How To - ARGUS Battery Bug Installation

[thexaulted]

Yea I like it but disconnected it because the alarm was sounding and showing my battery at a low percentage I think it was 10%. Reset it and checked the bat with my regular meter and it seems to be testing OK. Bat is only about 6 months old. Reset but still doing the same thing. The alarm was even going off when I was plugged into the tender so I am not sure what's going on!

[stlmikie]

Not looking good boys!

[slamaking]

I disconnected it last night to reset the device. The battery has been on the charger since I got back from Rolling Thunder. I reconnected and it says I have 100%. Still not sure about the whole 0% thing....

[LDO]

Haven't installed it yet. Guess I'll 'shelf' this item until we get word back from the mfr.

[barhopper]

Sounds like a P.O.S. Send it back LDO.

[LDO]

Nah,
I'll let them figure it out. Prolly as Ray says, this thing needs to build up a history on your battery to know what's what. I'm in no rush...

[Nomad2day]

Originally Posted by barhopper

Sounds like a P.O.S. Send it back LDO.

Ding ding ding......
Sounds like we have a winner......
I am with you myself....

[HDLARRY]

I suspect that when you first connect the battery monitor to a power source, it memorizes the present voltage and from that point on (as long as its powered) all future indications/alarms etc. are related to that initial connection.

If your battery was charged to the max when installing the unit then it is using a very high value to do its calculations from. It might work better to leave your battery charger turned off for a day or two before connecting the Argus Battery Monitor. This may give the monitor a more realistic begining voltage to base its calculations from. I'm out of town and can't test this theory right now but it should make a difference.

[Raywood]

I recieved some interesting information today from Argus but I need to follow up with some more questions. I asked how the battery life indication on the "Bug" was determined and this is what I got for an answer:

Ray -

The Battery Bug measures the DEPTH that the voltage drops instantaneously as the starter motor initially begins to turn over the engine. The deeper the drop - the harder the battery has to work to turn over the engine - the closer to replacement the battery is. The great thing about the measurement is that it is a 'relative' test. It is relating the battery to the particular engine that it is trying to start. Anything above 9V gets 100% battery life. I believe that 4V is 0% battery life.

I'll pass you findings along to our engineers but I can answer a few of the questions.

- A BIG engine and a small battery will give low battery life readings
similarly
- A small engine and a BIG battery will show 100% life for a long time
- A cold battery will give lower life readings

The 13.1V battery (at rest) and 0% life confuses me.
A typical battery will be 100% CHARGED at 12.6V. (this is not 100% life - just 100% charged) The 13.1V battery seems like it is either on a charger/alternator OR is over charged OR has just been taken off the charger and the "at rest" voltage is actually much less.

Any thoughts on how you are measuring 13.1V?

Argus Analyzers
401-965-4569

The thing that I don't get is the statement above that I highlighted: "Anything above 9 volts gets 100% battery life and less than 4% gets 0 battery life.
I get the 0 battery life indication and if my battery was at 4 volts is sure wouldn't start I would think nor even at 9 volts. It's well known we need 12.8 volts to turn over these big engines.

I will follow up with a couple more questions and let you guys know what I find out.

Iregardless I still like this little unit for telling me what the voltages are. I don't necessarially need battery life but glad to know when the motor is running that the VR is giving me juice!

[HDLARRY]

Ray,

I think what the rep is saying is that as long as the voltage does not drop below 9 volts (during startup) it will indicate 100% battery life. I may be wrong but the 12.8V required for startup is an "at rest" reading if I remember correctly.

Whenever we push the start button, current from the battery sky-rockets and the voltage accross the battery goes down. So they are just watching how low this voltage drops to calculate how much relative battery life we have left.

Sounds like the monitor is latching onto the lowest battery voltage it sees and then holds it for indicating relative battery life. Just my best guess.

Wish I had brought my uninstalled battery monitor up here to Alaska with me. We have all the bench test equipment needed to figure out how this thing actually works.

[Nomad2day]

Originally Posted by HDLARRY

Ray,

I think what the rep is saying is that as long as the voltage does not drop below 9 volts (during startup) it will indicate 100% battery life. I may be wrong but the 12.8V required for startup is an "at rest" reading if I remember correctly.

Whenever we push the start button, current from the battery sky-rockets and the voltage accross the battery goes down. So they are just watching how low this voltage drops to calculate how much relative battery life we have left.

Sounds like the monitor is latching onto the lowest battery voltage it sees and then holds it for indicating relative battery life. Just my best guess.

Wish I had brought my uninstalled battery monitor up here to Alaska with me. We have all the bench test equipment needed to figure out how this thing actually works.

Do you want me to send you mine?
Once it is disconnected it will reset anyway. My battery is new and it only rates it at 25%. Ray, mine shows 13.6 volts.
Neil

[Raywood]

Originally Posted by Nomad2day

Do you want me to send you mine?
Once it is disconnected it will reset anyway. My battery is new and it only rates it at 25%. Ray, mine shows 13.6 volts.
Neil

And that's another thing I already asked. The guys email seems to think we shouldn't be getting readings of 13.6 or 13.1 volts.

I should get another reply today and will post it.

[HDLARRY]

Originally Posted by Nomad2day

Do you want me to send you mine?
Once it is disconnected it will reset anyway. My battery is new and it only rates it at 25%. Ray, mine shows 13.6 volts.
Neil

Thanks for the offer but it takes a week or more to receive anything up here inside the Artic Circle and by then I'll be near the end of my work shift.

I may have a variable DC power supply at home that I can test these with when I get back down south.

[Raywood]

I got some more info today. Seems this unit is probably not set to measure our type of motor/starter/battery combination.
Our motors and starters require way more power from a battery than the conventional type of engine. I can use my sons ATV as a comparison, even though it has a small starter and battery it doesn't take much to turn over the short stroke motor the way our big stoker motors do.
So looks like this feature (battery health) will not provide us any good information.
But I still like to see that I have the proper voltage at startup and like to see the battery voltage after start-up indication that the VR is supplying the proper juice to re-charge the battery.

This is the latest info I recieved:

Ray -

Check out the literature that I attached and the graphic on page two in the CrankCheck technology section. The battery Bug that you have is using the CrankCheck technology. The graphic shows the voltage DURING the start. It begins at ~12.5V and then crashes as the starter motor is engaged. How deep this voltage crashes is very indicative of the health of the battery. If the voltage crashes only to the 9V range or above, the Battery Bug will show 100%. If it crashes to the 4V range or below, the Battery Bug will show 0%. In between - will show somewhere between 0% and 100%.

These sound like very high compression – long stroke engines that require lots of torque. The reason this group is having problems (noted by the engine maker themselves apparently, because they designed a compression release system to assist in turning the engine over to start) is that they are at the edge of starting viability with the size battery and starter motor they are using.


Some ideas:


increase wire gauge (and decrease length if possible) from battery to starter motor.
try a high rate AGM battery of same or larger physical size.
battery tenders on all the time – keeps the battery warm so ‘cold starts’ are only cold engines, not cold batteries too.
The PERCENTAGE that is shown is the WORST start achieved since the Battery Bug was installed. This info is reset if the Battery Bug is disconnected.

The bottom line is that your battery/engine combination is not in balance and the Battery Bug is highlighing this issue. From what you've told me I'm not surprised that NEW batteries show 40% right away. The ideas above may help alleviate the strain on the battery but without a bigger battery (which might not fit) the Battery Bug will continue to highlight this issue.

Let me know if you have more comments or questions.

Argus Analyzers
401-965-4569

[barhopper]

That is why then our bikes are so battery sensitive. Good info Ray.