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Fred Kovol

Yahoo Message Number: 8241
Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge swimming around in your head????

Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount of amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used at one time??? If I am plugged into 20 or 30 amps, how do I watch the elec usage?

Bill Harris

03 Allure 1st Ave 30912

Re: Fred Kovol

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8243
Bill,

Read post #8041. This has helped me keep track of my battery condition & keep track of usage. As you turn on lights or appliances you can watch your amp usage go up and monitor your battery voltage.

Works for me.............
Steve

Intrigue #10673

Quote from: Bill Harris
Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge > swimming around in your head???? > Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount of > amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used at

one

Monitoring Volts and Amps

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8248
Hi Folks,

There has been many good approaches to monitoring volts and amps in previous posts. To sumarize: for 120vac, small meters from RV stores can be plugged into 120 vac outlets in the coach or at the shore power outlets to measure both voltage and frequency. To measure the inverter output with its potentially different waveshape, a true rms meter is required which also can be purchased in RV stores at a reasonable price. I use a Fluke handheld oscilloscope which gives all the features of measurement but is expensive.
For 12 vdc: Digital volt meters are available from these same RV stores. I installed $50 digital meters to monitor house and chassis batteries. As for current measurement, one approach is to add a monitor sold by and used in conjunction with the inverter. Higher coach lines have these built in for both ac and dc monitoring. Now for the do it your selfer, what I did was to avoid dc shunts and used hall effect pickups which measure both dc and ac current - no direct connection is required. I installed two of these devices to measure both dc current going into and out of the inverter and current going into and out of the house battery bank. The devices are connected to a programmable meter which displays these currents. The convention is setup so that a "-" sign in front of the selected current display indicates a discharge and "no sign" indicates current is flowing back into the source (battery bank). The hall effect devices cost about $42 each and the programable meter costs about $210.
Fred Kovol

Re: Monitoring Volts and Amps

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8249
Hi.

who sells the hall effect devices and the programable meters? Greg

Quote
Hi Folks,

There has been many good approaches to monitoring volts and amps in > previous posts. To sumarize: for 120vac, small meters from RV

stores

Quote
can be plugged into 120 vac outlets in the coach or at the shore

power

Quote
outlets to measure both voltage and frequency. To measure the

inverter

Quote
output with its potentially different waveshape, a true rms meter

is

Quote
required which also can be purchased in RV stores at a reasonable > price. I use a Fluke handheld oscilloscope which gives all the > features of measurement but is expensive.
For 12 vdc: Digital volt meters are available from these same RV

.

Quote
stores. I installed $50 digital meters to monitor house and chassis > batteries. As for current measurement, one approach is to add a > monitor sold by and used in conjunction with the inverter. Higher > coach lines have these built in for both ac and dc monitoring. Now

for

Quote
the do it your selfer, what I did was to avoid dc shunts and used

hall

Quote
effect pickups which measure both dc and ac current - no direct > connection is required. I installed two of these devices to measure > both dc current going into and out of the inverter and current

going

Quote
into and out of the house battery bank. The devices are connected

to a

Quote
programmable meter which displays these currents. The convention is > setup so that a "-" sign in front of the selected current display > indicates a discharge and "no sign" indicates current is flowing

back

Quote
into the source (battery bank). The hall effect devices cost about

$42

Re: Fred Kovol

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8253
Fred and Steve, thanks for the help.
I will check into the Link 20.

Bill Harris

Quote from: rheavn

Bill,

Read post #8041. This has helped me keep track of my battery > condition & keep track of usage. As you turn on lights or

appliances

Quote
you can watch your amp usage go up and monitor your battery

voltage.

Quote
>

Works for me.............
Steve

Intrigue #10673

[quote author=Bill Harris"

> Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge > > swimming around in your head???? > > Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount

of

Quote
amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used at > one

> time??? If I am plugged into 20 or 30 amps, how do I watch the

elec

Re: Fred Kovol

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8254
Bill

I replace my Heart ON/OFF switch with a full function remote control panel from Xantrex. No additional wiring. Useds the existing RJ-45 control cable that is connected to the back of the ON/OFF switch.
Look at photo in my folder 'KC4FWS'. Works great for me.

Jim Hughes

2000 Allure #30511

Quote from: Bill Harris
Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge
swimming around in your head???? > Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount of > amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used at

one

Re: Fred Kovol

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8255
I have the RC/7GS panel now. Would this just piggyback on this by plugging into it somewhere???? I was going to call Xantrex today and see what they said.

Bill Harris

Quote from: Jim Hughes

Bill

I replace my Heart ON/OFF switch with a full function remote

control

Quote
panel from Xantrex. No additional wiring. Useds the existing RJ-

45

Quote
control cable that is connected to the back of the ON/OFF switch.
Look at photo in my folder 'KC4FWS'. Works great for me.

Jim Hughes

2000 Allure #30511

[quote author=Bill Harris"

> Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge > > swimming around in your head???? > > Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount

of

Quote
amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used at > one

> time??? If I am plugged into 20 or 30 amps, how do I watch the

elec
 

Re: Fred Kovol

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 8269
Bill,

Not sure of the number you mentioned. I would call Xantrex and see what they say.
Jim

Quote from: Bill Harris
I have the RC/7GS panel now. Would this just piggyback on this by > plugging into it somewhere???? I was going to call Xantrex today

and

Quote
see what they said.
Bill Harris

[quote author=Jim Hughes"

> Bill
>

> I replace my Heart ON/OFF switch with a full function remote > control

> panel from Xantrex. No additional wiring. Useds the existing RJ- > 45

> control cable that is connected to the back of the ON/OFF

switch.

Quote
Look at photo in my folder 'KC4FWS'. Works great for me.
>

> Jim Hughes

> 2000 Allure #30511
>
>
>

[quote author=Bill Harris"
>]
> > Fred, how can you get to sleep at night with all that knowledge > > > swimming around in your head???? > > > Can you advise me on something reasonable to monitor the amount > of

> > amps or volts or whatever I need to watch that are being used

at