Wow! You are the first American RV owner that has actually used proper plain English to explain something without babbling on about unrelated stuff. Loved this video. New sub!
I read the instructions and could not make heads or tails. I watched your video and set my Camway up in short order. Thank you Lou for an excellent video and explanation!
just a trick for young players - prior to drilling a hole in you RV - at least hook it up ( dry fit) and make sure its working) love your work - clarity of explanation is pretty good
I just finished installing a QWork battery monitor. It is just like the AiLi. The monitor itself, the shunt, the instructions, and all connections are exactly like the AiLi. The shunt was a 500w and I needed to use a 13 foot extension wire. The QWork is about $10.00 more than the AiLi. Amazon was out of the AiLi but they had the QWork. My installation was in a travel trailer. I watched this video a number of times and it made the installation easy! Thank you very much for a clear and concise installation video. I’ll be boondocking for four days. The new monitor will allow me to keep track of battery usage.
One thing many of us forget is that with any lead acid (including AGM) batteries, we can only use 50% of the rated capacity. If we use more than that we can damage the batteries. I recommend you decrease the Amp Hours to 1/2 of what you set in the video. Thank you for the video - I just ordered this monitor from Amazon.
I read the comments just to see if anybody else thought the same thingI just bought one myself and I'm going to set it to 50% of the total amp hours. I have a total of 140 amp hours so I'm going to set mine to 70 amp hours at 100% on the battery meter. Thanks
I believe from watching another video there is a setting where you can set your 0% reference voltage where you like it. Not sure if changing your capacity might throw other data out of spec?
This is good to know. I still run a lead acid battery so will not let it get below 50 per cent. It has a built in battery monitor. That being said I really like my LiFePO battery as it doesn't have this problem (although for long-term non-use, better that the battery is left at 70 per cent charge rather than 100 per cent).
Thank you for this video. I followed your instructions and everything worked great! One detail I'll pass along. The display backlight slowly pulses on and off when your batteries are charging. This detail is not in the directions that come with the battery monitor. I discovered online that some people find it annoying at night if the display is located in your RV. I mounted mine in the battery bay and not in the trailer for this reason. Thanks again for an easy the follow and accurate video! Cheers!
Wow! You really helped me hook up this shunt properly. You also answered someone's question about how to correctly connect attache solar panels via the charge controller to the "P" post of the a shunt. That's what I did after reading your answer to that question. It worked. Thank you very much!
Awesome video, getting mine tomorrow. Answered every little nagging doubt I had. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your life to help me and other folks.
So I am pretty mechanically inclined but the instruction's English was very hard to understand; hence how I ended up here. You did a fantastic job clearing up my doubts. Very easy to understand instructions.... Thank you, thank you!
Great directions I just set mine up. By the way I used a 2 1/8 hole saw and it worked great. It was just a little bit snug and I really didn’t even need the mounting bracket at the back but I installed anyhow. Thanks so much for the tutorial! Have a great day!
Best explanation I've seen. We bought a camper last year and about froze to death at 31° when the battery was too low. We just installed 2 AGMs and we are determined to know what is going on with them. After seeing this video I think our minds are made up.
Hi Leroy, I installed two AGMs also and this monitor has worked out great. It has all the information I need to make sure the batteries are in good shape. For what this monitor does at this price point is impressive. My recommendation is get the larger one 100v/350 amps. This way if you ever add accessories like solar, inverter, etc you will be good to go. Thanks for watching.
Installed this battery monitor in my van yesterday after frying my lead acid's by draining them. I followed your instructions and found it especially helpful that (like me) you had two batteries so I could see how you wired it all to the shunt. I think the most difficult part was figuring out where I wanted to install the display. Thank you for creating this video.
I bought one but lost the instructions.. Thanks for uploading a copy to your website. I bookmarked your site and will return often. Great and clearly explained video. Great work!
Man what a fantastic and easy to understand video! I have a little pop up camper and bought this same unit. Thanks for the video, and for explaining all the features/setup of the unit in plain English!
Great Video, don't get me wrong, for 40 bucks you cant go wrong, but over the years I have learnt "The poor man pays twice". I upgraded to a Victron 712 Blue Tooth, and I love it. Been one of my fav upgrades. Enjoys the vid though !
Hi Josh, I agree with that theory most of the time. This is a very good budget monitor for those who don't need all the features of a high end unit. Thanks for watching.
Great video, thank you for putting the time into it. I did cringe when you were working around the batteries with the metal watch band and the cables new cables moving about. Knowing in advance that you finished the video and posted it was the only verification that nothing happened in between. Again, thanks
Greetings, at 7:42 into the timeline of the video, you put the larger gauge wire lug on top of a smaller lug. Higher current carrying cables need more surface area for optimum conductivity, to reduce voltage drops and the resulting heat. So, always stack from largest to smallest lug. Your electrical performance will be better, and you reduce the risk of excessive heat and fire.
Yes you are correct. That was the negative wires on the shunt. I did not think the negative mattered as much. On the positive side I did as you describe putting the higher current on the post first. Great catch.
thank you, thank you!! i bought a renogy batt monitor with a shunt, no directions. this is exactly what i was looking for! i puzzled it out, but seemed like something was missing. ~knew~ i needed an extra short neg batt cable! and my batt compartment is also super tight, and i was over-thinking how and where to mount the shunt. i'm going to use some 2-sided tape and simply stick it inside the box like you did.
@@RVHabit quick question please: does my negative cable from the converter/charger still go directly to the battery or does it go to the P terminal on the shunt? Thank you
All negative cables go onto the shunt P terminal. The only negative cables on the battery would be the one connecting to the B terminal on the shunt and/or if you have a cable connecting two or more batteries in series or parallel.
My monitor wasnt showing charge from my solar panels so i watched this video and seen i didnt have the solar hooked up correctly to the monitor so i changed it like in this video and now its working. Thank u so much
Lou,Lou,Lou, Perfect info at just the right time. As I sit here , back at Hill AIr Force Base in Utah...on the way back from ABQ Balloon Fiesta, guess what has happened? The flooded house batteries, just gave me their last breath. They will not hold a charge longer than a couple of hours of trickle output current. I am now going to AGM because of the no maintenance and longer batt life, quicker charging....blah blah bla. When I get back to Portland I will be needing to get them and a monitor for them. Not sure on the brand of AGM yet, but like you I do not need to invest in Li-Ion. Great vid great time. P.S. my friend...Take the watch off when working on that hi current stuff. I know you know, just a friendly reminder my friend. Might wait til after winter to do batts, but will do the monitor while it’s in winter storage...kinda. Thx again my friend.
Hi Bruce it's funny you say that about the watch. I wear it so much I didn't realize it till I was editing the video. I will say two things. AGM is so great with basically connect it and forget it. The pleasure of no maintenance is worth the extra money. As for this battery monitor I can not recommend it enough. I love this thing. It gives current volts, amps remaining, life in a percentage and the best part is it tells you how many amps are either coming into batteries or out of batteries. So I finally know exactly how many amps I am using and how many amps are coming in. Best $40 I've spent on my RV. I am putting it on my list of must have upgrades. Have a safe trip home, Lou.
Lou, I bought the monitor a few days ago, it should be here today. My house batteries are completely dead. Holds a charge for a very short time. Not sure when I will do install, maybe this winter and not getting new batts until maybe spring. Anyway, I clicked on it from your link, so hopefully it works for you to get a little back. FYI. Bruce
my negative cable running to my battery is just grounded on the trailer is this the way your negative cable is? I have one of these on order and will be installing in a few days. Thanks
Thank's , your video is well done . I just received the kit yesterday , I realized the connecting cable they supply is a little short for what I have planned so I've ordered a longer one . Once we get some better weather I am doing the install , we just got another bitter taste of winter in Alberta . Once we're through with the lousy weather I have a few more updates that I'm doing at the same time as the moniter install , adding some circuit breakers and tidying up some wiring .
Great Installalation instructions very clear and simple, I was looking to have a battery monitor install in my boat I have dual batteries like yourself and I think this is what I will do I do lots of camping on my boat ansd I have no Idea how much power I have at any point. thanks a lot for this video my friend.
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions. I have a truck camper which I use as you use yours. Only in weekends getaways or when I go fishing. I purchased the same Battery Management Device and your instructions made it easy to install. I did had a hard time getting the wire thru the back of the walls but I manage to do it and its working just fine. Thanks Again!
Sweet instructions. I just installed one of these and couldnt get the % to work properly - watched this and booyah! I set Ah and % in the wrong order - all good now. Thanks.
Nice job! but remember that you don't discharge the flooded batteries below 50% with out damage. When installing/ programming my AiLi monitor I programmed it for 105 Amp hrs with a 210 capacity. That way my 50% shows empty.
I actually forgot to mention that for people who are unaware about 50% for flooded and AGM lead acid batteries. Good idea about programming half the amp hours.
Looks like it's a very simple setup to monitor your house battery. Currently I have the original (one) . Going to check to see how many I can install once this one wears out. I'm also a part time Rv'er..Only weekends or vacation time. I don't boondock at all but will stop at a Walmart overnight once in a while or a rest stop on a trip..
I'm fixing up a small trimaran sailboat and added this. I can relate to the budget issues! Thanks fot this excellent video. Good job on the fuse in the positive, I have one there too. I like my electrics to be strictly non smoking!
Thank you for the simple, but informative video. Mine was delivered without instructions and I was just about to send it back. I look forward to installing it this weekend thanks to your assistance.
I have the directions that you can view or download on my website. Its a complete article at www.rvhabit.com/post/installing-a-full-function-rv-battery-monitor-from-aili Good luck.
RV Habit Thanks again for the info! I downloaded and printed the instruction sheet you posted and it was exactly what I needed. I just wanted to follow up and say that this battery monitor is really amazing and I couldn’t have installed it so easily without your assistance.
thanks. i thought mine was faulty as another video said to discharge down to min voltage and zero the meter. i then charged the battery and the meter only read half the battery capacity in amps had gone in even tho the battery was full. doing it your way worked as it should. many sellers dont provide instructions with these. mine had no manual at all and the listing no info ether.
@@RVHabit well it seemed to work as i was only discharging 10 amps capacity out overnight and then next day solar filled it up and it would show full with 100amps in the batery. decided to test it discharging 100ah out and then re charging and it looks as i have the same issue as before. batteries are on float charge and inverter mppt shows full on its basic scale and the meter only shows 46ah has gone in. i think i might still be a dud sadly. my batteries are only taking 1amp charge and they are brand new so its safe to say they must be full.
When your batteries are at full charge make sure you program meter with total amount of amp hours your batteries hold (ie if you have two 105 amp hour batteries you should program meter to 210 amp hours) and then tell it they are at 100 percent. The meter reads amps out and amps in. Good luck.
@@RVHabit @@RVHabit i charged my battery up full and set it to 100amps. i have a two 12v 120ah batterys in series for 24v 120ah and wanted the meter to show empty with 20% left in it hence setting to 100ah but when i fully discharged the battery to empty and then re charged the meter only read 46amps in and the battery was full. i only have my inverter and fridge load attached on the p side of the shunt. i will try reset it again with the battery full and see what happens.
Hi! If you accurate want to monitor, and really to know how much percent you have, you must to programm the monitor when your inverter or charger is tuned off!!! Now you have a fault measurement. 14,5 Volts x 210 Ah = 3045 Wh and that is your 100% . But when your charger not running your Battery have around 12,5 V x 210 Ah = 2625 Wh! Fault size: 16% ! But the video is great! Cheers
The price has went up. Bought mine in the spring. Awesome little tool. My only problem is that I can edit the set problem Reading full when actually empty.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does anybody know a tool to get back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost my account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me
Thank you for putting the direction on your site . I did not get any with my new AiLi. I watched you video and understand it, but when I want the directions in the rv folder on the road . Because when I cut the power for some other project I bet we loose the settings.
Go to my website rvhabit.com then rv upgrades then rv electrical. You will see my blog article on the AiLi. At the bottom of that page you can download and print the directions i have uploaded in PDF. I have not tested to see if settings are lost if disconnecting from battery.
Thanks for the video, installed mine and had to extend the wires. Works great!!! Looks like I have a draw of about .150, seems to be standard on these larger Rv's.
Great video, thanks for all the work, really wish you had shown how you got the wire run from batteries to where you installed it. I'm a bit of an RV newbie and this part of the process is the most daunting for me.
Hi Kurtis, yes running the wires through the RV is the most challenging part of any install. I don't go into depth because every RV is different. The secret is patience. Take your time and if you get frustrated with it walk away for a bit. You will be surprised how sometimes just an hour break will let you see things differently. Good luck.
I just came across this video which I though was very well done. This led me to your blog, which contains well documented content and references. It is clear you put a lot of effort in producing this material. It is nice to see the proper use of grammar and spelling in your blog when so many seem challenged to properly use words such as to and too, your and you're, etc. Further backs up credibility. Liked and subscribed. It has been a year, has this battery monitor met your expectations, given the low cost?
Hi Jeff, Thank you for the compliment. I do put a lot of time into editing my blog articles. As for the battery monitor, the answer is yes, it has exceeded my expectations. It works flawlessly after a year. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
How do you get that 12 gauge wire to the positive battery terminal to go into that little green connection? It looks like it takes 18-20 gauge max. Speaker wire?
An excellent video so thanks for doing it. I didn't get any instructions with mine but that's O.K. thanks to your video, and spoken in plain American too. U.K.
Hi and thank you. If you do need the written instructions I have them in PDF or web form on my website. The link is below in the description. Hope it works well for you.
I want to get a battery monitor and have seen the various types, but have not seen someone actually installing it. So this is exactly what I was looking for! How does one decide what size shunt that they need? Please tell me that those were not wires hanging down inside the hole you just cut. This was great - thank you Lou!!
Hi the size shunt needs to be able to handle your draw in amps. This can be different depending on your accessories. When in doubt you can go larger. A shunt that is larger than needed will not harm the system and gives you future room to add an inverter or other accessories. As for hanging wires.... they are everywhere in the RVs built today.
Great DYI video Lou. I installed the same battery monitor in my RV. One thing I notice on my Forest River is that several DC components like, etc awning, slides, the radio sound base goes through the Battery Control Center. So I’m not getting a amp reading when using those items which is ok because those are used very little. Not like the heater, lights, ref.
If those components use the coach batteries they should certainly register on the meter. If they are using the chassis battery then no they would not register on the meter.
Originally when I installed this monitor I used AGM batteries and they worked great. I eventually upgraded to lithium and this monitor is still working great. The videos are listed below AGM ruclips.net/video/6-k7PUWFRMg/видео.html Lithium ruclips.net/video/mZi4wBhJayk/видео.html
Great install video. installed this on a 100 AH LifePo4 Lithium battery for on a kayak. I have concerns regarding the digital display part itself. I can keep it in the front hatch out of the weather, but it will be inconvenient to use there. Is there anyway to waterproof the readout itself that you know of? Another question I had is regarding the large shunt bolts themselves. Do you by chance know the specs on those bolts? I’m pretty sure I will need longer ones so I can fit all the negative wires onto the shunt. Thank you.
I have the same set up on my Kayak and was thinking the same thing. How often do you really need to check your battery reserve? Mine sits on top of the kayak I figure I'll just put a rag or shirt over it to keep it out of the direct sunlight.
Nice video...i have ordered this Monitor.....and a tip as an old retired 😏👍 Electrician.....never ever wear a metal or alum Watch ...when You are working with High current batteries !! This was close to the terminals ! Any short contact and you know what happens ! Greetings from Holland...
Thank you Lou. Just ordered one and appreciate the install vid - weil done! Question: You said ALL other negative wires go to the left side of the Shunt (from Camera view) but you still have a big negative wire connected to the neg post on the battery. I don't understand. Appreciate and help :). Thanks again.
Great video, just got mine. Question you mention all Neg. cables go to B, but I see you still have a Neg. cable where the shunt is placed. Is that the connection to Neg to Neg for the two batteries? Is it ok to leave that one like that? So can I just use the main Neg. cable to the shunt? Thank you in advance
Solar has come way down in price over the last few years. You probably will want some when out west with the hookups in many places. The battery monitor is a great addition for the price.
Wow! You are the first American RV owner that has actually used proper plain English to explain something without babbling on about unrelated stuff. Loved this video. New sub!
LOL thats funny. Most would say I have a heavy accent from the Northeast US. I do try to get to the point though. Thanks so much for watching!!
ill second that and im in liverpool
LOL!
Some Yanks do speak well!
Lol the truth
I read the instructions and could not make heads or tails. I watched your video and set my Camway up in short order. Thank you Lou for an excellent video and explanation!
Wonderful! Glad it helped.
just a trick for young players - prior to drilling a hole in you RV - at least hook it up ( dry fit) and make sure its working) love your work - clarity of explanation is pretty good
Hi Ian, that's a great tip! Thanks for commenting.
Lou, this is probably one of the most complete and detailed over views I have yet seen on YT.
it's perfect and exactly what I needed!
Thanks so much!!
Yes, this was excellent. Took me a while to figure mine out, the Chinese instructions left a lot to be desired. Watching this confirmed I got it right
Great to hear!
I just finished installing a QWork battery monitor. It is just like the AiLi. The monitor itself, the shunt, the instructions, and all connections are exactly like the AiLi. The shunt was a 500w and I needed to use a 13 foot extension wire. The QWork is about $10.00 more than the AiLi. Amazon was out of the AiLi but they had the QWork. My installation was in a travel trailer. I watched this video a number of times and it made the installation easy! Thank you very much for a clear and concise installation video. I’ll be boondocking for four days. The new monitor will allow me to keep track of battery usage.
Yes the QWork is the same monitor just different branding. I'm glad the video helped out.
Sr. I really respect your videos, For not using your couch much it's really clean. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you I appreciate that.
Lou, I followed your steps and it worked. It's so great knowing my percentage and not having to guess. Thank you brother, you're the best. Levi.
Hi Levi, Fantastic!
One thing many of us forget is that with any lead acid (including AGM) batteries, we can only use 50% of the rated capacity. If we use more than that we can damage the batteries. I recommend you decrease the Amp Hours to 1/2 of what you set in the video. Thank you for the video - I just ordered this monitor from Amazon.
Yes Steve any lead acid battery should only be used to 50 percent of its capacity. Thanks for watching.
I read the comments just to see if anybody else thought the same thingI just bought one myself and I'm going to set it to 50% of the total amp hours. I have a total of 140 amp hours so I'm going to set mine to 70 amp hours at 100% on the battery meter. Thanks
Since we all already know that, we all already know that once this thing says 50%, it’s time to make some changes.
I believe from watching another video there is a setting where you can set your 0% reference voltage where you like it. Not sure if changing your capacity might throw other data out of spec?
This is good to know. I still run a lead acid battery so will not let it get below 50 per cent. It has a built in battery monitor. That being said I really like my LiFePO battery as it doesn't have this problem (although for long-term non-use, better that the battery is left at 70 per cent charge rather than 100 per cent).
Thank you for this video. I followed your instructions and everything worked great! One detail I'll pass along. The display backlight slowly pulses on and off when your batteries are charging. This detail is not in the directions that come with the battery monitor. I discovered online that some people find it annoying at night if the display is located in your RV. I mounted mine in the battery bay and not in the trailer for this reason. Thanks again for an easy the follow and accurate video! Cheers!
Yes the light pulses. I have never found it annoying but may do.
@@RVHabit The backlight can also be turned off or on by holding down the two arrow buttons for three seconds. Cheers!
Excellent tip.
Fantastic! I purchased this exact monitor for my boat and your install video was exactly what I needed. Very clear.
hi im glad it helped out.
i was too lazy to look at instructions. so i just looked it up on youtube. and thanks you helped me.
Love to hear it!
Wow! You really helped me hook up this shunt properly. You also answered someone's question about how to correctly connect attache solar panels via the charge controller to the "P" post of the a shunt. That's what I did after reading your answer to that question. It worked. Thank you very much!
Hi Steven, Glad I could help!
helped me reset meter after missing voltage setup step. best explanation and easy to follow, keep up the great work
Glad it helped
Thank you, you made a great video without all the extra conversation that is not relevant.
Hi Donald, I appreciate that!
Awesome video, getting mine tomorrow. Answered every little nagging doubt I had.
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your life to help me and other folks.
Hi Jason, Glad it helped! For the price I haven't found better.
@@RVHabit thanks! ordering a couple tomorrow
So I am pretty mechanically inclined but the instruction's English was very hard to understand; hence how I ended up here. You did a fantastic job clearing up my doubts. Very easy to understand instructions.... Thank you, thank you!
Hi Thomas, Glad I could help!
Great directions I just set mine up. By the way I used a 2 1/8 hole saw and it worked great. It was just a little bit snug and I really didn’t even need the mounting bracket at the back but I installed anyhow. Thanks so much for the tutorial! Have a great day!
Nice work!
Best explanation I've seen. We bought a camper last year and about froze to death at 31° when the battery was too low. We just installed 2 AGMs and we are determined to know what is going on with them. After seeing this video I think our minds are made up.
Hi Leroy, I installed two AGMs also and this monitor has worked out great. It has all the information I need to make sure the batteries are in good shape. For what this monitor does at this price point is impressive. My recommendation is get the larger one 100v/350 amps. This way if you ever add accessories like solar, inverter, etc you will be good to go. Thanks for watching.
Great video Lou. I don't have any questions - you have explained everything perfectly.
I appreciate that!
Installed this battery monitor in my van yesterday after frying my lead acid's by draining them. I followed your instructions and found it especially helpful that (like me) you had two batteries so I could see how you wired it all to the shunt. I think the most difficult part was figuring out where I wanted to install the display. Thank you for creating this video.
Hi Michael, Glad it helped. Thanks for commenting.
I bought one but lost the instructions.. Thanks for uploading a copy to your website. I bookmarked your site and will return often. Great and clearly explained video. Great work!
Thanks Victor, I try to put the instructions to any upgrade I do on my website. Glad it helped out.
Man what a fantastic and easy to understand video! I have a little pop up camper and bought this same unit. Thanks for the video, and for explaining all the features/setup of the unit in plain English!
Hi Benjamin, Awesome, thank you!
Great Video, don't get me wrong, for 40 bucks you cant go wrong, but over the years I have learnt "The poor man pays twice". I upgraded to a Victron 712 Blue Tooth, and I love it. Been one of my fav upgrades. Enjoys the vid though !
Hi Josh, I agree with that theory most of the time. This is a very good budget monitor for those who don't need all the features of a high end unit. Thanks for watching.
Great video, thank you for putting the time into it.
I did cringe when you were working around the batteries with the metal watch band and the cables new cables moving about.
Knowing in advance that you finished the video and posted it was the only verification that nothing happened in between.
Again, thanks
Hi Bryan, you are correct about the watch. I didn't realize I left it on till I was editing the video. Thanks for watching.
Greetings, at 7:42 into the timeline of the video, you put the larger gauge wire lug on top of a smaller lug. Higher current carrying cables need more surface area for optimum conductivity, to reduce voltage drops and the resulting heat. So, always stack from largest to smallest lug. Your electrical performance will be better, and you reduce the risk of excessive heat and fire.
Yes you are correct. That was the negative wires on the shunt. I did not think the negative mattered as much. On the positive side I did as you describe putting the higher current on the post first. Great catch.
Thanks for these reporting videos - you walked me through a similar upgrade this weekend. Thank you!
Hi John, Great to hear!
thank you, thank you!! i bought a renogy batt monitor with a shunt, no directions. this is exactly what i was looking for! i puzzled it out, but seemed like something was missing. ~knew~ i needed an extra short neg batt cable! and my batt compartment is also super tight, and i was over-thinking how and where to mount the shunt. i'm going to use some 2-sided tape and simply stick it inside the box like you did.
So glad it helped!
Thanks for the video. Had already bought the monitor but it came without instructions. Very helpful.
Hi Kerry,
You're welcome!
I lost my info sheet with the AiLi but your video got it installed. Thx.
Great!
thanks for a great detailed video, the pdf instructions were just what i needed, hope you have great camping
Glad it was helpful!
That is the exact monitor I just bought and your explanation was PERFECT! Thank you
I'm glad it helped out.
@@RVHabit quick question please: does my negative cable from the converter/charger still go directly to the battery or does it go to the P terminal on the shunt? Thank you
All negative cables go onto the shunt P terminal. The only negative cables on the battery would be the one connecting to the B terminal on the shunt and/or if you have a cable connecting two or more batteries in series or parallel.
@@RVHabit Thank you. You are a Big help
My monitor wasnt showing charge from my solar panels so i watched this video and seen i didnt have the solar hooked up correctly to the monitor so i changed it like in this video and now its working. Thank u so much
I like your videos, I am not a full timer too and this is one of the few channels are considering a budget minded guy like me
Thanks so much. Happy traveling.
Lou,Lou,Lou, Perfect info at just the right time. As I sit here , back at Hill AIr Force Base in Utah...on the way back from ABQ Balloon Fiesta, guess what has happened? The flooded house batteries, just gave me their last breath. They will not hold a charge longer than a couple of hours of trickle output current. I am now going to AGM because of the no maintenance and longer batt life, quicker charging....blah blah bla. When I get back to Portland I will be needing to get them and a monitor for them. Not sure on the brand of AGM yet, but like you I do not need to invest in Li-Ion. Great vid great time. P.S. my friend...Take the watch off when working on that hi current stuff. I know you know, just a friendly reminder my friend. Might wait til after winter to do batts, but will do the monitor while it’s in winter storage...kinda. Thx again my friend.
Hi Bruce it's funny you say that about the watch. I wear it so much I didn't realize it till I was editing the video. I will say two things. AGM is so great with basically connect it and forget it. The pleasure of no maintenance is worth the extra money. As for this battery monitor I can not recommend it enough. I love this thing. It gives current volts, amps remaining, life in a percentage and the best part is it tells you how many amps are either coming into batteries or out of batteries. So I finally know exactly how many amps I am using and how many amps are coming in. Best $40 I've spent on my RV. I am putting it on my list of must have upgrades. Have a safe trip home, Lou.
Lou, I bought the monitor a few days ago, it should be here today. My house batteries are completely dead. Holds a charge for a very short time. Not sure when I will do install, maybe this winter and not getting new batts until maybe spring. Anyway, I clicked on it from your link, so hopefully it works for you to get a little back. FYI. Bruce
@@RVEnthusiast Thanks Bruce, I am real happy with it so far.
Great video, installing mine tomorrow and you made life easy .
Hope the video makes the install easier. Thanks for watching.
Pretty good video friend. Short and sweet and no B.S. I just bought one of these on Amazon and your video is helpful to plan my install.
Good to hear Joseph. This is a super cheap upgrade that has worked great.
Fantastic information gleaned from your video. Just bought one of these monitors and your video is in my favourite. Thanks pal.
Thanks so much.
my negative cable running to my battery is just grounded on the trailer is this the way your negative cable is? I have one of these on order and will be installing in a few days. Thanks
Hi, Yes that is typical on how to ground the trailer.
Thank's , your video is well done . I just received the kit yesterday , I realized the connecting cable they supply is a little short for what I have planned so I've ordered a longer one . Once we get some better weather I am doing the install , we just got another bitter taste of winter in Alberta . Once we're through with the lousy weather I have a few more updates that I'm doing at the same time as the moniter install , adding some circuit breakers and tidying up some wiring .
Sounds great. Post an update on how it goes. Good luck.
Just installed one on my RV and I love it.
glad to hear it. thanks for taking time to comment.
Great Installalation instructions very clear and simple, I was looking to have a battery monitor install in my boat I have dual batteries like yourself and I think this is what I will do I do lots of camping on my boat ansd I have no Idea how much power I have at any point. thanks a lot for this video my friend.
Hi Jake, Thanks for watching. I appreciate the comment.
Thanks for the info. I'm on a budget too and not full time. Looks like a good purchase.
Thanks for the tutorial, you explained everything very clearly
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions. I have a truck camper which I use as you use yours. Only in weekends getaways or when I go fishing. I purchased the same Battery Management Device and your instructions made it easy to install. I did had a hard time getting the wire thru the back of the walls but I manage to do it and its working just fine. Thanks Again!
Glad it worked out.
Great Job Lou, I'll keep this video on file for the next TIMROVER! See ya' on the road soon! NICE!
Thanks Tim, this is a great addition to my new AGM battery bank.
Sweet instructions. I just installed one of these and couldnt get the % to work properly - watched this and booyah! I set Ah and % in the wrong order - all good now. Thanks.
Glad it helped. I am loving this monitor for the price.
thnx for the vid...was wondering where to mount shunt....now i know.
No problem 👍
Great review! Second time watching it, I got it now. Thank you.
Great to hear!
Thank you Lou,
Easy to follow your instruction.
Glad it helped
Great video, I was thinking about mounting one but was concerned as how to find a plug to install the monitor power wire, you helped me out thanks.
My buddy made a surface mount for this on Thingiverse!! Love it !!
Hi Pierre, Very cool!
Nice job! but remember that you don't discharge the flooded batteries below 50% with out damage. When installing/ programming my AiLi monitor I programmed it for 105 Amp hrs with a 210 capacity. That way my 50% shows empty.
I actually forgot to mention that for people who are unaware about 50% for flooded and AGM lead acid batteries. Good idea about programming half the amp hours.
Looks like it's a very simple setup to monitor your house battery. Currently I have the original (one) . Going to check to see how many I can install once this one wears out. I'm also a part time Rv'er..Only weekends or vacation time. I don't boondock at all but will stop at a Walmart overnight once in a while or a rest stop on a trip..
Hi Victor, I also only RV on the weekends or vacation time. Thanks for watching.
I'm fixing up a small trimaran sailboat and added this. I can relate to the budget issues! Thanks fot this excellent video. Good job on the fuse in the positive, I have one there too. I like my electrics to be strictly non smoking!
Hi Dennis, I agree smoking wires always ruins my day.
Excellent, super clean installation Lou!! Nice work as always!!
Thank you this is a great upgrade. Works like a charm.
Thank you for the simple, but informative video. Mine was delivered without instructions and I was just about to send it back. I look forward to installing it this weekend thanks to your assistance.
I have the directions that you can view or download on my website. Its a complete article at www.rvhabit.com/post/installing-a-full-function-rv-battery-monitor-from-aili
Good luck.
RV Habit Thanks again for the info! I downloaded and printed the instruction sheet you posted and it was exactly what I needed. I just wanted to follow up and say that this battery monitor is really amazing and I couldn’t have installed it so easily without your assistance.
You're very welcome. I am glad it helped. And thank you for taking time to come back and comment. Have a great camping season.
did you use velcro to secure the shunt to the battery? I think that is what I might do. Or was your shunt just laying there? Great video BTW
Hi Geryy, Yes, I used Velcro to attach the shunt to the top of the battery.
thanks. i thought mine was faulty as another video said to discharge down to min voltage and zero the meter. i then charged the battery and the meter only read half the battery capacity in amps had gone in even tho the battery was full. doing it your way worked as it should. many sellers dont provide instructions with these. mine had no manual at all and the listing no info ether.
I am glad it helped. This has been a great monitor for the price.
@@RVHabit well it seemed to work as i was only discharging 10 amps capacity out overnight and then next day solar filled it up and it would show full with 100amps in the batery. decided to test it discharging 100ah out and then re charging and it looks as i have the same issue as before. batteries are on float charge and inverter mppt shows full on its basic scale and the meter only shows 46ah has gone in. i think i might still be a dud sadly. my batteries are only taking 1amp charge and they are brand new so its safe to say they must be full.
When your batteries are at full charge make sure you program meter with total amount of amp hours your batteries hold (ie if you have two 105 amp hour batteries you should program meter to 210 amp hours) and then tell it they are at 100 percent. The meter reads amps out and amps in. Good luck.
@@RVHabit @@RVHabit i charged my battery up full and set it to 100amps. i have a two 12v 120ah batterys in series for 24v 120ah and wanted the meter to show empty with 20% left in it hence setting to 100ah but when i fully discharged the battery to empty and then re charged the meter only read 46amps in and the battery was full. i only have my inverter and fridge load attached on the p side of the shunt. i will try reset it again with the battery full and see what happens.
Hi! If you accurate want to monitor, and really to know how much percent you have, you must to programm the monitor when your inverter or charger is tuned off!!! Now you have a fault measurement. 14,5 Volts x 210 Ah = 3045 Wh and that is your 100% . But when your charger not running your Battery have around 12,5 V x 210 Ah = 2625 Wh! Fault size: 16% ! But the video is great! Cheers
Hi Gergely, Excellent point.
The price has went up. Bought mine in the spring. Awesome little tool.
My only problem is that I can edit the set problem
Reading full when actually empty.
Set the percentage only when batteries are fully charged.
Amazingly helpful video! After watching this I just ordered the same part and am looking forward to setting it up. Thank you Lou
Hi Pete, Glad it was helpful. Mine has continued to work flawlessly.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does anybody know a tool to get back into an Instagram account??
I was dumb lost my account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me
Thank you for putting the direction on your site . I did not get any with my new AiLi. I watched you video and understand it, but when I want the directions in the rv folder on the road . Because when I cut the power for some other project I bet we loose the settings.
Go to my website rvhabit.com then rv upgrades then rv electrical. You will see my blog article on the AiLi. At the bottom of that page you can download and print the directions i have uploaded in PDF. I have not tested to see if settings are lost if disconnecting from battery.
Great instructions!! Thanks, I really appreciated getting clear instructions!!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the excellent instruction.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video, installed mine and had to extend the wires. Works great!!! Looks like I have a draw of about .150, seems to be standard on these larger Rv's.
Glad to hear it. Mine so far has worked excellent.
What size or type wire did you use to extend it. Is CAT5 doable?
I did not personally extend the wire but other have indicated CAT5 worked for them.
Great job, I'm heading to Amazon now
Great video, thanks for all the work, really wish you had shown how you got the wire run from batteries to where you installed it. I'm a bit of an RV newbie and this part of the process is the most daunting for me.
Hi Kurtis, yes running the wires through the RV is the most challenging part of any install. I don't go into depth because every RV is different. The secret is patience. Take your time and if you get frustrated with it walk away for a bit. You will be surprised how sometimes just an hour break will let you see things differently. Good luck.
Great video! Crazy high quality video too. Will likely add the same to my system.
Thanks so much I appreciate the comment.
Hi great video. I was wondering what size of fuse would be appropriate in the small battery wire from the shunt would be.
Hi I used a 5 amp fuse with 16AWG wire.
@@RVHabit Thank you.
Good video, with clear instructions.
Glad you liked it
I just came across this video which I though was very well done. This led me to your blog, which contains well documented content and references. It is clear you put a lot of effort in producing this material. It is nice to see the proper use of grammar and spelling in your blog when so many seem challenged to properly use words such as to and too, your and you're, etc. Further backs up credibility. Liked and subscribed.
It has been a year, has this battery monitor met your expectations, given the low cost?
Hi Jeff, Thank you for the compliment. I do put a lot of time into editing my blog articles. As for the battery monitor, the answer is yes, it has exceeded my expectations. It works flawlessly after a year. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
How do you get that 12 gauge wire to the positive battery terminal to go into that little green connection? It looks like it takes 18-20 gauge max. Speaker wire?
Yes you need to connect a smaller gauge wire to the fuse holder. I used 16 AWG.
An excellent video so thanks for doing it. I didn't get any instructions with mine but that's O.K. thanks to your video, and spoken in plain American too. U.K.
Hi and thank you. If you do need the written instructions I have them in PDF or web form on my website. The link is below in the description. Hope it works well for you.
great video, only thing i would ask is, why not wire the shunt power to the + terminal right next to it :)
You could certainly do that.
Thanks so much for your guidance. It really made my install easy. Well, except for running the wire from battery to the monitor.🤣
Yes running wires inside walls is always the hardest part. Hope you like the monitor. I am very happy with mine.
Thank you very much! I installed one easily. Your instruction was very helpful.
Great to hear Brian. I have been very happy with mine since i installed it.
I want to get a battery monitor and have seen the various types, but have not seen someone actually installing it. So this is exactly what I was looking for!
How does one decide what size shunt that they need? Please tell me that those were not wires hanging down inside the hole you just cut. This was great - thank you Lou!!
Hi the size shunt needs to be able to handle your draw in amps. This can be different depending on your accessories. When in doubt you can go larger. A shunt that is larger than needed will not harm the system and gives you future room to add an inverter or other accessories. As for hanging wires.... they are everywhere in the RVs built today.
Great DYI video Lou. I installed the same battery monitor in my RV. One thing I notice on my Forest River is that several DC components like, etc awning, slides, the radio sound base goes through the Battery Control Center. So I’m not getting a amp reading when using those items which is ok because those are used very little. Not like the heater, lights, ref.
If those components use the coach batteries they should certainly register on the meter. If they are using the chassis battery then no they would not register on the meter.
Do you have the video showing the house batteries you used? I use my motorhome like you, so think I'd like to do a similar set up. Thanks, great video
Originally when I installed this monitor I used AGM batteries and they worked great. I eventually upgraded to lithium and this monitor is still working great. The videos are listed below
AGM ruclips.net/video/6-k7PUWFRMg/видео.html
Lithium ruclips.net/video/mZi4wBhJayk/видео.html
Awesome. Thanks so much
Very good to understand 👍
Nice review and install notes. It's on my Christmas list.
I think it is a great buy. Thanks for watching.
Great install video. installed this on a 100 AH LifePo4 Lithium battery for on a kayak. I have concerns regarding the digital display part itself. I can keep it in the front hatch out of the weather, but it will be inconvenient to use there. Is there anyway to waterproof the readout itself that you know of?
Another question I had is regarding the large shunt bolts themselves. Do you by chance know the specs on those bolts? I’m pretty sure I will need longer ones so I can fit all the negative wires onto the shunt. Thank you.
I have the same set up on my Kayak and was thinking the same thing. How often do you really need to check your battery reserve? Mine sits on top of the kayak I figure I'll just put a rag or shirt over it to keep it out of the direct sunlight.
Thank you, excellent video. Great work. Got one on order. 👍
Thanks for watching.
Nice video...i have ordered this Monitor.....and a tip as an old retired 😏👍 Electrician.....never ever wear a metal or alum Watch ...when You are working with High current batteries !! This was close to the terminals ! Any short contact and you know what happens ! Greetings from Holland...
You are absolutely correct. I didn't realize I left my watch on till I was editing the video. Thanks so much for watching.
Excellent informative video factually and pleasantly presented, much appreciated, Dan
Thank you Dan.
Perfect, appreciate the info, we just installed one of these and the directions to set it up were lacking lol.
That's great to hear. Thanks for watching.
Very good video. Answered my questions on this device. I'm ready to install
Glad I could help. Good luck.
Hey thanks for the video.how much panel do u have on
Nice. And to the point. Thanks!
Concise + informative video- great job! What size wire did you use for the power to the shunt + what amp rating fuse? Keep up the good work!
I used a 16AWG with a 5 amp fuse.
What gauge wire from the battery negative to the shunt?? It looks about 4AWG??
Cheers
Hi Steve, I used 1/0 AWG.
@@RVHabit wow that's a huge dia.
Had to Google it, it can handle about 300A, that's a sh!t load of amps.
Cheers
Great tutorial! Thank you!
Hi Chris, thanks so much.
Thank you Lou. Just ordered one and appreciate the install vid - weil done! Question: You said ALL other negative wires go to the left side of the Shunt (from Camera view) but you still have a big negative wire connected to the neg post on the battery. I don't understand. Appreciate and help :). Thanks again.
My batteries are connected in parallel. You are seeing the negative cable that connects the two batteries together.
Great video, just got mine. Question you mention all Neg. cables go to B, but I see you still have a Neg. cable where the shunt is placed. Is that the connection to Neg to Neg for the two batteries? Is it ok to leave that one like that? So can I just use the main Neg. cable to the shunt? Thank you in advance
Yes my batteries are connected in parallel. This remains the same. The load negative wires such as chassis negative go to the P side of the shunt.
Thanks, already set up all as you posted. Waiting for batteries to be fully charge.
Looks good, Lou! We are still on the fence about solar, so far there hasn't been a need for it, then again we are not out west yet. Great tutorial. 😃👍
Solar has come way down in price over the last few years. You probably will want some when out west with the hookups in many places. The battery monitor is a great addition for the price.
👍👍👍👍great explanation
Great video! How have those sam's club agms held up for you?
Hi Sven, The AGM batteries have been great. Best feature no maintenance and still going strong. Thanks for watching.
Hey Lou did you do a video of installing your inverter?
Hi I have not gotten to that yet. I hope this year sometime.
@@RVHabit Ok thanks . Keep up the great work...
Thank you for sharing! 👍
So helpful. Great presentation. Thank you!
Thank you Bill.