rigrunner 12v outlet

[John61CT]

While I completely agree that expensive SoC BMs are overkill, not required at all.

But for those who care to be precise, can afford them and have a large expensive bank to care for, say over a grand or two, they are IMO worthwhile.

For lead SmartGauge is shuntless and only shows SoC, no need to program AH capacity thus no need to measure that as it declines, and no Full resets required. No AH counting but more accurate.

The Victron 702-BMV is best IMO for LFP, or those that want AH counting, but does require programming detailed batt data, regular Full resets and valid AH capacity numbers to calc SoC accurately.

I recommend both together, can actually back-figure declining AH capacity by comparing the two, saves running 20-hour load testing as the bank ages.

But yes, few want to spend even $200 on that level of monitoring precision.

But if interested, keep an eye on eBay and marine gear yards you may find a bargain.

This page is a goldmine of info, http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects

Search the page for "battery monitor" to learn more, but it's all worth reading.

This is the new site, https://marinehowto.com/ but not all the old posts have been migrated yet.