milsat
Junior Member
Same man just looking backwards.
Posts: 11
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Post by milsat on Jan 7, 2017 20:16:20 GMT
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with them, do you have an independent way to check the accuracy? Top Cat I bought one a couple of years ago. Well it looked like that one but one never can tell. That one might be a knock off of a knock off. It works still and is accurate enough. It can be tweaked. Not the most robust display but a pint costs that much here, and they don't last any time. I'll post this anyway but may have cocked up by pushing the wrong button. Mods , feel free to move or wipe.
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Post by Ditchcrawler on Jan 7, 2017 22:38:50 GMT
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Post by canaldweller on Mar 9, 2017 11:43:02 GMT
That's right. Maybe order a spare if like me you're good at blowing things up. Bear in mind it'll likely come from china, so take a while... To connect to it, what might work well is some 'stackable header' www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-8-Pin-Arduino-Stackable-Header-/262341198271With a bit of luck you might be able to cable tie some small 3 amp terminal block 'back to back' and bend the long pins to get them directly into the block. I do think it would be prudent to protect any small gauge wires plus the converter itself with a small value fuse in the positive feed towards the battery end. A good tip for connecting smallish wires or fine stranded wires into a terminal block is to use bootlace ferrules. www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=bootlace+ferrulesI don't think the electrical gods will strike you down if you squish the ferrules on with pliers or they're a little oversized. Have,finally got the thing in my mitts. Could you please explain the second part of this comment on the eBay shop:- "Works perfectly powering a shunt based Ammeter / Voltmeter. -1 star as no instructions. Doesn't appear to get warm. The pins closest together are the input, the two spaced apart at the other end are output. For both sets of pins, the one's furthest from the center are positive. So if you hold it up with the two pins closest together on the left, the pins from left to right are: +in, -in, -out, +out. Add a couple of capacitors to the input and output. I don't have the exact specs but similar models specify a maximum of 4.7uF. I used 2.2uF on the input and on the output and that seems to work well. Based on similar specs there seems to be a minimum current draw required of 9ma. I added a 1k resistor and LED to the output; makes sure the minimum is drawn and lets me know it is on. Output is little above 12v, I measured 12.8 which is good for my needs." Or should I ignore all that and go with what you said? Thanks.
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Post by smileypete on Mar 9, 2017 12:24:15 GMT
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Post by JohnV on Mar 9, 2017 12:40:16 GMT
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Post by canaldweller on Mar 9, 2017 14:25:27 GMT
Thanks for your swift reply. I'll go for that and let you know how I get on. Don't get me started on db radios!! In answer to your last sentence, yes. I've had it wired up to 2, In series, 6v torch batteries. The problem with this is that, if I leave it switched on while charging, the batteries go flat after about 3 or 4 months.
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Post by canaldweller on Mar 9, 2017 14:52:05 GMT
That certainly sounds and looks the biz. Could you tell me what the "energy " part is showing?
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Post by JohnV on Mar 9, 2017 14:56:19 GMT
it says watthours
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Post by canaldweller on Mar 10, 2017 12:44:42 GMT
Things are not going to plan! ! I have connected all the pins correctly, according to the links that you posted, but am getting a strange result. With my charger running I get 14.77v at the input but 15.14 on the ouput? ? Do you have any ideas? Ps I thought I had ordered 2, as you advised and what I would normally do (I have ammeters coming out of my ears), but only one arrived. So can't even try another.
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Post by smileypete on Mar 10, 2017 15:48:59 GMT
Things are not going to plan! ! I have connected all the pins correctly, according to the links that you posted, but am getting a strange result. With my charger running I get 14.77v at the input but 15.14 on the ouput? ? Do you have any ideas? Ps I thought I had ordered 2, as you advised and what I would normally do (I have ammeters coming out of my ears), but only one arrived. So can't even try another. Sorry to hear only one turned up! That's a PITA, has happened to me with other stuff from chinaland. Probably needs a little load on the output say 10mA, could use a resistor and/or LED. If the ammeter can cope with that voltage OK then why not connect it and see if that does the trick? Or how about adding another ammeter to your collection, like the one Ditchcrawler posted? Sorry. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172278832443
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Post by canaldweller on Mar 10, 2017 16:59:47 GMT
Things are not going to plan! ! I have connected all the pins correctly, according to the links that you posted, but am getting a strange result. With my charger running I get 14.77v at the input but 15.14 on the ouput? ? Do you have any ideas? Ps I thought I had ordered 2, as you advised and what I would normally do (I have ammeters coming out of my ears), but only one arrived. So can't even try another. Sorry to hear only one turned up! That's a PITA, has happened to me with other stuff from chinaland. Probably needs a little load on the output say 10mA, could use a resistor and/or LED. If the ammeter can cope with that voltage OK then why not connect it and see if that does the trick? Or how about adding another ammeter to your collection, like the one Ditchcrawler posted? Sorry. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172278832443Thanks for your help its very much appreciated. What I don't understand is why the ouput (should be 12v) is higher than the input (10-16v). Faulty? I realize that your last sentence was a bit tongue in cheek but I am seriously thinking of biting the bullet and ordering one (or two :-) ).
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Post by smileypete on Mar 10, 2017 17:10:09 GMT
The output is totally isolated from the input, otherwise it wouldn't be much good except perhaps as a 'free energy device' Amazing what modules you can get from china, the thing most have in common is they get destroyed if accidentally connected the wrong way even momentarily, or even leave the factory in a 'pre-destroyed' condition.
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