Magnum EnergyME & MS Series Battery Monitor Kit (ME-BMK)

I purchased the ME-BMK to supplement my ME-ARC in support of my MSH4024RE inverter/charger. After installation all seemed to be working and I was becoming familiar with SOC and other parameters. I was doing some minor battery maintenance and disconnected the BMK module by removing the 4-conductor connector that routes power and signal from the shunt. The BMK module is mounted near my batteries in a protected spot which is easily reached but not as easily seen. When reconnecting the 4-conductor connector into the module I was able to easily push the connector into the module BACKWARDS thus putting power on the signal input. I couldn't see where I was plugging and assumed the connector would be keyed or indexed to prevent reverse insertion. The connector does have some shape to give best mating when inserted properly. It doesn't have to go all the way in for there to be contact between pins and sockets of connector.But the keys are insignificant and it was way to easy to mis-mate the connector. After this I got erroneous readings from the ARC unit most of the time but occasionally good readings.I contacted customer support at Magnum-Dimensions to arrange for repair. I learned that they don't repair any of the Magnum equipment accessories and my only choice was to buy another unit. The Sr. Product Support Technical Specialist in Everett, WA was not friendly or helpful and offered no advice. He told me that it was very difficult to insert the connector as I did. I don't think so. I would be interested to know if others experienced similar. When I expressed concern about the wasteful practice of treating the products as disposable is was as through I were crazy. I then asked if I could buy just the circuit board and at least use the old module case and my cables, etc. They don't support this product with parts or technical information. You're on your own. It seems that good customer service is rare these days and poor, uniformed service techs are the norm.I wish to say that the product seems to be well made and it worked for awhile.If I were doing this again I would consider thebayite DC 6.5-100V 0-100A LCD Display Digital Current Voltage Power Energy Meter Multimeter Ammeter Voltmeter with 100A Current Shuntand is less than $20.I don't do many reviews but wanted to share the Magnum-Dimensions service experience.Good day.Magnum Energy ME-BMK Battery Monitoring Kit - Battery State Of Charge Meter Magnum Energy ME-BMK Battery Monitoring Kit - Battery State Of Charge Meter

Had to install the control module in a water tight box, since my batteries are in an exposed area. I also had to add a bus bar for all the ground cables, since they wouldn't all fit on the load side of the shunt. This actually proved to be a good alternative, but at a cost of around $30. Running the telephone cable from the batteries to the inverter was the hardest part of the job. My only complaints are that the control module is not weather proof and requires protection and the supplied network cable was too short for my application.

I installed this on a RV so my comments are specific to that application. I recently installed a residential refrigerator and now find myself using the inverter constantly when not "plugged in". Never really used the inverter much before but now find myself constantly concerned about my batteries and their level of charge. This is the solution, think "battery fuel gauge" with extras.Installation is straight forward with good instructions. Several items are not included and some have lowered their rating because of this. With each installation different I find that not reasonable. Plan your installation, the manual is available online but you also need to read your inverter manual to insure compatibility and understand how this works. Map your installation to calculate wire lengths needed.Additional items I needed to install this in an RV. Wire to make connections to both the positive and the negative battery terminals. Used 10 gauge because I had it on hand but 12 would work fine. Connectors for the wire and a "in line" fuse holder with 2 amp fuse. I used red wire and black wire to make it neat and easy for someone to understand if needed. You will need a battery cable with the appropriate ends to "insert" the shunt on the negative (ground) battery cable. Don't go cheap on this, buy a good copper cable the same size that is currently in use with the right sized ends installed. Good source here on Amazon. Lastly I recommend some plastic wire loom to protect all wires run including the twisted pair cable and communication cable.Most difficult part was running the communication cable from the inverter under the bed to the battery bank in the basement.

If you want to use the advance of the remote control you will need this one to install with your inverter, with this unit the remote control will sense the SOC, voltage of you batteries.The thing I don't like about this, the mfg tried to cut cost, they do not provide you all the hardware to hook this one up, the power hookup it missing, you have to come up with a fuse holder and few feets of wire to supply the power to this unit, in the manual they recommended you the feed the thing with fuse protection but no wire or fuse holder supply with the unit.I open up the unit to work with it, end up I have to put it back in the box, go back and order the fuse holder to finish the install like the mfg recommenced. A few buck saving but be nice all stuffs are there so the customer don't have chasing for.

This unit is a must have with the current Magnum controller. Before all I could really see was the volts and AC flow at a very high level. With this kit, I am able to see all the current running in and out of the battery bank. The controller will give a basic % of battery charge for a quick look, but also break down the exact amount of amp hours being used, put back in and total amount since the start of the installation, to give you a better understanding how used the batteries are.