battery monitor SG200, BMV712, and smartgauge????

[gtitonta]

I know that this topic is kind of repeated, and I read this forum and cruiser forum a lot, but I could not decide.
So I decided to ask question about the battery monitor.
so many folks in this forum seem to use victron bmv712, and some of them use both BMV712 and smartgauge.

My suv setup is 1 x 100ah AGM in front and 220 ah golf cart AGM battery in rear. I also installed 150w solar panels with victron mppt permanently on the roof so solar panels charge all of batteries now.
I mainly used my suv as work truck/ to use power tools often (sometime for camping) so I installed 2000W xantrex inverter in my SUV also. I also upgraded 270amp alternator which produces 160amp at idle and maintain enough voltage to charge AGM battery.

So my question is which battery monitor is better for my setup? Since my power tool is high amp consumption for short period time here and there for hour or so, I don't know which battery monitor is suit for my need.

victron counts amp and shows the data through phone, but SOC seems not that accurate like smartgauge. On the other hand, smartgauge is literally voltage and SOC without any amp history.
I was thinking about SG200 from balmar which has SOC, SOH, amp counts, and bluetooth etc, but it seems mix reviews according to cruiser forum. So I just can not decide which one is better suit for my need.

thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

 

[john61ct]

That's why both is good.

Primary SoC% from SG - Gibbo's original Merlin unit, not the recent SG-200.

Ah counting and automation / Victron family or NMEA etc integration from BMV.

and a SoC "sanity check" against the SG.

Most would consider this OCD-level overkill, but we all have our hobbies

 

[dreadlocks]

If your already bought into Victron, keep going.. the BMV-712 will be capable of providing remote voltage/temp readings to its MPPT cousin.. its historical stats and stuff are great, it does plenty fine of keeping track of SOC IMO

 

[john61ct]

Just not quite as **accurate**, can be a 4-6% difference. And more if not frequently 100%-reset, re-calibrated for declining Ah capacity, CEF / Peukert coefficient tweaked.

True for all coulomb-counters, Victron more accurate than most.

Which is why a meter using completely different technology, two wires, no shunt no adjustments no data input and a more accurate SoC% result is so compelling.

Of course such accuracy is not an important issue for many, and most would never know anyway.

 

[Rando]

If you don't mind looking on your phone for the data, then the Victron Smart Shunt is probably as simple and reliable as it gets, and you are already in the Victron ecosystem. A supposed few % of extra SoC accuracy is not worth twice the price, the crappy interface or the loss of future proofing from Balmar (it won't work with lithium or what ever comes next).

 

[gtitonta]

thank you very much, guys! I appreciate a lot! I will buy scangauge once I have budget to buy RV in future. I will stick with victron for now! thank you very much!!

 

[john61ct]

loss of future proofing from Balmar (it won't work with lithium or what ever comes next).

If you mean the old-school Merlin Smartgauge that Balmar sells, yes that is lead only.

All lead including the latest Firefly Oasis.

But the recently released Balmar designed SG-200 (nothing to do with Smartgauge) is very much universal as it uses coulomb counting.

In fact it seems that LFP is where its accuracy is best, but not necessarily great dunno too early to say without buying it just to test