Recommendations for battery state of charge

[Hi Proof Products]

Can someone recommend a decent gauge that will indicate the battery pack state of charge? I’m running 36 volts, conventional lead acid batteries. I currently do not have a gauge so round, square, rectangular doesn’t matter just need something somewhat accurate. Thanks

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Hi Proof Products

Can someone recommend a decent gauge that will indicate the battery pack state of charge? I’m running 36 volts, conventional lead acid batteries. I currently do not have a gauge so round, square, rectangular doesn’t matter just need something somewhat accurate. Thanks

I would recommend a digital readout like that sold by ScottyB at Carts Unlimited, a site sponsor. That's the one I use.

You may already know this but let me say it anyway in case it can help other readers. With electric carts there really isn't an instant state of charge gauge. Even the digital readout one. To get a true/accurate state of (battery) charge reading, the batteries have to have been at rest for some time before taking your reading. I'm satisfied with waiting 15 minutes after I've parked it, but others would say you must wait an hour or more to get an accurate SOC voltage reading. With my gauge it's like clockwork. You can add .6 volts to the readout taken right after I park it. That will be the reading if I look 15-30 minutes later. Knowing that I can look at the chart and estimate my state of charge as soon as I park it. Mostly, I just want to know how many Ah I used of my allotted amount. In my case, 50% of 170Ah, so 85Ah allotment.

I plug in right after I use the cart. I use the Lester Summit II with its Bluetooth connection to my phone. After the cart is fully recharged I look at the amount of Amp-hours it put back into my batteries and compare that as a percentage of my 170Ah 48v pack. Then I compare that percentage used to the SOC-volt meter percentage used. The SOC chart is close, but not exact. Think of the SOC as a good guide.

But as far as driving down the road, neither the digital readout nor the bar graph gauge will give you instant accurate info.

[dajogejr]

Yep, got this one, I wired it direct to the battery. Some will say run it off a switch. The switch can give you a lesser reading. Great addition to the cart and piece of mind. If you scroll down on the instructions, it will tell you for most accurate reading go right to the battery pack.

https://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-meters.html

Do yourself a favor, get the aluminum trim piece. Unless you are an absolute anal perfectionist when it comes time to cut out the hole... as I thought I was...lol.

[Scobra1]

I bought this one for my lithium upgrade. Easy to install, except for the precise round hole for the gauge. Easy to determine AH available by using batteries down to the low limit and then recharge. The meter shows AH put in batteries while on charge. You then set that as 100% SOC. The meter will be dead accurate from then on.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Mon...0AAOSw3ppgUKPa

[Hi Proof Products]

[quote=dajogejr;1819209]Yep, got this one, I wired it direct to the battery. Some will say run it off a switch. The switch can give you a lesser reading. Great addition to the cart and piece of mind. If you scroll down on the instructions, it will tell you for most accurate reading go right to the battery pack.

https://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-meters.html

[Hi Proof Products]

Originally Posted by Scobra1

I bought this one for my lithium upgrade. Easy to install, except for the precise round hole for the gauge. Easy to determine AH available by using batteries down to the low limit and then recharge. The meter shows AH put in batteries while on charge. You then set that as 100% SOC. The meter will be dead accurate from then on.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Mon...0AAOSw3ppgUKPa

This one is interesting. How long is the shielded cable?

[kernal]

There is a group over at the Club Car section that swear by the Victron: https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=159617 $$$ Read the whole thread.

However the one referenced by Scobra1 in post #4 looks like a way cheaper version of the Victron and this is the way I might go if it were me.

[mikec557]

I like the idea of the ebay meter with the shunt. But I saw that it was a 350 amp shunt. One would think that's big enough on my 170 amp battery pack, but what about the surge of amps at a heavy pull? I have a Alltrax 500 detuned to 400 amps, or maybe that's to 460 amps. The kit from ScottyB came with a 400 amp fuse. We up the cables to 2ga to carry these loads. I wonder how that 350 amp shunt will hold up. I guess I better go read that Club Car thread. And just to stir this mental pot a little more, I have a Victron battery monitor with a 500 amp shunt on my RV with two 100 ah lithium batteries.

[mikec557]

If anyone is interested in going this Victron route, they have released a cheaper and I think easier model. I have the BMV-712 with built-in Bluetooth in my RV. I think it cost a little over $200. At the time it was the only built-in Bluetooth they had. I never mounted the 2in diameter gage because I always used my phone to read the data. That gage in my cart dash would be very hard for me to read.

But Victron to the rescue. They now sell a $130 model, 500 amp shunt with Bluetooth and no gage. I wish they had this when I bought my -712. Yes, I know. Still more expensive than the ebay one.



https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Smart...attery+&sr=8-2

[emoney]

I bought this inexpensive, shut-based meter off Amazon and I really like it so far. IMHO, only way to get an accurate reading is using a shunt.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1