What is the most accurate battery monitor?

[lotus197]

Hi

I would like to buy a very accurate battery monitor. Right now I have fla batteries 48v rxv with Navitas and I want to get the most accurate reading possible. I bought one on Amazon for six bucks and every time I step on the throttle the voltage drops on the screen and my battery percentage goes from 100 to 19% and flips out until I let off the throttle during acceleration which I know is normal but I wanted to find out is there anything out there that shows a truer reading. I would like to see how many amps my batteries are out putting and so forth. someone told me about a Victron battery Bluetooth meter but I wasn’t sure if it’s going to do the same thing when I step on the throttle or does it give a more accurate read out? for right now I have lead and I may get lithium in the future but not sure.


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[rockfordpi]

Originally Posted by lotus197

Hi

I would like to buy a very accurate battery monitor. Right now I have fla batteries 48v rxv with Navitas and I want to get the most accurate reading possible. I bought one on Amazon for six bucks and every time I step on the throttle the voltage drops on the screen and my battery percentage goes from 100 to 19% and flips out until I let off the throttle during acceleration which I know is normal but I wanted to find out is there anything out there that shows a truer reading. I would like to see how many amps my batteries are out putting and so forth. someone told me about a Victron battery Bluetooth meter but I wasn’t sure if it’s going to do the same thing when I step on the throttle or does it give a more accurate read out? for right now I have lead and I may get lithium in the future but not sure.


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If you have the newer bluetooth Navitas controller, I think you can use the app on your phone to get the voltage info direct from the controller. I am not sure if you can get amp draw direct from the controller, but I do not think you can.

Otherwise, in terms of voltage, your best bet would be a good LED volt meter.

I am not sure the best way to show amp draw, I know you can buy DC amp meters, but I do not know of one that comes packaged for golf cart use. I use a basic bluetooth clamp on DC amp meter which displays/logs amps to my phone. However, this is just for test purposes, not permanently mounted.

[Andy4639]

The volt reading is suppose to go down when you hit the go pedal. Once moving if your batteries are in good shape you should see it climb back up to close as the original voltage. If your battery pack isn't in good condition then they will not climb back up.
The drop is normal. I don't know of any volt gauge that want do this when the pedal is pressed.

As far as a amp meter goes, I've never seen one to use as you want. Alltrax controllers has a function in their software you can see the amp draw if you have the laptop connected while driving the cart.

[kernal]

Suggest you read through this thread: http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...r-install.html
5 pages long but some good info near the end.

[Cobra,1]

Could you not just use a digital in dash volt meter like carts unlimited sells to monitor baterry voltage? That will give indication of state of charge and battery condition due to voltage under load compared to at rest voltage.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by Cobra,1

Could you not just use a digital in dash volt meter like carts unlimited sells to monitor baterry voltage? That will give indication of state of charge and battery condition due to voltage under load compared to at rest voltage.

No reason why you can't and that is the most suggested method. Many of us use a digital voltage meter hooked directly to the batteries and leave it powered up 24/7 its great for seeing both SOC and voltage sag during use...

[ThreeCW]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

The volt reading is suppose to go down when you hit the go pedal. Once moving if your batteries are in good shape you should see it climb back up to close as the original voltage. If your battery pack isn't in good condition then they will not climb back up.
The drop is normal. I don't know of any volt gauge that want do this when the pedal is pressed.

As far as a amp meter goes, I've never seen one to use as you want. Alltrax controllers has a function in their software you can see the amp draw if you have the laptop connected while driving the cart.

Andy4639,
From your title, I assume that you are running 72 volts. The voltage climbing back up to close to the original voltage "might" be normal on a 72 volt cart, but I have a different experience with my 48 volt cart.

My 48 volt Cushman is a heavy cart and has excellent batteries - 1 year old Trojan T-125's with a stabilized voltage on a full charge of about 52.0 volts ... as I accelerate, the voltage drops depending on how many amps I am pulling ... at 50 amps draw I am probably about 50 volts, at 100 amps about 49 volts and at 150 amps about 48 volts. If really have my foot in it on a hill or with a load, I could be over 200 amps at about 47 volts ... but this is not a normal driving mode (unless my wife is driving ... she has a heavy foot) ... I try to keep at 100 amp or less (slow and steady wins the race).

Lotus197,
The Victron meters referred to appear to be the Cadillac of battery meters with lots of functionality. I believe that they are really worth considering, but are certainly not in everyone's budget. If I had to do it again, I would certainly consider a Victron. The way that I went (and a few other BGW members) is using a Blue Sea 8248 amp / volt meter. Not as fancy as the Victron, still sort of expensive but you have the choice of viewing either Amps or Volts (one at a time).

[lotus197]

Thanks for all the info, I think i’m leaning toward the victron because i’ll probably be getting lithium’s in 2020 so i’ll be ready with the right power reader.


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[Kenski77]

Victron is a complete waste of money. I bought the mictuning dual voltage led volt meter and compared it to a very accurate analog. It was with in .1 volt which to me was acceptable for a golf cart.