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Battery Condition Monitor VC1-I

The battery condition monitor is a Smart Sensor that attaches to an external 12V battery to continuously log the battery charging rate and battery status. The purpose of a battery condition sensor is to enable constant monitoring of the power condition of a remote Smart logging system with an external battery. This information is stored by the Smart logger and when downloaded the data available is the same as any other sensor’s data and can be graphed. Accessing the Smart logger remotely via remote telemetry or telephone modem enables an early warning against power loss or failure by allowing an operator to act before a problem occurs.

The Battery Condition Monitor has the following functions:

To measure and record the nett battery current from the solar panel to the external battery and at 24:00, the average nett current indicating if the battery is being kept topped up each day.

The instantaneous voltage of the external battery.

The instantaneous temperature of the external battery at a given point in time.

An operator in charge of managing a remote Smart logging system can dial this system to check the power status of the system. This will indicate if sufficient charge is coming from the solar panel to recharge the battery and if the battery is being recharged fully each day. The remote Smart logging system will also have a regulator on it and the instantaneous battery voltage should then never exceed the 15 volts as controlled by the regulator. The battery temperature is also important in that the sealed lead acid batteries have a minimum amount of water and should not get so hot as to cause gassing. This is because sealed lead acid batteries have no venting condition (unlike a car battery). Excess battery temperature would lead rapidly to deterioration of the battery. Correct control of the voltage from the regulator and the charge and discharge rate also from the regulator will mean that the external battery remains in good condition at all times.

ICT recommends the use of a battery condition monitor. This sensor is typically included as part of a FieldStation system however, if you do not have one it is strongly advised that you purchase one.

Detailed Notes:

The Battery Condition Sensor measures nett battery current, battery voltage and battery temperature. A positive value of battery current indicates that the battery is charging. A negative value indicates that the battery is discharging. The current is measured in the range 5.000 Amps to -5.000 Amps. The battery voltage is measured in the range 0 to 20.00 Volts, and the temperature of the positive terminal of the battery is measured in the range – 20.00°C to 60.00°C. These values will be logged at a rate determined by the schedule selected by the user. At midnight the daily maximum, minimum and average values will also be logged. The average nett current is a particularly important value. This value is normally small but positive, indicating that the solar panel is keeping the battery topped up. On heavily overcast days, this value might be negative, indicating a nett discharge. A high negative value, or persistent negative values, needs investigation. It may just indicate that the solar panel needs cleaning, or it could be more serious. The Battery Condition Sensor will give advanced warning of battery problems and will help prevent loss of data. The number of ampere-hours of daily charge or discharge may be calculated by multiplying the average nett current recorded at midnight was -0.215 Amps, the discharge during that day was 24 x 0.215 = 5.16 ampere-hours. A fully charged 40 Ampere-hour battery would be fully exhausted in less than 8 days at that rate.

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