instruments, prolly OT
Gazz
finding what i want...
please don't stop reading when i admit i've got a motorhome.. well i'm
building one, but i want to monitor the engine, and battery charging
systems,
i have gained a great deal of help from boating sites to help me get a
decent battery system for the living accomidation, house batteries are 2 110
ah elecsol batteries, charged on shore power by a sterling 20 amp charger,
(sterlings are almost un heard of on the motorhoming groups, they like a
rubbish product called a zig, but i guess most of them like to camp on sites
with power hookups, so rnning out of battery power is no big deal to them)
it is to me as i like to wild camp, hence the sterling charger to ensure the
batteries get as best a charge they can when i'm on shore power, which is at
home or very rarely,
So i'm fitting a second alternator just to charge the house batteries,
running with a sterling advanced pro regulator,
and i'd like to know what's happening to my systems and the engine as i
tootle down the road (sorry for the language there :)
Basicaly i want a set of instruments on the dash, all of the same make so
they match, and preferably all reasonably priced.. £100 per instrument is
too much.. when i want 8 of them,
but a couple of the gauges i want are very hard to get in the road vehicle
market, but boat owners seem to be more up on these things,
Can anyone point me to a place where i can get the following instruments, at
a decent price?
i need:
1 x oil pressure gauge, PSI reading preferable, but bar will do, what ever
the normal range is.
1 x oil temperature gauge, celcius reading, again the normal range for an
engine,
1 x turbo boost gauge, reading in BAR, idealy 0 to 1.5 bar, but 0 to 1 bar
will do.. the turbo only just goes over 1 bar at max boost, no vacuum scale
wanted, it's a diesel engine,
1 x EGT gauge, celcius reading, 100 to 900 degrees will be fine, standard
range for a turbo diesel engine, (this is one of the hard to get gauges for
cars.. especialy as i want it to match in with the others)
2 x volt meters, 12 volt scale,
2 x ammeters, they must be the remote shunt variety (seemingly impossible to
get in car designed gauges), one of them to read to 50 amps or so, and the
other to 90 amps or so...
i want to measure the current output from the 2 alternators, starter battey
alt is a 45 amp unit, i guess in reality it wont put out more than 40 amps,
anyone know if a 40 amp gauge will be hurt if it ever see's the voltage for
45 amps from a shunt?
and the house battery alternator is a 90 amp unit, i think vdo do a 80 amp
shunted gauge, again if it it's ok being peged for a few minutes (hopefully
i'll never see that ammount of current neeeded) then i can use that.
I've seen that one of the vdo ocean lines of gauges seem to have what i
want, but i have no idea on the prices, as i can't find anyone listing
prices with the gauges, i expect them to be kinda expensive,
any other gauges will be considered, they must be 52mm diamiter, round,
idealy black bezel, and match eatch other for style,
help, most car places look at me blankly when i ask for half of those gauges
(EGT and remote shunt ammeters puzzle them)
most car owners seem content relying on idiot lights, i want to know what's
going on under the bonnet, and it seems boat owners do too,
sorry for posting to a sailing group about engine related gauges, none of
the other uk boat groups seem occupied on this server.
Gary
Simple Simon
They seem to have most of what you're looking for.
S.Simon
"Gazz" <No...@m.ta> wrote in message news:bittlk$r1j$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
Simple Simon
shows a good ammeter with shunt.
"Gazz" <No...@m.ta> wrote in message news:bittlk$r1j$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
PyroJames
Gazz <No...@m.ta> wrote in message
news:bittlk$r1j$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
> i want to measure the current output from the 2 alternators, starter
battey
> alt is a 45 amp unit, i guess in reality it wont put out more than 40
amps,
> anyone know if a 40 amp gauge will be hurt if it ever see's the voltage
for
> 45 amps from a shunt?
>
> and the house battery alternator is a 90 amp unit, i think vdo do a 80 amp
> shunted gauge, again if it it's ok being peged for a few minutes
(hopefully
> i'll never see that ammount of current neeeded) then i can use that.
>
There is a unit called a VDO Battman which will monitor current voltage and
amp-hours from a single bank, and then some other called Link (1000, 2000?)
which will monitor the same from several banks.
These guys might be able to help.
http://www.energy-solutions.co.uk/offers.html
--
PyroJames
"Kill your boss, quit your job, get a life.
This is not a rehearsal" Chaos Engine
Tony Brooks
or Acorn Engineering 0161 3208023,
both have a good list of gauges that might suit, but I fear the cost
of suitable shunted ammeters (and I 100% agree with you about them)
plus shunt will be more than you need.
If you have not already committed to the second alternator, may I
suggest that you look at the power audit and battery charging calcs on
www.reading-college.ac.uk/marine. Its in the course notes section.
Unless you intend to use microwave cookers or something I have a job
to make a good case for more than a 50/60 amp alternator for most
"ordinary" boats - even those using a comressor 12v fridge.
email off group if you prefer and want mre detailed inf.
Tony Brooks
CampinGazz
"Tony Brooks" <Mar...@reading-college.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:3f53566c...@news.cis.dfn.de...
> Talk to Vehicle Wiring Products uk phone number 0115 9440101
>
> or Acorn Engineering 0161 3208023,
>
> both have a good list of gauges that might suit, but I fear the cost
> of suitable shunted ammeters (and I 100% agree with you about them)
> plus shunt will be more than you need.
>
maintinance group, where i'm currently being told i have no need for gauges,
and should rely on the idiot lights alone!!
i'm so glad some people know how to do things properly, why wait untill
somethings been destroyed to warn you of a fault when a gauge will tell you
instiantly somethings not right before it gets worse.
The ammeters do seem to be the hardest things to get hold of, the remote
shunt ones seem unheard of at the car gauge makers.
> If you have not already committed to the second alternator, may I
> suggest that you look at the power audit and battery charging calcs on
> www.reading-college.ac.uk/marine. Its in the course notes section.
>
> Unless you intend to use microwave cookers or something I have a job
> to make a good case for more than a 50/60 amp alternator for most
> "ordinary" boats - even those using a comressor 12v fridge.
Well.. one of my reasons for wanting to run 2 alternators is that i have a
90 amp alt hanging about from my last van :)
but i do want to fit a sterling advanced regulator or similar and have it
charge the leisure battery bank properly, the starter battery can be left to
it's own devises really, as the engine starts the second the starter touches
the flywheel,
However the vehicle i have is italian.. and italian vehicles are renowned
for their electrical problems, so i really want to keep the electrics i
install for the house battery system totaly seperate from the stock wiring,
the alternator on the van for the starter battery is a 45 amp unit, with a
13.5 volt regulator!! and it's renowned for being basicaly crap, 2 mates
with the same van have had their alternators fail in the last 3 weeks, they
both used a split charge system, but even when left totaly alone the
alternators like to fry the regulators when they feel like it.
The other thing that concerns me with one alt and splitting the charge like
i did on my last van, the ehadlights and side marker lights, plus tail
lights etc pull 14 amps alone (two 55 watt headlight bulbs, 16 five watt
marker lights.. including rear number plate bulbs, there are 3 tail light
bulbs and the rest are side markers needed because of the vans length) then
another 2.5 amps for the dash light bulbs with the gauges i have at the
moment, and so on, i am running almost 20 amps at night with out even
turning the heater blower on, or using the windscreen wipers etc, (time for
LED's to replace the marker lights i think)
Eric Clarke
other garbage you mention? It costs app £2 for a hook-up but my 85amp
battery runs at least 5 days before recharging. Your set-up cuold cost
umpteen quids. Cutting off your nose to spite your face?
Eric
"Gazz" <No...@m.ta> wrote in message
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CampinGazz
"Eric Clarke" <eri...@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:bj050i$7lc$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
> There ain't nothing wrong with a Zig.
Say that to the zig X7 that's in pieces on my workbench after it treid to
boil the battery dry, traced the fault back to a transistor on the overheat
safety circuit, when it blew it took out a few more components, and allowed
the charger to.. overheat,
i not have a sterling 4 stage 20 amp charger, best thing i ever bought so
far, at least they have a web site and phone number that dosent change every
6 months, and asking any Q's about sterlings via e-mail, and you get the
bloke who invented them replying, then there's the 2 year warrenty..the..
and so on,
> What I wonder is why you want all this
> other garbage you mention?
Because i'm building a motorhome my self? hence i don't like what's on offer
from the manufacturers, if i want pink polkadot seat covers, i'll put them
in, if i want triangular windows on my van, i'll put them in, if i want to
be able to monitor the systems on board properly, and use them well, i'm
putting them in,
> It costs app £2 for a hook-up but my 85amp
> battery runs at least 5 days before recharging.
Yes, that hook up charge i not seperate on most sites now, so you have no
choice, hence i rarely stay on camp sites anymore, never did much before and
when i did i wasnt going to pay 2 quid so i could run the fridge on mains
(100 watt heater element) and run the charger.. an amp of mains if i was
lucky, and i paid for a 16 amp connection, if i actually had some mains
apliances in the van then it would have been worthwhile, but as everything
is 12 volts or gas, i have no need for it appart from to run a battery
charger/psu,
I do wild camp a lot, this time last year i was parked on the top of the
nuffenen mountian at 8300 feet, no electric points for miles, no camp sites
for miles, in fact nothing for miles, and it was brilliant,
i rely on my batteries for almost everything on-board, (lpg too, that's why
i have a fixed tank so i can fill up when i want, instead of having to wait
for the bottle to run out)
so i want a good system that allows my to make the best use of my batteries.
> Your set-up cuold cost
> umpteen quids. Cutting off your nose to spite your face?
Dunno, the batteries are 100 quid each and are to be charged best at 14.4
volts, a zig cant do that (13.8 volts max for them) thos batteries supply
everything in the van, i have a fair few electrical items that need powering
from them, and them alone, (TV, dvd player, vcr, mini fi-fi system
(converted mains unit)10 flourescent lights, a few spot lights, water pump,
water heater controll circuits, toilet flush, roof vent fans in the main
living area and over the shower cubicle, cooker hood fan, electric step,
electric awning winder, laptop psu, 1500 watt inverter for the odd mains
item i want to use, tho i may just plump for a 12 volt microwave as it'll
pull less than a mains one on the inverter, hoover, phone chargers, bug
killer, blower motors for the heating system and so on)
that lot wouldent last one night on an 85 AH battery, hence i'm having 220
AH's of batteries to start with, and i want/need a good way to charge them
up when driving, as untill i get a few solar panels much later on, it'll be
the only charging they'll get for 90% of the time i'm using the van.
some people are quite happy with a tilley lamp for light, a pack of cards
for entertainment, and a bucket in the corner to s...
i like to have at least some of the things i have at home with me, if i'm
off 'exploring' new places for weeks at a time i want to do it in some
luxuary,
otherwise i'd just buy a tent and stay only at approved camp sites where you
have to sign a form pledging to abide by the 20 sheet list of rules, and
hand over half a weeks wages for the privelage of being crammed into a field
full of white vans where the brats are let out at 6 am, and told to go and
annoy other people untill bed time,
personaly i prefer to see things from the otherside of the camp site, and a
very good view it usually is too, but to do that you have to be self
sufficiant, that's what i'm trying to do here.
Robert Miles
"Gazz" <No...@m.ta> wrote in message
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having
> finding what i want...
look smart
Regards
Bob