No shunt for battery monitor

Battery monitors are invaluable bits of kit. They provide important battery capacity information and allow you to answer questions like “How long until my batteries run flat?”, “Can I finish charging yet?” and “Will my batteries last long enough?”

Conventional battery monitors use ‘shunts’ to count amp hours in and out of a battery.  The problem is that energy varies considerably depending on depth of discharge, temperature and condition of the battery in question. What’s more, a 100Ah battery isn’t 100Ah after 3 years of use. However, the new ‘Smart Gauge’ from Merlin Systems aims to remedy this.

The maker says that by using unique proprietary battery monitoring and testing techniques, capacity is determined through complex ‘battery modelling’ and no shunt is required. Because capacity is based on real time measurements and calculations – the unit remains accurate and never needs re-setting, however new or old the battery might be.