Reading AMPS from a solar panel
I have a 12v - 120W solar panel on my TC. This is controlled by a Morningstar Sunsaver 20 into a single group 27 wet cell battery. I have a Trimetric 2025RV battery monitor installed. As far as ...
Forum Discussion
You may have the converter on the rig's frame, same as battery neg is on the frame, so it is not across the shunt.
The Trimetric reads amps going in and out across the shunt. That is the whole idea of its accumulated AH count, and how it keeps score on SOC (when you enter your battery capacity in AH)
Your converter or any other charger like a solar controller will too as long as their neg wires go across the shunt.
If you use a portable charger, its neg clamp has to go on the outboard end of the shunt. Hard to clamp to. I use an extension I made from a copper water pipe length, with one end bashed flat and a hole drilled in it to go on the shunt. The charger clamp then goes nicely onto the round part of the water pipe sticking out.
The shunt bolts are short, so there is a limit how many ring lugs you can get on there. Use a "pigtail" of a short #4 wire and then attach more things to that if you run out of "bolt room" on the shunt.
You will see eg, on solar with 8 amps of charging and one 3 amp light on that the Trimetric will show + 5 amps. If you have three lights on -9a and 5 amps of solar charging, Tri will show net of -4a
The instructions for turning off the auto reset are in the manual somewhere. If left as is, they reset as soon as your amps go neg, like when solar shuts down in the evening, so you lose your accumulated AH running tab.
The Trimetric reads amps going in and out across the shunt. That is the whole idea of its accumulated AH count, and how it keeps score on SOC (when you enter your battery capacity in AH)
Your converter or any other charger like a solar controller will too as long as their neg wires go across the shunt.
If you use a portable charger, its neg clamp has to go on the outboard end of the shunt. Hard to clamp to. I use an extension I made from a copper water pipe length, with one end bashed flat and a hole drilled in it to go on the shunt. The charger clamp then goes nicely onto the round part of the water pipe sticking out.
The shunt bolts are short, so there is a limit how many ring lugs you can get on there. Use a "pigtail" of a short #4 wire and then attach more things to that if you run out of "bolt room" on the shunt.
You will see eg, on solar with 8 amps of charging and one 3 amp light on that the Trimetric will show + 5 amps. If you have three lights on -9a and 5 amps of solar charging, Tri will show net of -4a
The instructions for turning off the auto reset are in the manual somewhere. If left as is, they reset as soon as your amps go neg, like when solar shuts down in the evening, so you lose your accumulated AH running tab.
