Blue Sea Systems DC analog Voltmeter Panel - 8 to 16V DC User Manual

Marine Electrical Prod

ucts

Analog DC Voltmeter

8-16 Volts PN 8003 / PN 8028

Meter Specications

Input Voltage: 8 Volts DC to 16 Volts DC
Amperage Draw: 1 Milliampere
Display: Analog scale 8-16 Volts
Accuracy: 3% of scale range (.24 Volt)

PN Inches Millimeters

Face Width: 8003 2-1/2 63.50
8028 2 50.80
Mounting Hole: 8003 1-7/8 47.60
8028 1-1/2 38.10

Guarantee

Any Blue Sea Systems product with which

a customer is not satised may be returned

for a refund or replacement at any time.

425 Sequoia Drive Bellingham, WA 98226 USA

Phone [phone] Fax [phone]

Blue Sea Systems Inc.

E-mail [e-mail]

www.bluesea.com

Document 9310 Rev.D

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Installation (continued)

Installation

Warning

It is not possible within the scope of these

instructions to fully acquaint the installer
with all the knowledge of electrical systems

that may be necessary to correctly install

this product. If the installer is not

knowledgeable in electrical systems we

recommend that an electrical professional

be retained to make the installation.

1. Disconnect all AC and DC power

Before starting, disconnect the main

positive cable from all batteries to eliminate
the possibility of a short circuit while

installing the meter panel. Also disconnect

the AC shore power cord from the boat to
eliminate the possibility of electrocution

from AC wiring near the DC meter.

2. Select mounting location and
cut opening

Select a mounting location which is
protected from water on the meter front and

back and is not in an area where ammable

vapors from propane, gasoline or lead acid

batteries accumulate. The meter is not

ignition protected and may ignite such

vapors. There are two mounting methods

for the 8028 and 8003 meters, surface
mount or panel mount.

PN 8028

PN 8003

Surface Mount

Panel Mount

3. Surface Mount: Drill ve clearance holes as shown below. The part number of the meter will

determine the size and location of the clearance holes. Use the nuts and washers supplied in the

accessory package to secure the four mounting studs to the mounting surface. This method will

work on mounting surfaces up to 5/8” thick.

PN 8028

Micro Meter

PN 8003

Standard Meter

4. Panel Mount: For thicker mounting surfaces, the meter can be mounted into a 0.125” thick

Series Installation

panel. Blue Sea Systems offers meter mounting panels for our standard size meters only. For PN
8003 use PN 8013 to mount a single meter or PN 8014 to mount two meters.

Installation of Voltmeter Wires

Wire the meter as shown below, making certain to attach the positive lead to the terminal on the

meter marked “+” and the negative lead to the terminal marked “-”. Use a minimum 16 AWG wire,

red for positive and black or yellow for negative (ABYC recommends yellow for negative). Install a

1 ampere fuse in the positive lead near the source. Do not connect the voltmeter in a serial

(in-line) conguration.

Use of Voltmeter

A full treatment of the subject of battery management is beyond the scope of these instructions.
However, we believe that it is necessary to alert our customers to the issues involved and urge
that the issue be studied further. There is probably no other activity that will contribute more to a
healthy electrical system than proper battery management. There are several ways to measure
the state of charge in a battery or battery bank. The three most common methods are:

1. Open Circuit Voltage 2. Electrolyte Specic Gravity 3. Net Amp-Hours
None of these methods is perfect, but the primary determinant of success in measuring battery
charge and managing battery condition is the operator’s knowledge. Voltage is an effective
method of determining charge condition when properly used with an understanding of the battery
charge/discharge process. It is not generally realized that the difference between a fully
discharged and a fully charged battery is about 1 volt. The table below shows the percent of

charge for various voltages:

Experts recommend that for maximum life a battery be discharged no more than 50%. Once a
battery has been charged to approximately 80% of full charge its acceptance rate decreases
rapidly and it can take a great amount of charging time to bring the charge to 100%. For this
reason, in practice, the operating range becomes the 50 - 80% of charge area. Voltage is a good
indicator of charge condition only when a battery’s true open circuit voltage is measured. Open
circuit voltage is obtained when a battery is neither charged nor discharged and then the voltage
is allowed to stabilized. There is disagreement about the length of time the battery is required to
rest before a usable open circuit voltage is obtained. However, the user will observe that in the
rst 10 to 20 minutes of rest the voltage will settle to a gure close to its completely rested open
circuit voltage, which is generally considered to be obtained at 24 hours. Gel batteries can take
up to 48 hours. With experience, the user will learn the time required for reliable readings on any

particular system.

A particularly good treatment of this issue is presented in Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical
and Electrical Manual (Second Edition, McGraw Hill).