General Issues Electrical

[BroadBand]

Here is a general question to some of you with the electrical know-how.

I came across this gadget and wondered if this would be of any use on our Big Dog's.
Might it be of use to keep an eye on what's going on with the battery issues?

The Battery Bug LCD display shows the remaining battery percentage, present battery voltage, alternator/charging voltage,
data from the battery's worst start, and data from the battery's previous start. The critical audible alarms indicate "low battery charge" and "replace battery now".

It appears to be small enough to fit under the seat.

LINK to see this gadget and all kinds of connectors. It's a business geared towards boating - lot's of stuff to keep the wires dry.

 

[BorgerBigDog]

That might be cool to have cant wait for some replys on this :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

 

[Raywood]

I like that if it's small enough to fit under the seat. Would definately tell you if you have enough juice toe start her up.

Would like to gets Night Trains or Ohmsters views on it too!

 

[Mad Dog]

I just checked a little backgound and found that the company that makes these is in RI. Seems like a pretty stand up product as it uses data from previous starts to monitor battery life and possible failure. Click here to go to the company website. It explains the product in depth. If you guys think this is something for a group buy let me know and I will contact them and see what I can do.:up:

 

[Raywood]

I just checked a little backgound and found that the company that makes these is in RI. Seems like a pretty stand up product as it uses data from previous starts to monitor battery life and possible failure. Click here to go to the company website. It explains the product in depth. If you guys think this is something for a group buy let me know and I will contact them and see what I can do.:up:

:2thumbs:

 

[LDO]

Standing by for feedback from our Tron Wizzards....

 

[Mad Dog]

Anyone?

 

[chacha]

I think this would prevent the adventure of being stranded on the side of the road...what fun would that be not to have that joy???

:lol:

 

[HDLARRY]

I like that if it's small enough to fit under the seat. Would definately tell you if you have enough juice toe start her up.

Would like to gets Night Trains or Ohmsters views on it too!

Went to there website and it is 55mm x 55mm x 19mm or about 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 3/4" . List price on the MC model is $60 which seems high but it does have some nice diagnostic and alarm features. In the direct buy section it shows the interface cable being a 6' straight single cable not two curled ones. Also says that MC model is on back order at this time.

If it saved me from being stranded just one time I'd probably be happy with it.

BB-SBM12PS Battery Bug Battery Monitor :: Argus Analyzers

 

[BroadBand]

Went to there website and it is 55mm x 55mm x 19mm or about 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 3/4" . List price on the MC model is $60 which seems high but it does have some nice diagnostic and alarm features. In the direct buy section it shows the interface cable being a 6' straight single cable not two curled ones. Also says that MC model is on back order at this time.

If it saved me from being stranded just one time I'd probably be happy with it.

BB-SBM12PS Battery Bug Battery Monitor :: Argus Analyzers

I just bought one to check it out.

Price: $39.99 at Cabela's (Yea like I needed a reason to go there...)

Trimming the wire should be easy, if I have to - I haven't even taken it out of the plastic to look at it yet. Will post more once I know more.

:flag:

 

[HDLARRY]

Looks like Cabelas sells the Argus model BB-SBM12 which is for car batteries rated 300-1000 CCA. The Argus model BB-SBM12-PS is for smaller ATV and motorcycle batteries rated 50-400 CCA.

 

[BroadBand]

Looks like Cabelas sells the Argus model BB-SBM12 which is for car batteries rated 300-1000 CCA. The Argus model BB-SBM12-PS is for smaller ATV and motorcycle batteries rated 50-400 CCA.

Cut & paste from a google search:
"FYI I called the maker of them and was told the difference between the BB-SBM12PS & BB-SBM12. BB-SBM12PS said to be for motorcycles is the amount of cable and will have loops on the ends of the cables to help stay on the battery. The PS version is the same as the BB-SBM12 just will have around six feet of cable to mount any place your little heart desires."


Still have not found the time to do this 5 minute install job...
Anyone else jumped on this?
And still waiting for the electrical gods to jump in with an opinion..

It's Friday

 

[BroadBand]

Go it in

Well, the 2 minute install took me 5 as I found a broken ground wire and had to patch that.

Plenty of room in this '04 Chopper. Some of these pictures show the unit in different postions as I installed the seat to see if there was any clearance issues. It would have worked in most all of the positions - I settled with just putting it on the top flat frame piece that is between the battery and rear fender. I almost left it loose and lying on top the oil bag filler cap as it has plenty of free-play. If you needed to fill with oil it could easily be moved to one side. It has double sided tape for attaching but I did not use it (yet) as I found it to be a snug fit where I ended up putting it.

What you get, we are not talking rocket science:

Some before - during - and after pictures:

After hook-up, notice that the display alternates back and forth from the battery voltage (13.3) to the battery condition (100%).

Done.

 

[BrianLo]

Maybe some velcro instead of double-sided tape to make sure it stays in place? That would still allow you to move it out of the way if needed... Would be interesting to know what the battery % is after a few days without being connected to a tender... Thanks for the pics and write-up!

 

[Vegas]

Battery tender, my ear, and a new battery every two years. I'll save the $60 personally.

 

[BroadBand]

Battery tender, my ear, and a new battery every two years. I'll save the $60 personally.

Correction: Closer to $40.00 and by shopping online, price drops around $30/35

:flag:

 

[HDLARRY]

Cut & paste from a google search:
"FYI I called the maker of them and was told the difference between the BB-SBM12PS & BB-SBM12. BB-SBM12PS said to be for motorcycles is the amount of cable and will have loops on the ends of the cables to help stay on the battery. The PS version is the same as the BB-SBM12 just will have around six feet of cable to mount any place your little heart desires."


Still have not found the time to do this 5 minute install job...
Anyone else jumped on this?
And still waiting for the electrical gods to jump in with an opinion..

It's Friday

Interesting because the manufactures website shows a substantial difference between the two models Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) specs. They may have redesigned the electronics to cover a broader range with just one model. I'll have to do some more research.

As a point of referance the stock type 20 AGM battery supplied with my 2005 was rated 270 CCA. Specs for the Argus BB-SBM12 shows it is designed for a range of 300-1000 CCA. The motorcycle model Argus BB-SBM12PS was rated 50-400 CCA. But again the website specs may be wrong.

 

[Raywood]

I like the idea of having this as a quick reference to what the capacity of your battery is. Maybe we can get a group buy on this.

I like this function also knowing if my VR is working:

The BB-SBM12PS also includes an automatic volt meter function and displays battery voltage and alternator / charging voltage. If the battery charge level drops to a damaging level for more than one minute, a low battery alarm and icon will indicate the need to recharge.

Thanks for the info HDLarry.

Good job Broadband.

 

[HDLARRY]

I like the idea of having this as a quick reference to what the capacity of your battery is. Maybe we can get a group buy on this.

I like this function also knowing if my VR is working:


Thanks for the info HDLarry.

Good job Broadband.

Glad I could help. The 270 CCA was directly from the 2005 service manual if anyone was wondering. I thing I'll give the Argus people a call next week and ask them a few more questions. Think I can talk there language after 40 plus years in the electrical/electronics industry.

 

[Dugan]

eBay Motors: BATTERY BUG BATTERY LIFE MONITOR NEW NISSAN INFINITI! (item 310134932895 end time May-10-09 13:42:10 PDT)

Here is a link to 4 of them . Maybe you can do some low ballin.