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paulz
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 02:33pm - Edited by: paulz
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I’m back on my old Valence bank after a successful test of the new ones. I had them hooked up next to the others but in front of my night table, had to do acrobatic bed maneuvers to get around them. They are now under the bed, still at 13.2, hope that’s a good storage voltage.
Thanks for the generator info Steve. When I use my ancient gas genny and plug in both meanwells, it almost kills it with a low voltage bank. An hour later when the amps drop from 60 (all it will give out) to about 30 it purrs along just fine.
I just drug this meter out here from the house. Never really used it, must have got it HF on sale back when. I usually just use those small volt meters, not so bulky. This thing measures amps just by clamping around the wire. I have a permanent ammeter on the wall of course but this will come in handy around the cabin.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 04:12pm
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Might be more accurate too. Check em against each other, Im curious.....
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paulz
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 07:38pm
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Ha, I just did that. It’s about 1/4 volt off from my usual VOM, the smaller one here. And I have a bunch of those little dime sized readouts. Handy because you can leave them clipped to the battery. Notoriously off though, as much as a volt. Whaddya want for a buck.. I also have a bunch of those cigarette pack sized red ones, non here at the moment. They are ok.
Which to live with? Don’t really know, and the way you hold the probes or where you take the reading makes a noticeable difference.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 08:38am
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I have a couple of clamp meters (cheap to high end Fluke) and they all work quite well and can compare between Known Hi End to my cheaper "Princess Auto" Chinese import.
BUT they are kinda finickety and you gotta learn how to get them to read accurately. Luckily, because I have smart shunts on my systems that gave me baselines to compare with that made it a lot easier.
LESSON LEARNED !
Be sure to use Good Quality batteries (non rechargeable) in the meters... Most manuals tell you this but I figured "naw" I'll use rechargeable, once this hit a lower voltage readings get wonky ! Granted my stuff is a few yrs old now so that may have changed.
The funny part, is my cheaper Import also does DC Voltage down to 3 decimal 0.000V accuracy and Amperage Measurements down to 2 Decimals 000.00A and the Fluke @ 4X the cost doesn't.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 10:38am
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Thanks Steve, good tip on the batteries.
I tried my clamp meter for the first time this week on the cabin power wire coming out of the bank. Surprisingly it matched the Hall effect amp meter permanently attached at the cabin. Is that what those clamp meters use too, Hall effect? I’ve normally just used the meter testing wires to check amps. Does the clamp measure anything besides amps?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 11:18am - Edited by: gcrank1
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I bought a loop attachment that you plug power into one side and your appliance the other. Powered up you can clamp either side to get a reading without splitting wires.
You can make one with some Romex and a male and female plug too but mine was cheap on the Amazon Hole to Throw Money In.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 01:12pm
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Confused me a bit. Loop or extension? Or a split loop for DC pos and neg? Are you measuring amps, volts, ohms? AC plugs, alligator clamps?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 02:25pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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Mostly I wanted to check the amps/watts of any 120vac appliance or circuit. You cant just put the clamp around, say, 14/2 w grd Romex, the wires need to be separated. My Fuke isn't dc 
Examples: after I had wired up my 2 ceiling light/fan units I was able to check the load at different speeds, 1 or 2 on, w or w/o lights. All for curiosity and to calc my 12v 100ah on inverter.
Or check a fridge, etc.
just another handy tool for me to have around. It was frustrating having to split wires.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 04:22pm - Edited by: paulz
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Ok I get it. I’ve never measured Ac, my inverter gives watts out on the display.
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paulz
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 12:58pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 a loop attachment
Came across an old cheapie extension cord. Wouldn’t splitting that down the middle do same?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 04:35pm
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Expect so, what gauge?
I wanted to be able to check 'big stuff' so figured a min of 12ga Romex, 10 or 8 even better, plus it will hold a shape to keep each wire away from the other.
Just for grins you could split that about 12-18" and prop open with a stick then take a reading with your clamp meter.
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paulz
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 07:50pm - Edited by: paulz
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That’s just a dollar store extension, probably 14. I do have a longer yellow 3 prong construction type with same style seams. if I ever need AC watts..
So you were measuring your ceiling fans? Must have been pretty low, mine free spins for about a minute when powered off.
Winter solstice must be winding down. Good solar charging today.
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 12:00pm
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Been stuck at the grid house for awhile now, atmospheric river etc.. no Li batteries here but I’m coping. Do have grid power, furnace heating, flush and forget toilets.. forget how modern folks live. Not bad but kinda boring.
Anyway bought 3 of these cheap volt meters on Amazon. Used to get them free with purchase at HF but those all gone. I’ll keep one here, one in the truck and one in the shop, seems like there’s never a vom around when I need one (cabin has the better ones). Not all that accurate but good enough to check for drained Flas and dead wiring.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 09:35pm
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Check em against your best one 
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 09:51pm
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I had to buy 4 9v batteries to get them going so I tested them against the last new battery. Two were pretty close, 9.62 and 9.65. The other was off more, 9.72. No other VOMs till I get back to the cabin tomorrow.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 10:15am
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What! They aren't solar powered or USB rechargeable!
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paulz
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 10:42am - Edited by: paulz
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Ha, ya good point. I don’t think my other good ones above are either. I’ll check today when I get out there. Not feeling the best but I need to check for damage after the storm. Do they have rechargeable VOMs? I use them enough, living in a 12v world..
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 12:11pm
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I think the only thing the battery does is provide power for the continuity testing? My VOM bat lasts a long time.
So, how many meters have you fried by forgetting to switch from OHMs back to DC? Asking for a friend....lol
I have become fond of USB rechargeable stuff, though when those bats reach end of cycles/life it will hurt me to toss em. My 2 100ah LFPs and my inverters all have USB ports so it is just too easy to top stuff up (I don't leave things plugged in but only to recharge).
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paulz
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2025 02:13pm - Edited by: paulz
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No usb port on the other Voms .
I brought 2 of the cheap ones to the cabin today. They both read lower than the others, but close to equal. The one I left at the house was the one higher one, still a bit low in comparison.
Oh well, most likely these will be for checking for opens or shorts in vehicles.
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paulz
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2025 08:52am
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Well with all the new government stuff going on, the 100ah batteries I bought at Christmas are still available for about $20 more than the 100 I paid.
How are mine doing? Don’t know, they are just sitting under the cabin bed. I went back to my decade old bank last week before I left. I set up my Spypoint cabin watch cam to take a once a day check in photo, and the cell status photo gives the battery reading. 100%, which means the bank is at least 12v.
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paulz
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 08:00am
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At the cabin now after almost a week on the grid. To recap, back on the decade old Lfp bank, had revved up nicely on the solar and doing great. The 4 new ones I bought at the new administrations tariff threats sit under the bed. I do keep an eye on prices, these have gone up only about 25$ since Christmas, the admin seems to have other things on their minds.
A brief search on lithium batteries told me they are expected to be more and more widely used coming up. What that will do for prices or tech?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 10:00am
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I just bought a small LFP off Amazon to power our trail cam (getting tired, and broke, from replacing all the AAs). It is the size they use in those over the door EXIT emergency lights and 10ah. It was only a couple bucks more than the std agm LA.
Its a tidy little battery, about 2 1/4 x 4 x 6 inches.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 10:02am
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If battery cells & complete packs are imported to USA they will have increasing tariffs piled onto the costs and that is already being seen but it is about to get a lot worse. Additionally, Exporters will be adding extra fees for paperwork and other cumbersome requirements being added.
The used batteries like the Valence ones etc will likely go up a bit because of demand for "good deals" by those who are not rolling in cash.
New Battery packs that actually get made with "domestic US" cells is "IFFY" at best...
Keep your Hopes & Expectations very low, so as to not be terribly disappointed. Do remember that "Assembled in USA" will have components that are subject to tariffs & duties and that whole bunch may get a serious shakedown.
* A few companies that were doing so, have backed out or sold off their operations to domestic investors as a large portion of international investors/owners are pulling back from the US.
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paulz
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 11:51am - Edited by: paulz
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Quoting: gcrank1 just bought a small LFP off Amazon to power our trail cam (getting tired, and broke, from replacing all the AAs
I quit the 8 AA routine on my 3 trail cams too. They all have 12v jacks right on them. The grid house one just has a wall wort. Here at the cabin one plugs right into the 12v bank. The other, down at the shop, is hooked to the tractor FLAs I have hooked to a few solar panels down there.
I did just buy some AAs at the dollar store though. The TV remotes, smoke alarms etc. still use them. Can’t just jumper on some hunk to those..
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paulz
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 12:03pm
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Quoting: Steve_S If battery cells & complete packs are imported to USA
I wonder if the 100ah LFPs I watch on Amazon are already here in USA since they only show a couple days shipping.
Kind of toying with the idea of trying a Bluetooth Lfp. Maybe you know: generally they say the Bluetooth is only good for about 30ft. But there are version/releases of Bluetooth, the latest greatest (release 5?) will go 800ft. Maybe that depends on the iPhone too. Any idea?
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 12:35pm
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You might become the SCF LFP Warehouse the way you're going
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FishHog
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 12:40pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 I just bought a small LFP off Amazon to power our trail cam (getting tired, and broke, from replacing all the AAs).
I went with a 10w solar panel with built in lithium batteries for the same reason. AA of any quality are getting stupid expensive. I get a year or more out of energizer lithiums and when they were $15 or so that was worth it. Last I looked they were 3 times that in Canada.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 12:44pm
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As far as I am aware, the BMS' that have Bluetooth capability for a Phone App only use BLE which is limited to about 25/30 feet range. A "few" have WIFI but very few indeed and what I have seen a tad tricky as well.
My Packs use BMS' that have BLE built-in but also CANbus & RS485, as a result I can use a PC-APP to connect via RS485 + Dongle, in addition to my Android Phone App.
Bluetooth @ 800' LMAO seriously !
Look, WiFi 6 is OUT (not in USA Though) as is Extended BlueTooth (also not in USA) and will not likely appear for years due to China Phobia. Europe is still deploying 5G and are just starting to look at 6G (YES it is a thing) which will likely start being deployed by end of year.
Currently a number of places "stocked up big" prior to Tariff Insanity and so they are selling at good prices "for now" but the moment the Tariffs kick in (4 days away) those prices will go up, maybe not by the same percentage but they will go up... after they are gone and new product comes in with Duties & Tariffs applied, well up we go again...
I've seen this happen repeatedly with Computer stuff on through solar & battery tech etc... same game always. Many Domestic "Assemblers" are going to take massive hits and several will not survive it. So many imported bits & pieces down to PCB's or even simple chips & components are used in assembling things... All gonna get hit. Most would be truly shocked at how many Chinese Components are used in GM/Ford/Stellantis vehicles let alone electronics & other sectors.
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FishHog
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 12:47pm
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Quoting: paulz Kind of toying with the idea of trying a Bluetooth Lfp
I have 3 with bluetooth. Never thought it was necessary, but sure is nice to see charge level, duration at current discharge or time to be fully charged. Not to mention a voltage on the cells so you can see if one is getting out of balance. I won't buy another without that feature. Range isn't an issue for me, one in the camper van and 2 at the cottage. Although I get about 60' or range if not to many walls in the way.
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paulz
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2025 01:58pm
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Gcrank, Lfp warehouse, that’s funny, and not far off! This is the 800’ reference I saw, just a quick search. aI probably .
My shop is about 150’ feet away crow fly, 400 if walking down the switchback. Funny/odd thing happened after I ran Romex down there a couple weeks ago to power the camera/leds from the cabin bank. Even after shutting off the camera, the internet router in the cabin stayed on, even with it powered off! The romex runs up the same tube as the fiber line, beyond that I don’t know what’s going on. Anyway no big deal but I’m back to running the camera off a battery down there, and maybe with Bluetooth I could monitor from here.
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