landyacht318 wrote:
My friend owns the 100 amp adjustable unit.
I'd marked 14.5v and 13.6v unloaded with a piece of tape before the first use.
After the first use these marks on the tape were no longer valid, they had drifted and I had to remark them unloaded and they have remained put since, but there has not been much of a use for it as the project vehicle is misbehaving.
Definitely get a Clamp on DCamMeter, it is so great a tool for seeing what loads are pulling too.
upto 25 amps meter/ counter
The Above link is the most accurate of the 3 watt meters I have tested. I have one on My 40 amp Meanwell powersupply, and a portable one with 45 amp powerpoles on both ends that I use on individual devices, or on My PySchoumacher charger .
I replaced the 12 awg aluminum leads with 8awg tinned marine cable and use 45 amp Anderson Powerpoles, crimped and soldered, and they only get warm passing 40 amps, where the 12awg aluminum leads got hot enough to burn my fingers.
These are nice because they Display
Volts
Amps
Watts
Peak amp
Peak watt
Minimum voltage
Amp hours
Watt hours
Some of them display the amount of time they have been hooked up too. There are well over a dozen different versions sold on Amazon.
No they are not 100% accurate, but the meter linked above could read 0.08 amps accurately, whereas my other 2 would NOT.
They all appeared identical internally. Desoldering the 12awg is simple. Soldering 8awg to the internal shunt and circuit board is more challenging. Getting the 8awg to exit the unit cleanly and not stress the internals is also paramount.
I'd not pass 60 amps continuously though one though.
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of every model/version out there, but it was more accurate than the 100 Amp drok Meter I employed on one project.
But the 12awg stock leads make it less useful. I'd not pass more than 25 amps through those continuously, and one still needs to put a voltmeter right on the battery when charging as there will be considerable voltage drop.
The Nice thing is one can always just turn up the voltage higher to account for voltage drop.
I've been trying to decide which way to go on this. Clamp-ons that can measure DC amps tend to be on the pricy side. It would be the easiest to use, but from what I can tell, the accuracy is questionable, especially at the lower amps.
The one you linked, I've been eyeing for a while. My prime concern with it was the AWG of the leads, no way to tell from the ad what it is. You answered that along with a fix! Funny to me that they claim 150A. Ridiculous, 150A would melt that 12AWG aluminum! I could simply use it only when charging at home and do so at lower amps. Doing a fast 50-80 of 50-90 when dry camping, I'll just learn how long it takes and go strictly by time.
Another option, Mex explained how to build your own simply by buying a good quality shunt and using a voltmeter. Simple math from that point. I'll actually probably end up doing both as neither one costs much.
