Wiring & Installing A Battery Monitor

Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
I was thinking that perhaps your house bank is fully charged and there remains some positive left...maybe I'm off way base. The only reset to zero I know of is the amp hour counter.

Either let's wait for Maine Sail or rtfm (although the last time I used that four letter word, I was admonished by one of the moderators. I think one could think of the "f" as meaning "funny."

Good luck, keep in touch.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Thanks for quick reply.
I undestand the plus and minus sign before amps. Normaly when load is on, current has minus sign and value depending of the quantity of load. When battery is being charged current has no sign, it is positive.
I undestand the parasitic draw but I have opposite - "parasitic charge" which ofcourse is not possible but that is what it displays.
It seems to good to be true that that my battery is charging as by itself ;)
Strange..
It could be charging via a combiner not yet unlatched, or the BOTH switch from the start battery, or it could just need to be zero calibrated. Before you calibrate it to zero insert a DVM, on the 10A or 2A mA scale, in series with the house bank neg wire. This will ensure that the BM is not really reading incorrectly and you can then go through the zeroing process in the manual...
 

brale

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May 23, 2013
4
Elan 31s Rijeka
It could be charging via a combiner not yet unlatched, or the BOTH switch from the start battery, or it could just need to be zero calibrated. Before you calibrate it to zero insert a DVM, on the 10A or 2A mA scale, in series with the house bank neg wire. This will ensure that the BM is not really reading incorrectly and you can then go through the zeroing process in the manual...
At first I also thought that my starter battery is slightly charging the house battery, although I think that is not possible because of separate battery switches, diode switch for charging from alternator and separate current circuits - starter only used for starting Volvo, so I disconnected starter battery completely and the result was the same.
I dont have the BOTH switch, I have one switch for starter and one for house battery.
I shall try with a DVM on house bank neg wire to be sure if BM is not reading incorrectly.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Problems Programing the Victron Battery Monitor

Hi,

I installed a Victron BMV-600S battery monitor this year. I tried to program it this weekend but had some problems.

I would hold "setup" button for 3 seconds and then it would go to the programing menu. I would scroll to the "Cb" screen. Then I would press the "select" button but nothing would happen. The last "0" should have started flashing so I could set the battery capacity size.

Same thing with the "Pk" screen.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jesse
 
Jan 28, 2012
101
2006 Hunter 33 Santa Barbara
Thanks for your detailed information, Maine (even though I'm replying several years after your original post!!)

One question ... I have new batteries in my Xantrex monitored bank, so can accurately set the Amp Hr capacity at 230 Amp Hr. But as the bank gets older, its capacity will reduce. Does the battery monitor measure this (presumably it could by comparing State Of Charge with voltage), but is it that clever? Or must I somehow measure or estimate the Amp Hr rating in the future and reset the programming to that new value? The Xantrex documentation is totally minimal and doesn't help.
 

KeithP

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Jan 29, 2015
7
Beneteau (UK), Hunter (BVI) 40CC, Passage 42 Southampton, Nanny Cay
Old thread I know but seems to be the right place for my question on location of the shunt and positive wires relative to the battery bank.

My battery bank is some 15 feet from the engine compartment. There are nice meaty positive/negative battery cables that run from the battery bank to the engine compartment and there is nothing else connected directly to the battery bank ie. nothing else connected to the battery terminals.

The previous owner of the yacht had purchased a LinkPro but never fitted it and I want to mount the LinkPro next to the battery switches and the Freedom inverter/charger control panel at the side of the engine compartment.

So my question is can I do all the LinkPro wiring in the engine compartment where the battery bank cables arrive (effectively treating the ends of the battery cables as the battery terminals) or must I run the LinkPro wiring all the way back to the battery terminals. Positive wires, negative shunt, both? Keeping everything in the engine compartment would be nice as I might move the batteries in the future.

One last thing, just to confirm that cat5 or cat6 cable with 1amp inline fuses on the +ve side should do the trick for the Linkpro wiring rather than the Xantrex ripoff kit. Any preference for STP vs UTP cable and if shielded should the shield be bonded to the negative wire? at one end, both?

Many thanks.
Keith
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Old thread I know but seems to be the right place for my question on location of the shunt and positive wires relative to the battery bank.

My battery bank is some 15 feet from the engine compartment. There are nice meaty positive/negative battery cables that run from the battery bank to the engine compartment and there is nothing else connected directly to the battery bank ie. nothing else connected to the battery terminals.

The previous owner of the yacht had purchased a LinkPro but never fitted it and I want to mount the LinkPro next to the battery switches and the Freedom inverter/charger control panel at the side of the engine compartment.

So my question is can I do all the LinkPro wiring in the engine compartment where the battery bank cables arrive (effectively treating the ends of the battery cables as the battery terminals) or must I run the LinkPro wiring all the way back to the battery terminals. Positive wires, negative shunt, both? Keeping everything in the engine compartment would be nice as I might move the batteries in the future.

One last thing, just to confirm that cat5 or cat6 cable with 1amp inline fuses on the +ve side should do the trick for the Linkpro wiring rather than the Xantrex ripoff kit. Any preference for STP vs UTP cable and if shielded should the shield be bonded to the negative wire? at one end, both?

Many thanks.
Keith
Everything should be as close to battery end as possible. For an easier install, and far better lifetime accuracy, I would suggest selling the Link-Pro and investing in a Smart Gauge...;) Or keep the Link-Pro but add a Smart Gauge for the SOC tracking...
 

KeithP

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Jan 29, 2015
7
Beneteau (UK), Hunter (BVI) 40CC, Passage 42 Southampton, Nanny Cay
Everything should be as close to battery end as possible. For an easier install, and far better lifetime accuracy, I would suggest selling the Link-Pro and investing in a Smart Gauge...;) Or keep the Link-Pro but add a Smart Gauge for the SOC tracking...
Thanks Maine... must admit I wasn't aware of the Smart Gauge so I'll do a bit of reading up on it, I'm sure there are some threads packed with info on this forum!!! Here in the UK it looks like the Smart Gauge costs about the same as the Xantrex Wiring kit, how ridiculous is that!

If I bought the Smart Guage for the Hunter I could even swap the LinkPro for the Link-10 on my Beneteau, should be a straight replacement with the existing wiring. Or even put a Smart Gauge on the Beneteau as well at the price.

Keith
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Thanks Maine... must admit I wasn't aware of the Smart Gauge so I'll do a bit of reading up on it, I'm sure there are some threads packed with info on this forum!!! Here in the UK it looks like the Smart Gauge costs about the same as the Xantrex Wiring kit, how ridiculous is that!

If I bought the Smart Guage for the Hunter I could even swap the LinkPro for the Link-10 on my Beneteau, should be a straight replacement with the existing wiring. Or even put a Smart Gauge on the Beneteau as well at the price.

Keith

With Nanny Cay as a hailing port I would assume you can get the Smart Gauge at UK prices on Tortola... Here in the US it is more costly. I would think that Budget Marine should be able to get one for you.
 

KeithP

.
Jan 29, 2015
7
Beneteau (UK), Hunter (BVI) 40CC, Passage 42 Southampton, Nanny Cay
With Nanny Cay as a hailing port I would assume you can get the Smart Gauge at UK prices on Tortola... Here in the US it is more costly. I would think that Budget Marine should be able to get one for you.
Maine, I live in England (that little island on the other side of the pond) and have the Hunter in Nanny Cay where I believe it will be US prices. I haven't checked the price at Budget Marine, just what I can buy here in England and put in my hand luggage for next trip out. Some things are cheaper here in the UK some not, so a bit of research always needed.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Maine, I live in England (that little island on the other side of the pond) and have the Hunter in Nanny Cay where I believe it will be US prices. I haven't checked the price at Budget Marine, just what I can buy here in England and put in my hand luggage for next trip out. Some things are cheaper here in the UK some not, so a bit of research always needed.
Smart Gauge / Merlin is a UK company.... Was just at Nanny Cay a few weeks ago & probably saw your boat.....