About the only real maintenance necessary on a photovoltaic system is to the battery bank. And probably the easiest way to keep track of your battery bank's health is by monitoring its voltage. Paying close attention to your battery bank voltage, especially for the first few months you own it, will go a long way to increasing its life expectancy and keeping your system working properly.
We offer several types of monitoring systems, from a simple voltmeter to a much more elaborate battery monitoring system. Many of the charge controllers come with monitoring LED's. While these are somewhat useful, they can be confusing at times. We strongly recommend getting, and using (!), some sort of voltage monitoring equipment on you system.
We include a Battery Care Sheet with almost everything we sell. We now include a Battery Book with any battery bank or system purchased from us. Either of these will instruct you on how to use a voltmeter to monitor your system, and what the various volt-meter readings mean.
Tri-Metric Battery Monitor
369-006 Model 2020
$169
The Tri-Metric is a high quality digital meter which monitors three major battery functions:
- Volts
- Amps
- Amp-Hours
- How many days since the batteries were fully charged
- How many amp-hrs from full charge
- Days since equalized
-
Total charge removed since batteries were fullycharged
-
Minimum Battery Volts
- Maximum Battery Volts
- Time to charge full
- Time to equalize
- Battery volts low
It works on both 12 and 24 volt systems. Pushing a button on the front panel selects which function will be seen on its LED display. The display draws only .02 amps and can be switched off if desired. Other LEDS indicate a fully charged battery or one that is being charged. Voltage readings are accurate to 0.1 volt between 8 and 35 VDC.
The Tri-Metric meter requires either a 100 amp or 500 amp shunt. The Tri-Metric meter is accurate to 3% using either shunt, but the 100mA shunt gives an extra digit of resolution on current readings below 100 amps. Most inverters, however, require more than 100 amps, so most everyone will need the 500 amp shunt.
Remote Shunts
| 368-002 | 100 Amp, 100 m, Shunt | $23 |
| 368-003 | 500 Amp, 50 mV Shunt | $28 |
One of these shunts will be needed with the Tri-Metric Monitor. A shunt is a highly calibrated, very low resistance resistor, which is placed in series (in line) with the wire carrying the current to be measured. Usually a shunt is placed in the negative line near the battery, such that all the current going into and out of the battery must go through it. Instructions for shunt installation are included with the Tri-Metric.
Wire Mold Box
.JPG)
369-007 Wire-Mold Box for 2020 $9.50
The Wire-Mold box is a plastic, surface mount, wiring box for mounting various electrical devices, such as a switch or electrical outlet. The Tri-Metric Monitor is constructed on a flat face-plate which mounts nicely to this box.
Shunt Cable
| 369-008 | Meter-to-Shunt Cable | $25.00 |
| 22 ga., 50 feet long |
One end of this cable is prepared for fastening to the shunt. The other end is attached to the terminal strip in the Tri-Metric meter.
48 Volt Adapter/Lightning Protector
369-048 TM-48VA
$25.00
The TM-48VA will adapt the TriMetric TM-2020 meter for 48 volt operation. It will also provide lightning protection at any operating voltage from 12 to 48V. With the protector installed, the TM-2020 warranty is extended to cover lightning damage. This adapter is designed to mount next to the TriMetric terminal block to which the wires to the battery are connected. Installation instructions are included.
| 369-009 | Pentametric Input Unit | $199 |
| 369-010 | Pentametric Display Unit | $179 |
| 369-011 | P-M Computer Interface | $89 |
The PentaMetric System monitor has the capability of working on 12V to 48V systems with the ability to measure current from three sources (shunts). It measures volts, amps, amp-hours, watts, watt-hours, temperature and battery % full. It also can perform data logging functions and output the data to a spreadsheet. Amp hours, Watt hours, Temp.max/min, Volts, Amps and Battery % full can be recorded from once a day up to once a minute. Also included is a battery voltage triggered relay (up to 1A) and audible and visua
l
alarms. The PentaMetric System consists of three major components: an Input unit, a Display unit and a computer RS232 Interface unit. For USB operation an RS232 to USB adapter would be required. Software for Windows is provided. The Input works with either the Display, the RS232 Interface or both. A rather extensive set of installation instructions is provided with the System and both the software and Instructions are kept up-to-date on the Bogart Engineering website (www.bogartengineering.com).
This is now the System Monitor to get for anyone wanting to achieve complete monitoring and control of and stand-alone alternative energy system.
Kill A WattTM Power Meter
| 369-121 | Kill A WattTM Power Meter | $29 |
This power meter monitors the power used by any appliance plugged into it. Simply plug the Kill A WattTM into an outlet and plug the appliance (up to 1800 watts) into it. A large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour just like utility companies. It keeps a running total of kilowatts used until you reset it. It also monitors line voltage, load current, line frequency, watts, volt-amps and power factor. This meter will help you figure out just what size solar you might need.
Sears Craftsman Digital Multimeter
| 369-003 | Model 82141 | $20.00 |
The Sears 82141 features all the major functions—AC and DC volts, Ohms and Amps - including a 10A range. The 10A range allows you to test short circuit current of a module or small array. All functions feature auto-ranging operation. The meter includes a plastic protective holster, test leads and is powered by a 9-volt battery which we include. We highly recommend owning a digital multimeter even though you may have other system monitoring devices. It allows you to check the voltage of individual batteries in your bank and makes trouble-shooting your system a lot easier.
Brand Electronics Power Meter - SERIOUSLY REDUCED PRICE! See Our Sale Page for more discounted items.
369-120 Model 4-1850 (was $149.95) $59.95
For the alternative energy user, the 4-1850 is a great device for understanding where all those solar watts are going. It will work just fine when used to measure devices hooked up to a modified sine wave inverter. Of course it works on devices powered by a sine wave inverter as well.
The Brand power meter can measure devices requiring up to 1850 watts. It keeps track of kilowatt-hours, average monthly cost, and instantaneous watts being used. For arriving at an average monthly cost figure, you must enter in your cost per kilowatt-hour.