It's not inexpensive and doesn't monitor bilge pumps or tank levels but I am intrigued by the Smartgauge distributed by Balmar. It was designed and is marketed in the UK. The claim is that it gets more accurate with time as opposed to the increasing inaccuracy of monitors like the Link series or Victron. It doesn't use a shunt like the others.
http://www.balmar.net/smartgauge.html
I just spent nearly four months testing the Smart Gauge. It really is quite simple and IT WORKS.... Expensive, yes but literally plug & play & removes all the programming and wiring blunders that often trip up standard BM users.
Unlike a typical Coulomb/Ah counter it does not need you to constantly try and figure out your new Ah capacity based on age and use. It does all this for you and presents you with a simple SOC read out.
I will be publishing an article soon on the Smart Gauge and the test procedures. Suffice it to say I wish we had this tool 30 years ago!!
Why I like it:
*Much easier to wire
*Much easier to use
*Much easier to track actual SOC as batteries age
*Virtually no programming (select battery type, that's it)
*No shut to install or trip up users down the road (should have seen the boat I worked on yesterday)
What I don't like:
*No ammeter to see how solar or other devices are performing
I tested with GEL, AGM, FLA & LiFePO4 batteries. It does not work on LiFePO4, very flat voltage curve, but it works extremely well on all the others. I also tested both new and used batteries... On some batteries it took me three capacity tests, to 10.5V, to find the "current" 20 hour capacity for the Ah counters. Only later did I realize the SG was already accurate by the second cycle...
Within a few cycles the Smart Gauge was as spot on as can be expected, for an inexact science...
I honestly think that for most boaters, who want to know this stuff, this is the new "best" tool for tracking SOC.... In the whole scheme of things the price is cheap compared to toasting an AGM or GEL bank.....