Victro battery monitor knock off @ a 1/3 of the cost

[nvs4602]

Found this battery monitor for $45 . Looks like it does everything the victron does only for a lot less. Or am I missing something?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGFFHC6...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[TitanMike]

Doesn't even come close to what a Victron Monitor can do. The BMV 712 has 60+ built in "features" that allow one to collect all kinds of battery bank data and can even control outside devices like a converter, alarms, etc.

No Bluetooth.

Also no Peukert Factor so if you are using it with Lead Acid batteries it starts of being inaccurate unless your discharge and charge rates are the same and fairly low.

It's a little more accurate than the push button LED monitor the factory installs but only because it can monitor current as well as voltage.

It's essentially a "Fuel Gauge" and probably as accurate as the one in the gauge cluster of most vehicles.
It probably does deliver $45 worth of value but no where near what a Victron can provide.

[JLeising]

What TitanMike says regarding different features is correct. That said, I went with it and am very satisfied. I don’t need or want any of the missing features, find the current and voltage measurements quite accurate, and find the charge / discharge accumulation and display quite useful. It also seems to use essentially no power while my RV is in storage. Does everything I want and does it quite well.
I did 3D print a “case” so I could surface mount it. As designed, it is supposed to be flush mounted. I found that mounting method inappropriate for my application.
Some have had difficulty understanding the setup instructions. I had no issue. Needed to fully charge the batteries to set 100% one time.

FYI
Jim

[nvs4602]

Sounds good to me. I just want to know what my
residential refrigerator is using power wise running off the inverter.

[JLeising]

Originally Posted by nvs4602

Sounds good to me. I just want to know what my
residential refrigerator is using power wise running off the inverter.

For that purpose, this one for ~$23 would work:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve used it and it works quite well. Accuracy for both current and voltage seems quite good.

Disadvantage of this one vs the $45 one is this one measures current out of the battery, but doesn’t measure charge current into the battery. Doesn’t net the charge and discharge currents, so not a “battery fuel gauge”.

FYI
Jim

[camaraderie]

I understand the basic features need and that's fine....but if the basic features DONT provide accurate battery state of charge and FULL and 50% readings then you are not just doing away with fancy Heinz57 features...you're dealing with THE BASICS.
If you don't ENTER your batteries Peukart number as part of set up...then you are inaccurate from the start. If the circuitry doesn't use Peukarts formula from the start, then you are getting under or OVER discharge readings and Under of Over charged readings. As a boon docker you're going to violate the 50% discharge rule, you're also going to under or overcharge since you don't know what 100% means with this particular usage of this meter.
If you can't afford a Victron ...you can't afford a battery...which you are in the process of murdering...perhaps a little more slowly than most... and that your right, I have a buddy who says...screw it...when i kill the battery I'll just buy another one,

Just want to be clear to others that like Titan Mike says, this is no Victron AND it cannot do the basics with any accuracy let alone all the fancy stuff. But it's still better than 4 red lights.

[360true]

I installed this meter on my 378 coach, having read and watched several reviews. This is an excellent product. Perhaps not as many bells and whistles as the victron, but for most of us perfect!

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

I understand the basic features need and that's fine....but if the basic features DONT provide accurate battery state of charge and FULL and 50% readings then you are not just doing away with fancy Heinz57 features...you're dealing with THE BASICS.
If you don't ENTER your batteries Peukart number as part of set up...then you are inaccurate from the start. If the circuitry doesn't use Peukarts formula from the start, then you are getting under or OVER discharge readings and Under of Over charged readings. As a boon docker you're going to violate the 50% discharge rule, you're also going to under or overcharge since you don't know what 100% means with this particular usage of this meter.
If you can't afford a Victron ...you can't afford a battery...which you are in the process of murdering...perhaps a little more slowly than most... and that your right, I have a buddy who says...screw it...when i kill the battery I'll just buy another one,

Just want to be clear to others that like Titan Mike says, this is no Victron AND it cannot do the basics with any accuracy let alone all the fancy stuff. But it's still better than 4 red lights.

Lack of a Peukert constant is a risk only for lead-acid batteries, correct? And, if your discharge rate is lower than the C rate, won't the error be to understate the remaining capacity of the battery? In that case, it's not a risk. Also, having entered the capacity, won't the meter reset its accuracy every time you charge the battery to 100%? Assuming so, the error will not be cumulative over time.

[Tundra 2014]

I am looking at adding the Renergy meter a round $100, butvseems closer to the Victron. Is anyone running the Renergy meter and happy w/ it?

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by chriscowles

Lack of a Peukert constant is a risk only for lead-acid batteries, correct? And, if your discharge rate is lower than the C rate, won't the error be to understate the remaining capacity of the battery? In that case, it's not a risk. Also, having entered the capacity, won't the meter reset its accuracy every time you charge the battery to 100%? Assuming so, the error will not be cumulative over time.

True...lead acid and AGM's are affected. Yes. Let's take a 100 amp hour rated deep cycle. It is rated to deliver 5 amps for 20 hours. If you try to deliver 10 amps...it WON'T last for 10 hours due to Mr. Peukart. If you take out 1 amp it may deliver 150 amp hours. The point is that on a monitor likwd this..you don't know WHAT your take our rate is...and you don't know what your put back rate is which is also affected by Peukarts law...and this varies over time so you don't even know during charging when you are really full or when you can stop...all of course which affects FUTURE battery capacity of genny fuel and maintenance. It's cumulative over time because each time you go wrong you do some damage. The meter can't reset it's accuracy if all it measures is current and volts because it doesnt track either true state of charge or true capacity.
There is not a single reputable company out there selling such a battery monitor...Xantrex, Balmar, Victron, Trimetric or any of the battery mfr's. There's a reason.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by Tundra 2014

I am looking at adding the Renergy meter a round $100, butvseems closer to the Victron. Is anyone running the Renergy meter and happy w/ it?

The Renology is better executed as a product but still suffers from the same design flaw as the others...No Peukart.
It works fine for lithium...not wet or AGM except as noted above for the cheaper ones. Set up includes no provision for Peukert.
I do not own one so someone else would be better to comment on how the features work for them. I'm only commenting on accuracy.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by chriscowles

Lack of a Peukert constant is a risk only for lead-acid batteries, correct? And, if your discharge rate is lower than the C rate, won't the error be to understate the remaining capacity of the battery? In that case, it's not a risk. Also, having entered the capacity, won't the meter reset its accuracy every time you charge the battery to 100%? Assuming so, the error will not be cumulative over time.

The problem is that the discharge rate varies widely in most usages except perhaps for fixed lighting. The error is greater with higher discharge rates. Also, since charge rate varies, being higher at low SOC and tapering as it increases, it's impossible to have a "Coulomb Counter" for Lead Acid batteries without it using the Peukert Factor in it's calculations.

FWIW, the way most people find how much error there is in the low cost battery monitors is when they think they have more charge than they do. Often when they wake up and the furnace isn't running anymore.

[JLeising]

Originally Posted by chriscowles

Lack of a Peukert constant is a risk only for lead-acid batteries, correct? And, if your discharge rate is lower than the C rate, won't the error be to understate the remaining capacity of the battery? In that case, it's not a risk. Also, having entered the capacity, won't the meter reset its accuracy every time you charge the battery to 100%? Assuming so, the error will not be cumulative over time.

Believe Peukert is negligible for LiFePO4 batteries. The Aili meter being discussed here does “reset” to 100% on full recharge. As I said above, seems quite accurate on amperage, voltage, and cumulative charge/discharge. Good display. Extremely low power usage especially in RV storage condition. Does not have Peukert correction, auxiliary switchable relay, Bluetooth, etc. I think it is essentially identical to the Renogy.

[Comanchecreek]

The big difference at first glance is the shunt is only 350 amps. If you change over to an inverter they will not handle the amperage. You can buy the Renogy with a 500 amp shunt for around 80 bucks. It isn't a Victron, but will perform well for monitoring battery condition, and life. It doesn't have the bluetooth feature. I had one of the cheapy's that worked OK, but had to upgrade when installing Lithiums and a 2000 watt inverter.

[JLeising]

Originally Posted by Comanchecreek

The big difference at first glance is the shunt is only 350 amps. If you change over to an inverter they will not handle the amperage. You can buy the Renogy with a 500 amp shunt for around 80 bucks. It isn't a Victron, but will perform well for monitoring battery condition, and life. It doesn't have the bluetooth feature. I had one of the cheapy's that worked OK, but had to upgrade when installing Lithiums and a 2000 watt inverter.

2000 watts at 12 volts is ~170 amps. Add even 20% for efficiency, ~200 amps. My Aili works fine with my 2000 watt inverter. As the inverter does have a 4000 watt peak rating, I guess it is possible to pull over 350 amps momentarily.
Of note, the Aili shunt is marked 500 amps - suspect the meter is only calibrated to 350 amps. Maybe Renogy has extended the meter calibration.

[chriscowles]

The one I bought on Amazon is branded QWork and is described as a 500A shunt.

I have no doubt that Victron and other monitors are better but they're much more expensive, and the knockoffs are not useless. They're satisfactory for many of us.

[tingefamily]

I did install one of these and I did struggle. Apparently, I did it incorrectly as the display flashes, sometimes. I haven't relied too much on it as we were mostly plugged in this past summer and I am careful about watching the simple voltage numbers, but I should figure out why it flashes at me. Based on my approach to battery management, this unit suited my needs. One thing though; the display is really bright and we had to tape a cover it as its brightness bothered our grandson at night..

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by tingefamily

I did install one of these and I did struggle. Apparently, I did it incorrectly as the display flashes, sometimes. I haven't relied too much on it as we were mostly plugged in this past summer and I am careful about watching the simple voltage numbers, but I should figure out why it flashes at me. Based on my approach to battery management, this unit suited my needs. One thing though; the display is really bright and we had to tape a cover it as its brightness bothered our grandson at night..

The backlight can be turned off. If you read the seller's responses to questions on Amazon, you'll find instructions. If you don't find those responses on the monitor you bought, look at questions for the same monitors sold under different brand names. They're all the same monitor, as far as I can tell.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tingefamily

I did install one of these and I did struggle. Apparently, I did it incorrectly as the display flashes, sometimes. I haven't relied too much on it as we were mostly plugged in this past summer and I am careful about watching the simple voltage numbers, but I should figure out why it flashes at me. Based on my approach to battery management, this unit suited my needs. One thing though; the display is really bright and we had to tape a cover it as its brightness bothered our grandson at night..

In reading the instructions it appears that the manufacturer is aware the unit is prone to RF/Electromagnetic interference. Items like water pump, furnace, and even A/C unit might well be causing the display to flash as they indicate.

Also, the accuracy of the unit seems to depend on a convoluted setup procedure that's hard to follow due to the instructions (at least those posted on the Amazon product page) being written in "Chinglesh".

Apparently there is no "Zero Current" calibration and then kind of guess if he battery is fully charged.

There's a reason that the other units cost more. If all you need is a voltmeter with built in ammeter it's probably OK. If you need an accurate capacity gauge it appears to leave a lot to be desired.

[JLeising]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

In reading the instructions it appears that the manufacturer is aware the unit is prone to RF/Electromagnetic interference. Items like water pump, furnace, and even A/C unit might well be causing the display to flash as they indicate.

Never experienced such interference. The display does cycle bright/dim when charging or discharging. Can stop the bright and cycling backlight by holding “up” and “down” keys simultaneously for a few seconds.

Also, the accuracy of the unit seems to depend on a convoluted setup procedure that's hard to follow due to the instructions (at least those posted on the Amazon product page) being written in "Chinglesh".

Apparently there is no "Zero Current" calibration and then kind of guess if he battery is fully charged.

I just fully charged my batteries, set the battery capacity (in my case, to 200 amp-hours), then set meter to 100% one time. Setting the “zero capacity voltage” is optional and I found uninteresting for my LiFePO4 batteries.
Current and voltage readings seem quite accurate vs my bench meters without any calibration.

There's a reason that the other units cost more. If all you need is a voltmeter with built in ammeter it's probably OK. If you need an accurate capacity gauge it appears to leave a lot to be desired.

Added features? Bluetooth, switched relay, Peukert corrections?