Tri-Metric (was Flexnet DC) [RE-wrenches]

[Todd Cory, Mt. Shasta Energy Services]

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I never understood the fascination with the trimetric. I have always 
used link-10s (e-meters). The bar graph display is very easy for 
customers to use as it is similar to a vehicle fuel gauge. Yes, there 
are more "techie" numerical displays available (volts, amps, amp hours, 
percentage of charge, number of charge/discharge cycles and the max 
depth of discharge), but usually people just use the bar graph. In 
addition, it is only 2" in diameter, which reduces the anxiety of some 
customers to having "techie" devices in their kitchen (where I usually 
mount them).

As is the case with all amp hour meters that do not communicate with the 
charge controller, the meter can sometimes get out of sync with it. The 
obvious holy grail, has been to integrate the meter with the charge 
controller. I am happy OB and Apollo are both doing this.

Todd



Allan Sindelar wrote:

>Nick,
>We have long had a basic policy that every battery-based system gets a
>Tri-Metric, and have never regretted it. We don't experience the problems
>you describe, so maybe it's your setup. Here are a few secrets I have
>learned over the years:
>1. We always set the display (in setup mode from the blank screen) to P01,
>not P00: 1% increments, automatic reset. This eliminates the useless "FUL",
>allows closer incremental readings, and eliminates the need for the customer
>to reset anything except the EQ counter. (The 1% option is a main reason we
>have never used the Xantrex/Trace TM500 meter, which lacked that option.)
>2. We set the amp-hours somewhat lower than actual C/20 or C/100 rates, to
>build in a bit of reserve.
>3. We always go over use of all of the functions upon system startup and
>orientation, emphasizing percent and amps as key functions. We downplay
>voltage as only a "corroborating value" that will reveal patterns as it
>becomes familiar.
>4. Years ago we prepared a Tri-Metric log form (thanks to Dan Rice), several
>copies of which go in the system manual. We tell the customer to fill it out
>several times a day/night for the first couple of weeks, then daily for a
>couple of months, until patterns begin to emerge and the system indicators
>become familiar.
>5. The Tri-Met goes in the kitchen or hall, not the power room; it's got to
>be a part of daily consciousness to be used.
>6. 97H works well with standard flooded batteries, 94H won't always reset.
>7. Set the charged voltage setting far enough below temperature-compensated
>controller bulk voltage to allow reset when the batteries are warm in late
>summer. We use about 0.8V with a 24V system. Set amps to around 2% of
>battery capacity; more (or even defeated) with an undersized array.
>
>The real beauty of all this is that we can often avoid callbacks and
>billable service calls by phone troubleshooting. And the CAH is our ace in
>the hole when batteries fail before the customer thought they should have.
>
>Hope this helps.
>Allan at Positive Energy
>  
>


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