Yet Another Voltmeter

[CLB]

Just in case this dead horse isn't thoroughly tenderized yet.

This is an Argus Battery Bug. I ordered it about 7 months ago to investigate low cost battery health indicators that are available.
I subsequently forgot all about it until it recently appeared on my porch. My guess is that they had an issue prior to production ramp up. Not that I've ever seen that happen
I wanted to use larger Velcro patches than the ones that came on the device. I had some heavy duty material but it's white. I'll have to find some in black.

These differ from most Voltmeters in that they sense the voltage drop when the starter is engaged and calculate battery health (relates to resistance from sulfation) from that information. They can't really calculate resistance because they don't sense current. None the less it should show a trend as the battery ages.

The Readers Digest version is that the battery is load tested every time you hit the starter and the results are translated to a percentage.



The display alternates between Voltage and...

Battery health


The device connects directly to the battery terminals. The only modification I made to the install was a 2 Amp ATM fuse a couple inches off the positive battery terminal. I don't care for unfused wiring.
I just installed it today. I don't know how well it will show degradation but I'll find out soon enough.
It rates the health of my fairly fresh battery at 100%, which is probably reasonable.

By the looks of their website they make another model that periodically pulse loads the battery with a known current to more accurately calculate resistance. This option was less expensive.
The display seems a bit prone to reflection. That situation may improve after the device gathers a little anti reflection dirt.

While I was in there I noticed that my negative terminal had a little corrosion. It's cleaned and greased.

I also finally got around to rodding the filler cap surround drain out. I wiggled a carbon rod into the rear drain nipple on the bottom of the tank and broke loose a bodacious chunk of schmutz. The tubing above was full of well aged water which promptly drained.

[Cam]

Very nice piece of kit. Looks like it runs $60 MSRP which isn't cheap but it does give more info than the standard fair. Thanks for the writeup.

[dolson]

Thanks CLB

[WardenRoss]

Great post CLB!

I'm very interested in one of these. Let us know how well it works over time. Great pix too.

[CLB]

No problem Warden. I'll post an update after I use the thing for a while.

I did check the meter with a lab supply and calibrated meter. It's accurate.

It may take a while as my battery will have to degrade before the readings differ. It will be interesting to see if the % drops on cold mornings due to oil viscosity. It's been 100F ~ 107F all this week. Very unusual.

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So far I see that my charging Voltage is 14.3 ~ 14.4 with the positive Shindengen lead wired to the factory location (red wires at R/R connector)
The Shendengen - is wired to the factory ground bolt.

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Originally Posted by WardenRoss

Great post CLB!

I'm very interested in one of these. Let us know how well it works over time. Great pix too.

[starscreamer]

There seem to be several similar models for our bike. What model number do you have and what is the model number of the more expensive one that intermittently load tests. The website sends you to amazon with a 39dollar model and a 49 dollar model.

[CLB]

This is a BB SBM12PS.

I believe the pulse loading models have DCM prefix and are intended for deep cycle batteries of higher A*H capacity.

Originally Posted by starscreamer

There seem to be several similar models for our bike. What model number do you have and what is the model number of the more expensive one that intermittently load tests. The website sends you to amazon with a 39dollar model and a 49 dollar model.

[KevyKev]

This is a very interesting unit. Seems more informative than just numerical readouts. Just wanted to post up previous thread here that had the same unit. From what I gathered, there is a motorcycle version that simply has longer leads (albiet more pricey).

http://www.triumphrat.net/sprint-for...ery-meter.html

Kevin

[mbonadio]

+1 I've been very satisified with the battery bug over the past few months following my R/R failing. I wanted piece of mind, and this was a great find.. It's so easy to install, waterproof, and so nice knowing what is going on with your battery system at all times....