8.0 Using a BMK: Setting Up
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©2013 Magnum Energy, Inc.
8.0 Using a ME-BMK
This section discusses how to set up and operate the BMK using the ME-RC50
remote. It also shows what BMK menu options are available using this remote.
8.1
Understanding Charge Ef
fi
ciency
The
fi
rst section provides information about charge ef
fi
ciency and how to
manually access/adjust this setting. Normally, the ME-BMK battery monitor
automatically calculates the battery’s ef
fi
ciency.
What is Charge Ef
fi
ciency?
When a certain amount of energy is removed
or discharged from the battery, this removed energy will need to be returned
to keep the batteries at a 100% state of charge. As batteries are being
charged, they lose energy; either in the form of heat, or while gassing. This
loss of energy while charging means the battery will not be fully charged
if you only return the current that was removed. To compensate for the
battery’s inef
fi
ciencies while charging, a charge ef
fi
ciency setting is provided.
The charge ef
fi
ciency setting compensates the AH I/O (Amp-Hrs In/Out)
reading by ensuring the AHrs returned to the battery are greater than the
AHrs removed.
For example, if your
AH I/O
display reads “
000
” and you begin powering a 25
amp load for two hours, the display will show
-050
. This indicates that you
have discharged 50 AHrs (2 x 25) from the battery. If the charge ef
fi
ciency
setting is set to
95%
, then as you begin charging and return 50 AHrs, the AH
I/O reading will be less than zero, indicating that the AHrs removed have not
been fully returned. The 95% charge ef
fi
ciency setting requires 52.5 AHrs
(50/95) to be returned before the AH I/O returns to 0.
Info:
The factory default charge ef
fi
ciency setting is
Auto.
This set-
ting allows the charging ef
fi
ciency to be automatically calculated.
In most circumstances, the
Auto
setting will determine the best
charge ef
fi
ciency.
CAUTION:
If you do not know your battery’s charging ef
fi
ciency,
leave it at the factory default setting. If the setting is manually set
but incorrect, the state-of-charge information will become more
inaccurate with every charge.
8.1.1 Accessing the Charge Ef
fi
ciency Menu Item
Use the ME-RC remote’s METER button to access the Charge Ef
fi
ciency menu
(see Figure 8-1 below).
METER
press
Status...
05 BM: Setup
rotate
to
press to
select
Figure 8-1, Accessing the Charge Ef
fi
ciency Menu Item
Info:
See Figure 8-3
for a complete map of the menu items and
adjustable settings available for the ME-BMK when using the ME-
RC50 remote control.
