Poor Man's Trimetric?
I want a cheap sort of 12v battery monitor that can measure at least 100a and keep track of AH. Need some advice here on whether these possibles are any good in the first place, and then about the ac...
Forum Discussion
smkettner wrote:
Voltmeter is all you need.
Start charging at 12.4 to 12.1 volts under light load. Be aware of the time if you have limited generator hours.
Stop charging 60 minutes after battery hits absorption voltage.
Repeat next day as needed.
Extended 48 hour charge upon return.
Yes same as before I got the Tri in the 5er, but what I want is to follow the action in the TC with its 120v fridge over maybe six days off grid with the solar getting some AH in and the loads taking some out with the bank declining in SOC over all.
The decision point is turning out to be in the evening after a few days whether to shut off the fridge and ride it out till it is time to go home, or whether there is enough reserve to get by with the fridge still on, with a look at the weather forecast for solar prospects. (also how long will the milk last, can we get a bag of ice to put in there, etc)
Can't wait till next morning's "morning voltage" when there is no solar input to screw up the voltage reading or any big draws either. Don't want to leave the fridge on all night with no solar input if it is getting close. The AH counter is the way to tell how close you are getting when voltage is going up and down.
Turning the fridge off and restarting later turned out to be futile. Once things warm up in the fridge it takes too long to get back to proper temperature if it ever does. So turning it off is a serious decision. Lesson: have a propane fridge!!!!
I can live without the Tri in the 5er, but do want an AH counter in the TC. I could just swap it over, but am looking at these low cost monitors. I don't know enough about them, which is why I am looking for some clues here. :)
