Battery status monitor

Hello All,
I think I have finally figured out how to post photos. Here is and earlier post describing a battery monitor. Hopefully the photos post ok ,if so no need to PM them. Here's hoping

Cheers
Peter


"-- Hello All,
I'm new to this forum.
I also have been bitten by the disease and am the owner of a few old british bikes one
of which is an 850 mk 2 Commando. I have made little changes from the origional
with the exception of a smaller bore master cylinder, an oil pressure gauge and a battery monitor.
I also have fitted a GPS and use the trip log to give me an indication when I need to fuel up, and a
speed indication for those nasty speed traps.

The battery monitor is described below and fits neatly inside the headlight shell it is about an inch square circuit board
and the led goes where the useless asimilator lamp was.

If I can figure how to attach photos I will do so else I can PM them

Came across a neat little circuit that uses a bi coloured LED and very
few components. It has an adjustment to set a trigger point. I set the
point to be just above 12.5 Volts and the led glows (red) below this
level , above this level it glows (green).

It fits where the asimilator lamp is and gives me an indication of
ignition on (red) and when the engine is started it glows (green) if
the charging circuit is working or stays (red) if you have a problem.
You could set the trigger point lower if you wish but I wanted the led
to be (red) when the engine was not running even on a good state of
charge battery, the charging circuit will alway bump the battery up a
bit. I actually started the engine and set it to just be green at idle.

The circuit can be used to monitor voltages anywhere between 9 and 30
volts.

If anyone is interested I can post the circuit.

Regards
Peter R ----"

You might be interested in reading this:

diy-warning-light-assimilator-t6886.html

http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffyorder.htm

BATTERY STATUS MONITOR

The Battery Status Monitor (BSM) is a LED voltmeter designed to monitor the Voltage across a 6 or 12V battery. The BSM is protected against reverse connection and unlike an ordinary Ammeter is immune to vibration. The BSM incorporates an ambient light sensor that dims the LED for night time. Intended for mounting in the headlamp shell or in or below the dashboard on cars.


This also serves as an ignition on warning light
Under 10.75 Volts. If the battery Voltage is very low, the LED will flash red slowly

.At 12V the battery is still low and the LED will maintain a constant red.

12.5 - 13.5V battery fully charged (engine not running) the LED will show orange.

Over 13.8V battery charging the LED shows green

Over 15.25V Overcharging. Fast red flash.

12V Pt.no. BSM12V01 £24.95 each

6V versions are also available, also £24.95 BSM6V01

It works perfekt

Vidar

I used a ready made unit on my bike broken link removed and it works great but being able to adjust the switch points for the LED colors as on yours would be a big plus. Did a post on the Signal Dynamics unit installation at voltage-monitor-demo-video-t7576.html
Found a schematic on the web that gives three states, uses the same chip, and is also adjustable...would need some changes for positive ground of course or FWIW if a bridge rectifier input was added polarity wouldn't matter http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com/batmon/batmon.HTM

It is good to see there is more than one way to skin a cat.
If you wanted to you could fit the unit I made into the old assimilaror can, put the LED in the warning light fitting and with a small wiring change it would still look as origional.

Cheers
Peter R

PS Glad I wasn't out riding yesterday as we had a large thunder storm with hail up to 6cms in size, and it looks like we are going to get a repeat today.

some of Hail stones, according to the news a motorcycle rider was killed during the storm.

Cheers
Peter R

WoW ! Biggest I've ever seen ,it's true ,motorcycling is dangerous ,perhaps this was in a state with optional helmet laws...

Helmets are required, I suspect the hail on the road caused the motorcycle to lose control and crash, imagine riding over those suckers at speed.

Cheers
Peter R

For the lazy electronic dummies among us, like me, there is a unit that its total size is same as factory lamp shell indicator light and mount, called Osborn LED voltage indicator available in past from Waldridge Motors and others. Just slip in shell and wire to Neg hot wire and watch it go from red to orange to dull to bright green with rpms and loads. I can not find online source to show but can photo mine if interested.

We get golf balls hail now and then, I put plywood over car windshield as broke bikes filling covered spaces. Riding in hail fall is mean stuff as it gets and going slow helps the impacts head on so helps to watch LED to keep rpm/gear in charging zone so brake light use don't stall right out.

hobot said:

For the lazy electronic dummies among us, like me, there is a unit that its total size is same as factory lamp shell indicator light and mount, called Osborn LED voltage indicator available in past from Waldridge Motors and others. Just slip in shell and wire to Neg hot wire and watch it go from red to orange to dull to bright green with rpms and loads.

Click to expand...

So that's what those are. In my recording days, I had some really nice microphone pre amps with those on there. When I cranked the gain the lights would change colour from light yellow to orange to red to let me know how much saturation I was getting out of them.

I'm now thinking of building an adjustable DIY voltage monitor as the Signal Dynamics unit is too pessimistic about the electrical state of health of my bike and thinks it is near death from low voltage (though it does work well and FWIW another unit informed a friend of a blown zener diode on his Triumph by blinking green) Anyway, am wondering what realistic voltage ranges are for a Commando with a healthy charging system since they are obviously lower than a modern bike...what would be good switch points from red to yellow, yellow to green, etc???