T-Pain Is On A Boat: Re: [Electric Boats] Xantrex XBM Battery monitor failure

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Re: [Electric Boats] Xantrex XBM Battery monitor failure

Hi Arby:

Already have one. In fact that's what I used on the return trip. My $39 Ebay meter was clamped around the positive battery cable so I could adjust the propusion amount so that I was also charging the battery (a little) and not draining it while still moving forward under electric propulsion. Worked very well as opposed $$$ XBM. But, I needed to go into the cabin to see it. I'd like to find a unit that I could mount near the helm where the XBM is mounted. I'm looking for a remote current sensor that I could clamp around the 2 AWG battery cable and mount the indicating meter near the helm. I have already ordered a Paktraker that will be installed in the cabin to keep an eye on the individual batteries when down below. But, would like something at the helm too to monitor current draw when underway. Don't really feel like springing for another $$$$ Xantrex XBM right now after this failure. Any ideas?

Mike
http://biankablog.blogspot.com

--- On Tue, 8/4/09, Arby Bernt <arbybernt@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Arby Bernt <arbybernt@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Xantrex XBM Battery monitor failure
To: "electricboats@yahoogroups.com" <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 12:05 PM

Carry a clamp-on current meter, for goodness sake.
A 10ga wire has about .001 Ohms per foot, so if you have digital voltmeter you can get an approximate reading. 1 millivolt drop over 1 foot = 1 amp.

Be Well,
Arby

On Aug 4, 2009, at 1:06 PM, Mike <biankablog@verizon. net> wrote:

I did a quick 18 nm mini cruise last week. I got started later than I planned (as usual <g>) and because lot the lack of wind I motored the first part of the trip. I was moving along at 5.5 knots SOG helped by a little current push. I could not tell how much because my knot meter had fouled. But, the real disappointment was that the Xantrex XBM battery monitor seems to have gone south so I could not tell how many amps I was drawing off the battery bank. It seems the display is kaput so that it reads "8888" all time time. I tried unplugging and resetting it. Still no good. It is a little disappointing because it was purchased in April 2008, installed last June and failed in July this year and of course the warranty is for one year! Has anyone had a similar failure with the Xantrex XBM battery monitor? On an electric boat it is like traveling without a fuel gage and is very helpful when testing and motoring as I was. Other than the Xantrex battery
monitor issue the electric propulsion preformed very well during the trip.

Mike
http://biankablog. blogspot. com

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