Glad to see new videos again, Julian. Felt like it has been a while between the most recent PostBag and the previous one. Always a joy to watch, especially when you take stuff apart.

@JulianIlett

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Thomas. I took a week off and went somewhere warm and sunny :)

@thomasvnl

7 жыл бұрын

I hope you had a nice vacation ;)

Pretty amazing what they squeeze into this widget for just a few dollars (pounds). Thanks for showing us not just how it works but how you go about figuring this stuff out including the occasional surprise and dead-end.

Greetings Julian, I bought this item as well, took it to my workbench today and I was also confounded by just where to apply 12vdc as simply applying to the "IN" portion of the board didn't work. The thing that confused me was that on My instructions it Did show the smaller connector for 12V but my instruction sheet had a Capacitor symbol there as well as being labeled 12V at that port. So happily I remember that you had reviewed this item, looked at your video again and got mine up and running. So Thanks! I look forward to your future vids, Take care! Dave

Very nice handy little Monitor and controller. Ming He makes some really good products. I have the DPS5020 Buck converter able of handling up to 1000 W at 60V input, 50V output and up to 20 Amps.

Hey Julian, if you plug in the the USB from the display into the station you will get a wired connection. You can have a distance of 1200m wire and it will work. (The Symbol in the Display will change from wireless to wire)

@Julien Ilett, for a longer range you could use the long range version of the NRF24L01 module. They are on ebay for less than 3USD. They are interchangable with the module used in you device, and you don't have to use both of the same type (short range module and long range module work fine together).

@GarthThomson

6 жыл бұрын

Arjan Mussche I tested mine today and had reliable wireless monitoring up to around 6 mtrs which was penetrating a fridge, 4 layers of 15mm thick particleboard and the front cabin of my motor home! Not bad

Julian you can extend the range of the NRF24L01 by adding and external antenna on one or both devices.

I am glad to see you test our product. The battery monitor has a new product KG140F. I hope to get your evaluation.

@JulianIlett

2 жыл бұрын

I would love to test your new version. Contact me at yt@256.uk

i look forward to videos about pic programing and another great video!

Nice bit of kit! Think I might get one myself.

Hello. At 20:12 time on the video, during the specs section of the device, it shows "communication distance = 10m single set of open land" so you did good with 10m distance going through a few walls. Great video and nifty device. Thx

Bluetooth range is about 10 meters. And the 200KW and 4000KAH figures likely indicate the point at which the cumulative counters on the bottom half of the LCD display overflow the registers... just a thought.

Julian another very cool video. Please reverse engineer it, do a bit of sniffing and explain how we might extend the range and if we can add another module. I really enjoyed this one, keep up the good work old chap👍

Julian I want to thank Tudor your help with the connectors, I would have never found them, so when I make my next order, they will be on my list, I glad they are cheap too, you have influance my electronic buying a lot thanks

Hi Isolated power supplies if you measuring bidirectional current with the unit avoiding grounding issues. Two of your 5V isolated power supply units in series should do the trick off one supply.

For the range, try replacing the nrf24-board on the relay-unit with one that has the SMA antenna. They cost about $3 on ebay, just search for nrf24l01+ sma antenna With the board without the sma antenna, I would not be able to get a reliable signal over ~10 meter to my balcony. After changing the nrf24-board, on my central unit, to the one with sma antenna I got a perfect signal to the balcony and all other lamps in my apartment still works perfectly :)

I bought the 200A version. I want to use it to measure the incoming and outgoing energy of my batteries in watt hours. I have noticed, that my wattmeter has a software error in the display of the Wh (watt hours). It counts the watt hours up, when I charge the battery and also when I discharge the battery. It should count downwards when I discharge the battery. The display of Ah works correct. Does the 30A version have the same error?

Dear Julien Ilett, does this wireless meter messure reverse current flow ? Because my electric scooter does regenerative breaking and i have the idea to mesure remaining batterycapacity with this meter so everytime i break, this meter should count the accumulative amperehours "backwards"

Thank You, great review.

Julian, When you first pulled that 4-pin JST off to open the relay module--there was a RLY+, RLY-, GND, Vext for those JST pins--isn't that what you were looking for to avoid an extra power connection to power the relay?

At about timestamp 20:05 it can be seen near the bottom of the spec sheet that "COMMUNICATION DISTANCE" is stated as 10m over open land--so it looks like your 10m through walls is not so bad after all, as far as agreement with the spec sheet. Perhaps there is a way to increase range--maybe an ext. antenna?? I have a couple of 2.4GHz, IIRC, rods from ebay (very inexpensive --a pair < $5.00-- and high quality) which seem to work great on increasing WiFi range--but how would you connect it in this application?

This thing would look great punched into the dashboard of my Class A motor home. One unit could watch the house batteries, the other could watch my engine start battery. I would love to set one up that way, but as you cay, I probably would have to buy two entire units to have the one setup.

Thank you very much! You are a true friend of mankind.

There are a higher power nrf24l01 modules (the ones with the external rpsma antenna), and they have the same pinout as the modules you have. Considering the voltage regulator can handle that current, I think it could extend the range quite a lot, at least it mighr work in your setup.

Julian, You talk about tapping the relay coil to the input--won't this mess up the instantaneous V, A, and W readings...as well as the accumulative counts (Ah, and Wh)?

Note the rating of the relay: 30A, 250Vac *or 30Vdc*. This is a common rating for relays, their DC ratings are usually much lower than AC ratings. A bit dodgy calling it a 120V relay when really they probably mean a mains relay. You wouldn't rely on it in a >30Vdc electric car battery array for example as the contacts will either get too pitted over time from repeated arcing to function reliably, or just weld shut at a safety critical moment.

@rich1051414

5 жыл бұрын

If it's from china and rated at 30Vdc it will probably weld at 31v.

In nrf24l01 is options to boost transmitter power as you know. One can also solder 8.3cm wire to end of that pcb-antenna and improve reception in that way...

I would have liked to have seen the module wired back to front (aka bulb on the left, solar on the right) to see if the display changes to indicate the battery is charging. On the video the unit is saying "DIS" next to the culumalitive figures - bet this changes to "CHG" or similar if the load and source are swapped. I might get one and ask my UPS to perform a runtime calibration (its my inverter) and see how the unit performs. Then when the ups kicks back onto line voltage, it should show that its charging the battery. A useless 5W iphone charger (who uses those these days when 2.1A or more units are available) and a spare power bank will keep the display alive. This would be a perfect module for me (the 100A version) as I can keep the screen near my computer, and know in the event of a power outage, the SOC of my batteries, and shut all my server and PC down at 50% then shut off the ups. The UPS has an automatic switch on when the utility company line voltage returns, after which my server turns itself back on. If I am away, my UPS won't repower the load unless I override it, until the battery is above 50% SOC. I'd have to be gone for 28 hours though - my battery bank powers my load for ages (440Ah 24V) :)

I realize that this video is 4 years old now but I still see these things on eBay, I was wondering if you had selected the screen option to stay off! Would it light up when one of it's protections are tripped? That would be great in a situation where the meter is inside the house where you don't want it on all the time! You are more likely to see it in protection mode if it's litten up but stays off when everything is ok... I might have to get one of these...

I love ur toys, good demo, thanks

OMG I wish this was available in higher amps... and voltage.... As always nice review.

@Ru-qm1jh

7 жыл бұрын

de.aliexpress.com/item/DC-120v-100A-LCD-Combo-Meter-Wireless-Voltage-current-KWh-Watt-Meter-12v-24v-48v-Battery/32707074846.html but then its just measurement and no relay

I just ordered the DROK version this. I intend to use it for a 3S lithium 18650 30 cell setup. Can the 12V power supply input be connected to the IN safely or do I need to run an isolator. Also, what is the minimum source voltage for the power supply, can the controller accept the 9V my cells my drain down to or do I need to run a boost regulator to it. I can't find any information on these modules. Thanks so much for your videos. You do an excellent job!

RF24 modules are sensitive on beam direction when range increases. Maybe when you align them parallel the range will be bigger.

Great video.. I have a quick question.. The 12 DC power supply for the board - can it be taken directly from the battery as well? i dont want to use 2 seperate sources.. i have a car battery and that´s it.. thanks :)

You could greatly extend the range by dropping in one of the NRF24L01 modules with a whip antenna. Probably putting one on either end would help a lot Both would probably get you at least 100 meters if not more. I've seen half a kilometer with that but that's with NOT having the antenna 1cm from an unshielded processor.

Is the low voltage protection logic done on the wireless controller? In practice, if the wireless controller is turned off/unpowered, does the voltage/current protection still works? Also, theorically... if the ground isn't common, you _should_ be able to power the unit from itself, right?

@agarceran

7 жыл бұрын

When the control module rebooted the relay did not go off... this might be troubling, or not, as there seems to be not much logic to the relay board. This means you have to have more than one control unit if you want to use the diferent protections on diferent modules and not just one to control many relays.

@pfeerick

7 жыл бұрын

I would have thought that the display unit is just a dumb viewer, and relayer of settings. All the smarts would be in the main unit, and I would hope all the protections still work even if you removed power from the control/display unit. You can sort of get that from what has happening at the end with the default power on/off state - it didn't matter if the display unit said off or on, the default state was whatever had been set as the default state, and would be saved in the switcher units EEPROM memory. It is also needed to resolve the issue of what should the switcher unit do if there is no display powered up when it is powered.

Hi Julian, if the monitor was connected to the sensor via usb (next to my battery bank) do you think you could replace the wifi module at the sensor end with an ESP8266 module and send the data to iOt and something like Blynk to have the data on a smart phone? The battery monitor is perfect for my off grid solar system on Gt Barrier Island but I am only there a few times a year so would like to monitor my system remotely. Just need to be able to check the system is operating /charging.

forgive the question please, but how would you wire this in to a solar rig to monitor efficiency etc? between panel and controller? between controller and battery? which in and which out (apologies, it's late/early and i've been up for near 2 days ) TIA

hey julian great review, i am thinking of getting one but I was just wondering have you ever come across a small solar box/with a small panel with an esp attached which does some sun analytics for you, so you can get some stats before you invest in lots of solar panels?

When you were checking the website spec sheet, it did say there is a 10 meter range

Julian, it says in the auction listing that the wireless range is up to 10m. Seems aboit what you were getting.

was gonna get me 1 for me bike now i definitely getting 1 ..... that's excellent bro nice 1 for sharing

I just got mine for my ess power controller and here are some thoughts. - The accuracy on the Voltage is way off, it doesn't even come close to what my DMM says, there is almost 0.2 volt between readings. Crikey! - The current was reasonable, 4.10 amps on the display and 4.07 on the DMM. - The LFP didn't really want to recover automatically in some cases. - The OCP doesn't like rush-in currents and it start flip-flopping and getting lost. a 2* OCP value for the 1st second would help. - The relay control wire is on the input 4 pin plug, the 2 wires from the center are for the relay, I wish there was jumper on the board for manual control outside of the protection. - No hysteresis on the LFP or OVP, flip flop ahoy, you could do this in software. Anyhow, It's usable for a raw power indication, so it fits my purpose even if the numbers are not 100% spot on. The high voltage reading give you high power (Watt) readings. I'll break out one of the 4 wires on the 4 pin plug on the input and put my own relay inline to control it manually. I also have a UBS RS485 plug on the way to see if I can extract the current readings on my RPi manually.

Can the 300 amp version be used in a car to measure voltage and alternator output in amps? I do high output car audio and this would be a nice addition to monitor my electrical.

You may be able to increase range by extending the wireless module leads so it's not buried inside the unit.

@pfeerick

7 жыл бұрын

2.4Ghz unfortunately. However, there are versions of this module with power amplifiers, and proper antennas on pigtails, so it would be possible to remove the one of the base unit, and swap it for a higher power model with an antenna external to the electrics. Not quite as easy on the display unit as it is soldered on, which is unfortunate, as that is the side that would benefit from the LNA+PA version of the NRF24 transceiver module best. However, having a antenna external to the unit can't make the base unit any worse either!

@sparkyprojects

7 жыл бұрын

I meant that you could extend the header that it is plugged into, this should not affect the Rf part of the circuit, no need to cut tracks or add antennae, and easy to put back to original.

@AlexGuevaraM

7 жыл бұрын

Can I use that to protect the battery of my car from discharge using dashboard camera on parking mode? Or what would be the best use for this voltmeter?

@pfeerick

7 жыл бұрын

You *could*, but I'd want to know the power consumption of this unit when in 'standby' mode as you could be replacing one 'evil' with another! :-O Assuming it's standby power consumption is reasonably low, basically it's useful anywhere where you want some sort of low voltage or high voltage cut-off switch, which also allows you to monitor what is going on. This would have been handy with the output of my solar system if I hadn't recently upgrade the charge controller with one that has it's own proper monitoring system.

@Ragavenutb

7 жыл бұрын

i replaced it with nrf24l01 pa+lna with u.fl/ipx connector and 5dbi antenna now the range is 5x ....

Would this melt if I tried monitoring the voltage and current of an HLG-240h-1750b? Looking for a solution to monitor the current while it is dimmed. And possibly log kwh and view watt draw.

Where can I buy the pin connectors you use in this video - they are the green color ones that go to the adapter

Can I use that to protect the battery of my car from discharge using dashboard camera on parking mode? Or what would be the best use for this voltmeter?

I know nothing about electronics, I can't even change a light bulb. But I love watching these electronics videos. I have purchased all of these components, I have tons of switches, capacitors, coils, transistors, converters, fittings, plugs, leds, relays, and tons of other stuff I don't know how to use . Maybe one day I will take on a project and see what I can make. For now I will just keep watching the videos. Thanks for the upload

Nice review of a nice meter. Me like!

Julian Ilett HELP. if you hold the up button on the ncp setting, 3 more settings come up. can you please go their and tell me what those are set at? i changed them but forgot what it was on. i screwed up the amp accuracy .

The relay level high and low settings..It was on low, would setting it on high extend the range?

@pfeerick

7 жыл бұрын

No, it was just for the relay logic - as with the higher amperage boards there is no integrated relay, so depending on how you have your relay wired it may want on to be HIGH, or on to be LOW, etc.

Look ok, but what can you use it for? High amp switch? ore to fridge in a camper?

Oh this looks interesting for the solar shed... :-) Thanks Julian.

@JulianIlett

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers Adam - I have a solar application for this gadget too. Let's hope it's sunny tomorrow ;)

@AdamWelchUK

7 жыл бұрын

Julian Ilett Well best of luck. We're forecast rain all day tomorrow. :-(

If I wanted to make the meter automatically reset every day via a timer, could I have the timer either cut the power or are there wires that perhaps a relay can switch to reset?

Gosh, I just want to connect it to my house batteries in my motorhome. How do I do that? David

I noticed there is a 0-400V 300A wireless one with a temperature sensor, I just ordered it.

Please help me to choose. Have been looking for this type of bidirectional meter preferably above 100 Amps and come across two types, with shunt and CT type.

The Layout reminds me of an industrial type ssr relay, i wonder if it on purpose?!

Julian could you tell me where you get that black and green connector,you use to hook power and stuff,or do you make them yourself,they seem to be very handy.because of your wonderful videos, I am starting to buy ,a bunch of the same electronics.

@JulianIlett

7 жыл бұрын

Try the eBay search "CCTV 2.1mm"

Can you let us know the communications range on the H setting instead of L?

@pfeerick

7 жыл бұрын

The H and L was for the relay. That firmware is also used on the 100, 200 & 500A models, which don't come with integrated relays, so it changes if the relay is told to go high or low, depending on how you have connected your external relay.

The relay input/output terminals and the low voltage power to the unit can't share any common connections, they would have to be isolated or it could create a shock/electrocution hazard on the low voltage power supply terminals. If using the relay to switch a low voltage, say 12V, then everything would be fine with a "common" connection between the two. But since it's rated at 120V some consumers will have 120V on the relay input to control a light, fan, heater, etc, and that could result in 120V on one of the low voltage input terminals if it was common to the relay input.

Very nice test !! Great unit. I want one ... even tho I have absolutely no use for it - laugh !!!

is the logic on the sensor board or on the display? will the protections work without a signal?

Can you bodge some wire onto the antenna to extend the range?

I know this is 5 years old.. What is the max DC voltage for the relay? (Not coil but the contacts) I'd be worried about internal arc flash RAPIDLY wearing that relay (and even a contactor at >60VDC and 30A) but it might suffice for lead acid

those relays are great, got a 40A 12V version and the switch off voltage is is 1.8V. so take almost no power

Hi. You say that the power bank you are using is great. Is there a link? Now I've got to get one for myself. Thanks for all the great videos!

HELP if you go up to NCP and hold the up button for a while and let go, there are 3 more settings. can you see what they do?

Hi can you pop up a link to your multi voltage output power bank please.

did you try to solder a small wire to the antennas of the units to increase range?

Wonders if this could be used to monitor and power on and off a car amplifier...

I have a problem--I just received one of these Ming He units, and on the relay board, my TOP-LEFT terminal is IN+, TOP-RIGHT is OUT- , BOTTOM-LEFT IS IN- , and BOTTOM-RIGHT is OUT-. So, you see I have reversed + and - terminals on top AND bottom. All photos look different, bottoms have the same sign (-) and tops have the same sign (+). See the manual shot at timestamp 6:33 . I have the same manual, which, also, opposes my PCB. I can't test it yet due to recent flooding--this device is one item in the restocking process.

Been looking at these for use on ebikes ta for the review..

Ah yes, I can already see one of those cut into the bare space on the dash of my Class Motor Home for monitoring the battery status when boondocking in the Arizona Desert, come winter time!

Having to use two input power supplies to run this is a bit much unless it needs isolation, does it?

Thank you, sir.

Hello, it's work if use charge/discharge automobile battery? current +-

When you were reading through the specs on the web page, why did you conveniently skip the bottom where it says the communication range is 10M ? Was it going to be too much hassle to edit your complaint about the range :)

HELP; My amp readings are all messed up .do the "shunt" used for the amps, go bad?

Hi Julian.. do you think this would work well with an off grid solar system?

Can you not boost the aerial on it?

hello can i wire it like you said at 7.32 can i use same power supply please reply me

Hi Julian just wondering why you always list price's in Dollars? .

Julian, I've just received one of these in the post and I have a couple of nRF24l01units with a PA and external antenna. I'll see if it's practical to swap transceivers and let you know how it goes.

@TravellingVikings

7 жыл бұрын

Did it work with the PA units?

There designed for use in an electrical panel where there if close proximity to each other in the same unit

Are you Ming He beta tester? you allways have the newest, where do you know about new models? I love them!!! saludos amigo

@JulianIlett

7 жыл бұрын

I spend far too much time looking at eBay listings :)

@tastiger91

7 жыл бұрын

Do you have to pay vat on all imported products to the UK and if so, how?

@JulianIlett

7 жыл бұрын

+tastiger91 Items valued at less than £15 are exempt from import VAT.

@juliusvalentinas

6 жыл бұрын

If you have to pay VAT do you also have to pay for "customs paperwork" for declaration of the item 50-70Eur?

What does the 3W-2W setting do on the relay board?

At about timestamp 2:07 it sure seems like a loose connection to the odd USB plug--perhaps a bit of solder applied to the traces (thick tinning) would tighten things up.

Im trying to find 120v step down controller to 36V, idk if this can do it

Julian could you put up a link to the large white power bank please Ps love the vids

Can’t make it work on series battery banks, 2 12V for 24V with isolated independent chargers, what’s not working is the discharge only shows on one of the unit as the 2nd battery using the negative path as output and not monitored for current! Any solution for that ? Ty

How to bine VAC1030 ? my monitor not show voltage.

Julian may I suggest a mod to the NRF2401 to run a 2dB or 5dB gain dipole instead of the PCB antenna to get the range increase that you need. Google "nrf 2401 with external antenna" and check the images tab, you will find DIY to store bought solutions.

Can you have a look what chip/controller is on the header unit. I would be interested if you could hack this device with your own firmware

Impressive little gizmo for what it costs

Can it take a 100a shunt with any of the configurations?

I would like to see one just like this but for AC circuits

You can get 1000m range nrf24l01 + rf amplifier module on ebay very cheaply. Try those ones.

Does this show cumulative data on a day by day basis, or does it just endlessly add up until you clear it?