purely for the accuracy of the battery charge-remaining calculation. So, I guess, your decision is based on whether you feel a display of current is worth trading off against the reduced charge-condition accuracy of the Victron. Roger
