Leisure Battery Gauge

Been busy today

I wanted a gauge to monitor my leisure battery but the dial gauges were a bit too expensive and not all that accurate, didn't fancy forking out for a zig unit so i knocked this up

In all it cost me about a tenner

With a flick of a switch i can now tell when my leisure battery is too low for use and also monitor the main battery voltage at the same time ( ideal when camping without a hookup )

The 2 sockets also run from the leisure battery and inverter but can be unplugged and connected to a mains hookup

ps. ignore the 2 wires on show they are for something else

good work , have you got an rcd inline for mains ?

No not yet, i was gonna buy a plug in one and use it between the hookup and socket

ye that would do it , really important and a van as the hole thing can go live , theres some mad treads about how to do it properly on vzi somewhere , i seem to remember there being more to it than just an rcd but im not sure why . i want to put some in mine soon so will have to look in to it

I'm not going for some van mounted hook up, mine will be as simple as possible

Stereophoney wrote:I'm not going for some van mounted hook up, mine will be as simple as possible

extension lead with a blue plug thats what i got and only used it once!!!! always too pissed

non ov my bissnes but vans are full of sharp bits , i wouldn't want to risk snagging a wire and a screw of shutting a door on it and haveing a live van , specaly if me or my boy was inside it , still it would stop people pissing on your back wheel

Yeah i hear ya toast, mine will def have an rcd somewhere in it

im no expert but know a few that are and have always had it drumbed in to me

i gues this sort of thing would do the job for 20 quid

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GARAGE-CONSUMER-UNIT-FUSE-BOX-RCD-30MA-6A-16A-MCB-Shed-Workshop-/270833796945?pt=UK_BOI_Materials_Supplies_Electrical_ET&hash=item3f0ef3c751#ht_500wt_949

also i think a lot of the campsite hook ups have there own trips but i would still rather have my own rather than some pikey sites

anyways the volt meter looks great , i will be copying it

Didn't cost much

2 socket boxes £0.46 Screwfix
1 2 gang socket £1.19 screwfix
1 2 gang socket blank plate £0.46 screwfix
digital voltage display £6 ebay
on off on toggle switch £3.48 maplins

then just a few metres of cable and a few crimps

digital voltage display £6 ebay

that sound good value . do you know the range of it ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blue-LCD-Digital-Voltage-Volt-Meter-Voltmeter-Panel-20V-/350485744802?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item519a940ca2

for some reason the guys upped it by a quid

7.5 to 20v though

cheers

i made sure mine is switched normally off, it's got a nice bright blue clear display and it's quite accurate too, i measured it with a calibrated multi meter and it was less than 0.1v out

just found this , hong kong job but mite take a punt on it

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blue-Digital-LCD-Volt-Voltage-Voltmeter-Meter-Display-/110617973749?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item19c15853f5#ht_3120wt_753

Looks exactly the same, i went for uk only as i wanted it fairly quickly

ive just ordered myself one

ye its can be a bit long winded from the nips

found it even cheaper here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260861738772?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2228wt_932

Happy days

once your with the nips you aint got far to go for the good stuff