Balmar SG200 User manual

SG200
BATTERY MONITOR
Installation &
Operation Manual
SUP-0250 REV A.

Table of Contents
Installation Overview 4
Introduction 6
What is a Battery Monitor, and Why is it Important? 6
Installation 8
Included in the box 8
Installing the SmartShunt and Display 8
Adding an additional device to the SmartLink Network 13
Setting up multiple SmartShunts on one bank 13
SG200 Layout and Operation 14
Single Button Operation 14
Real-Time Data 15
Setting up the SG200 for the First Time 16
Initial Accuracy 17
Display 17
History 18
BAT TYPE - Selecting the Battery Chemistry 19
CAPACITY - Selecting a Battery Design Capacity 20
CHARGING - Charge Termination and Charge Efciency 21
Advanced Settings 23
Faults and Alerts 24
Alerts 24
Faults 25
Comparing Faults and Alerts 26
Appendix:
Specications       27
Part Numbers 28
Fault Thresholds 29
Converting Reserve Capacity to Amp Hours 29
Factors Affecting Battery Life 30
State of Health 30
Sulfation and shedding 30
Cycle Life 31
Partial State of Charge (PSOC) Cycling 31
Balmar Warranty 32

3
Safety Precautions
1. Take time to read the manual. Equipment damage and possible injuries
may result from an incomplete understanding of the installation and
operation of the SG200 Battery Monitor. If you are unfamiliar with marine
electrical systems, consult with a qualied marine electrician.
2. Always disconnect your battery banks and ensure that switches are “OFF”
prior to installing the SmartShunt. No current should be owing when the
SmartShunt is installed!
3. Remove all metal jewelry while working on your electrical system, to avoid
any completing a circuit with these items, especially bracelets, rings or
handing necklaces..
4. Wear ANSI-approved safety eye-wear and protective gear.
5. DO NOT attempt to modify the SmartShunt or Display. Modications could
result in damage to your charging system and will void your warranty.
6. DO NOT attempt installation while using alcohol or medication that could
impair your judgment or reaction time.
7. Always use the right tool for the job. Improper tool use may damage the
shunt, gauge or your vessel, and could result in personal injury.
8. If installing in an engine compartment with a gasoline engine, proper
ventilation practices must be used to ensure no explosive gases exist
before installation.
9. If installing a compartment with batteries, the compartment must be
properly ventilated to ensure no build-up of explosive gases prior to
installation.

4
Installation Overview
CAUTION & WARNING: Batteries are hazardous devices. Please follow
battery manufacturer’s recommendations for health and safety. Use only
the appropriate tools in conjunction with manufacturer’s instructions.
Isolate both battery and AC power supplies before attempting installation.
CAUTION & WARNING: The Installation Overview does not refer
to each and every Caution & Warning Statement in this manual.
Be sure to observe safe working practices at all times. Refer to the
full manual if you are unsure of any practices that may damage
the SG200 Battery Monitor unit, your system wiring or health.
The SG200 is designed to monitor a battery or battery bank which is used in
deep cycling applications. It relies on the battery being discharged and then
charged to learn the battery’s characteristics. This learning process may never
occur on a start-only battery, since it is never cycled. However, The SG200
does have two additional leads to connect to starting batteries to read voltage
only.
SG200 Display
SmartShunt
SmartShunt
Positive Supply(+)
Cable (To Negative Buss Bar)
BATT (-)
SmartLink Cable
Fuse
Auxiliary/Starter
Battery
(Aux-1)
+-
Voltage Only Voltage Only
BATT (-)
House Bank
+-
Auxiliary/Starter
Battery
(Aux-2)
+-
Fuse
Note: Negative Leads to Aux. Batteries are
Only Needed on Isolated Ground Systems.
Fuse

5
NOTE: If a SG200 is used to monitor a starting-only bank using
the cable posts, and not the voltage-only leads, then an accurate
state of health may not be determined or maintained.
The diagram above shows a typical installation with one house battery
bank, and two auxiliary or engine start batteries.
If multiple displays or shunts are being installed, they may simply be
daisy-chained with additional SmartLink communication cables.
Negative leads from auxiliary batteries to the shunt are not needed in a
common-ground installation.
CAUTIONS & WARNING: DO NOT install any of
the positive leads without proper fusing!!!
NOTE: The fuse holder is shipped without the fuse
installed. Install the fuse AFTER completely connecting all
of the wires/cables, and all other installation steps.
The SG200 will scale automatically to the voltage of commonly used bat-
tery systems (12v,24v,36v,48v.)
Initial conguration of the SmartShunt consists of setting the following
parameters.
1. Battery Chemistry
2. Battery Capacity
3. Charge Termination Current and Voltage
For complete instructions, follow the rest of this manual.

6
Introduction
The SG-200 is a battery monitoring system. It’s purpose is to provide the user
with continuous information on various parameters of a battery or battery-bank,
and of direct current (DC) usage in the system.
Specically, it can show:
Parameter Unit
Voltage Volts (V)
State of Charge (SoC) Percent (%)
State of Health (SoH) Percent (%)
Current (A) Amperes (a)
Time Remaining Hours: Minutes
Voltages for two separate Auxil-
iary batteries
Volts (V)
What is a battery monitor, and why is it important?
Who would argue that it is not good to know how much power is left in a
battery? It is like a fuel gauge, and you would not drive a car or boat without
knowing how much fuel is remaining in the tank.
Enter the battery monitor. The most important job of a battery monitor is to
report on the State of Charge of a battery or battery bank. The State of Charge
(SoC) is a percentage value, showing what percentage of the battery’s capacity
is remaining.
The SG200 very accurately calculates the State of Charge, and it does so by
incorporating a new feature: State of Health (SoH). State of Health is another
percentage value, that compares the design capacity of a battery, or the
capacity the battery’s manufacture says it should be when new, with it’s actual
capacity, which degrades over time as a battery ages.
Accurate and continuous measurement of SoC and SoH is a breakthrough
in battery monitoring. As the battery ages, the monitor does not get less and
less accurate. Instead, the SoC value is always a percentage of the calculated
capacity taking into account the aging and other detrimental effects on a
battery’s capacity.
The SG200 also is unaffected by other issues inherent in all other shunt-based
systems, like accuracy drift over multiple partial state of charge cycles. Simply
put, traditional shunt-based products need to reach 100% charge each cycle.

7
AUX-2 Positive orange/Black
AUX-1 Positive orange
Power (+) power
To Battery Negative (-) To loads (-)
Inaccuracy is introduced that is multiplied with each additional cycle that
does not reach full 100% charge.
For more information about issues that effect battery health and capacity,
read the Appendix entitled “Factors Affecting Battery Life”
SmartLink cable - use either connector

8
Installation
Included in the box
The following parts are included in the standard SG200 System Kit.
(1) SmartShunt, with 60” fused wire positive wire.
(1) Color Display
(1) Display mounting bracket and nut
(1) 10m SmartLink Cable
(1) SmartLink Deutsch-style connector kit, with a connector and
wedgelock.
(1) Fuse for positive wire
(1) This manual
Not Included in the box
1. Mounting fasteners for the SmartShunt. These should be #8 sized cap-
head bolts or screws, depending on the mounting surface.
2. Additional fuse assemblies for the Aux-1 and Aux-2 voltage leads. ABYC
rules specify that circuit protection (Fuses) should be located within 6” of
the power source.
The SmartShunt should be located as close to the battery as possible,
preferably within 12 inches.
The SmartShunt should be mounted to a rm surface in a dry location. All
cables need to be sized for the maximum current ow. Undersized cables can
present a re hazard and adversely affect the performance of the SmartShunt.
Tools needed:
• 9/16 wrench or socket and wrench.
• Any tools required for owner-supplied mounting fasteners.
• 2.0625’, or 53mm hole saw suitable for the mounting surface, if a
suitable a display hole does not already exist.
Installing the SmartShunt and Display
CAUTION: High currents may be carried by the battery cables attached
to the SmartShunt. If you are unsure of any part of the installation, refer
to a qualied installer for their assistance.

9
Although the SmartShunt uses watertight connectors for the SmartLink
cable, the overall design is not waterproof. The SmartShunt must be
installed in a dry location. The Display is IP65 rated from the front
when installed properly, but is NOT watertight from the rear to allow for
condensation to exit the Display.
NOTE: Should the LCD need cleaning, it can be done with water
and a clean cloth. No chemicals of any type should be used
The SmartShunt is installed in-line with the negative battery cable of the
battery system or bank that you wish to monitor. If you are designing a new
system, refer to a wire size chart to determine the correct size cable to use
in the installation. The cables should be sized for the lowest percentage
voltage drop that is practical, and should not exceed 3%.
NOTE: Do not install any positive voltage-carrying wires to the
SmartShunt studs - ONLY negative cables. The SmartShunt
will not work on the positive side of an installation.
The SmartShunt should be located as close to the battery as possible,
preferably within 12”. The SG200 uses the SmartShunt to measure current,
or how many amperes are going into or out of the battery. Because of
this, you must ensure that no loads (like a bilge pump) or sources (like
an inverter) are connected directly to the battery. ALL loads and sources
MUST terminate their negative connection at or before the “CABLE” end of
the SmartShunt. If there are multiple connections to be made, a buss bar
can be installed directly prior to the SmartShunt.
NOTE: If you have a shore-power charger, inverter or inverter-
charger, they may have both a Positive and Negative cable
directly connected to the battery. The positive cable can
stay, but the negative cable must be moved to a position
at or before the “CABLE” stud on the SmartShunt.

10
Installation steps
NOTE: The purpose of this manual is to enable the installer to
install SG200 in a manner that permits it to operate as designed.
This manual is not intended to educate the installer on the
regulatory requirements of any particular type of installation.
The manufacturer, supplier, dealer and/or their agents cannot
know what the nal installation will be and therefore cannot know
what the regulatory requirements of such installation may be.
1. Determine a mounting location and mount the SmartShunt. The surface
should be at. Do not install the SmartShunt on a curved surface. Note
that the cable connection bolts are not insulated on the underside of the
SmartShunt and therefore cannot be mounted into a conductive surface.
2. Remove all loads and charging sources from the battery before any other
steps are taken. This often is accomplished by turning off a battery switch.
If there are loads or chargers directly attached to the battery, they should
be disconnected as well.
3. Connect the negative cables to both sides of the studs, as shown below.
NOTE: In a simple installation, the battery Negative (-) cable is removed
from the battery, and connected to the “CABLE” end of the shunt. Then
a new, short cable is installed from the “BATT” (-) stud to the battery.
4. Re-install the lock washers and nuts on the shunt, the battery cable lug
goes rst, then the washer, and then the nut.
NOTE: DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING between the battery lug and the face
of the shunt. Do not use nylock nuts in place of the lock-nut and washer.
5. Connect the 60” Power lead to the battery POSITIVE+ terminal. DO NOT
EXTEND the wire from the fuse to the fuse holder, this must be kept short
for safety reasons.

11
NOTE: The fuse holder is shipped without the fuse
installed, install fuse AFTER completely connecting all
of the wires/cables. and all other installation steps.
6. Connect the voltage sense leads to the auxiliary batteries. AUX-1 is a
solid orange wire, and AUX-2 is orange/black. Each AUX lead needs
to be fused within 6” of the battery. Fuses MUST BE INSTALLED FOR
THESE WIRES, and are not included. The wires do not carry any
current, so the fuse should be sized for the wire gauge and length. If
you need to extend the wire, do so with at least 18ga wire.
7. If the auxiliary batteries being monitored do not share a common
ground with the main battery bank connected to the shunt, a negative
lead must be wired from the auxiliary battery’s NEGATIVE post to the
“CABLE” post on the shunt.
8. Determine the mounting location of the Display. The Display is
weather-tight from the front, but not the rear. Do not install the display
where the rear of the unit is exposed to water. The cutout hole is
2.0625in in diameter. The maximum depth of surface that is supported
is 1/2 inch. Once the hole is cut, remove the nut, washer and mounting
brace, insert the display from the front and then replace the brace.
Tighten the nut by hand, and then 1/2 turn or so. If it is being mounted
in a plastic dash, do not over-tighten the nut or you could risk cracking
the dash.
9. Run the SmartLink cable from the shunt to the Display. Since one end
has the Deutsch connector pre-terminated, and the other does not,
it may be better to start from one end or the other, depending on the
installation. Make sure that there is chafe protection if the cable passes
through bulkheads. The cable should be supported every 18 inches.
10. Install the Deutsch-style connector onto the pins of the SmartLink
Cable. See the following section that illustrates this procedure.
NOTE: DO NOT insert pins before reading these instructions entirely.
11. Connect the Smartlink cable to both the display and the shunt. You can
connect to either connector on each device. Press the connector into
the receptacle until it snaps into place.
12. Insert the included fuse into the fuse holder. At this point the display
will power up, and be operational in a few seconds.
NOTE: You may add a new device at any time. However,
you MUST remove and re-apply power to the entire
network for the new device to be recognized.

12
Installing the Deutsch-style connector
The receptacles for the connector come pre-terminated onto each wire. They
must be installed into the connector as shown below.
1. Slide the heat shrink tubing over the bare wires.
2. Slowly push the receptacle into the appropriate hole, until a clicking sound
is heard.
Position Color
1 Green
2 White
3 Red
4 Black
3. Inspect the receptacle from the face of the connector. The receptacles
should be ush with the face of the connector
4. Install the wedgelock into the face of the connector. It will click into place.
5. Heat up the heat shrink tubing to lock it into place. The tubing is not
needed for water tightness, but does provide chafe protection to the
exposed wires.
When the wedgelock is in place, you should just be able to see the ends of
the receptacles through the wedgelock. You can refer to the factory-installed
connector for guidance.
Adding an additional device to the SmartLink Network
You may add additional Displays and/or SmartShunts to the SmartLink Net-
work, up to total of 32 devices. Most SmartLink devices have two connectors
available to allow you to extend the network in either direction. The network
design is a simple, point-to-point network, there is no need to create a loop
between devices.
Setting up Multiple SmartShunts on one Bank
Each SmartShunt can handle up to 350 amps continuously at ambient

13
temperatures. If the charging sources or discharging loads exceed this
value continuously, two or more SmartShunts in parallel must used to
handle the increased current. There are two steps to this process:
1. Physically connect the SmartShunts in PARALLEL. This means that
each “BATT-” post on the SmartShunts must be connected together
with an appropriate load carrying device. In addition, each “CABLE”
post must also be connected together in a similar fashion. The easiest
way accomplish this is to use high-amperage carrying bus bars, with
correctly sized cables for each.
2. Connect the two SmartShunts on the SmartLink Network via the
Communications Cable.
3. Virtually connect the two SmartShunts together on the SmartLink
Network so that they are considered one “Master” SmartShunt by the
system. This is accomplished with the SG200 Smartphone App.
NOTE: DO NOT connect the shunts in series, one after the other.
This will not increase the current carrying capabilities of the
system, and will most likely lead to measurement inaccuracies
and possible damage and/or re if the current greatly exceeds
the maximum current specication for one SmartShunt.

14
SG200 Layout and Operation
The SG200 has three main data display areas, as shown below.
Single Button Operation
The SG200 has a single button for ease of operation. A button press can be:
1. Short Press
2. Long Press (release as soon as screen ashes)
3. Extra-Long Press (about three seconds)
Short presses take you from one item on the screen to another. For instance,
if the screen is showing Voltage, a single short press will change the screen to
show Current in amperes.
A long press is used to make a selection or enable the editing of a value. As
soon as you see ashing on the screen, you have made a long press and then
release your nger.
EXAMPLE: If you are looking at a list of devices on the SmartLink
network, you can use short presses to move from one device
to the next. When you have the desired device highlighted, a
long press will select the device, and show the real-time data for
that device. Similarly, if you are again back at the list of devices,
and use short presses to highlight “Setup”, a single, long press
will take you to the setup menu for the selected device.
The extra-long press will take the user to the INTENSITY menu directly, where
a dimming level can be chosen. Dimming is also managed by the power
management function of the DISPLAY menu.
NOTE: If left on any MENU screen, the Display will
revert to Real-Time Data after a time.

15
Real-Time Data
Once a SmartShunt is selected, the SG200 will display the Real-Time
Data for that SmartShunt. If you have multiple SmartShunts that are not
paralleled together for a single bank, selecting a different SmartShunt will
allow you to view the data from that SmartShunt and battery-bank. You will
see the SmartShunt bank selected on the top bar of the SG200 screen.
Here are some notes concerning the Real-Time Data parameters:
Parameter Unit Note
Voltage Volts (V) Time
State of
Charge (SoC)
Percent (%) SoC is a percentage of the
actual full-charge capacity of
the battery, NOT the design
capacity Also, See the section
“Initial Accuracy”
State of Health
(SoH)
Percent (%) SoH is the battery’s existing, or
actual aged capacity compared
to the initial design capacity.
Current Amps (A) Shows the NET of
simultaneous charge, minus
any discharge.
Time
Remaining
Hours: Minutes Shows time remaining
until battery is completely
discharged when the battery is
discharging. When charging,
shows the time until charge
completion. .
Voltages for
two separate
Auxiliary
batteries
Volts (V) Typical usage would be the
starter battery for one or two
engines, or a single engine and
generator.
NOTE: If SoH drops to zero after initially showing a different value,
the battery may have a bad cell. If there are multiple batteries
installed in a parallel bank, the voltage of each battery should be
taken individually, as there may be a bad battery in the battery bank.

16
Setting up the SG200 for the First Time
When the SG200 Display is rst powered up, a splash screen is shown.
Pressing the button once will take you to either a screen where you can select
the device to be monitored (If two SmartShunts are installed, for instance), or
directly to the Real-Time Data if the only devices on the network are a single
Display and a single SmartShunt. Before the SG200 can be used, you must
congure the bank for the correct battery chemistry and the capacity of the
battery bank.
Each SmartShunt on a SmartLink Network has it’s own menu. If you only have
one SmartShunt, it is automatically selected for you. Otherwise, select the
SmartShunt that you wish to congure (Using the long-press method) and then
select MENU, and then CONFIG. A complete description of the conguration
options can be found in the CONFIG section later in this manual.
Initial conguration of the SmartShunt consists of setting the following
parameters:
Battery Chemistry
Battery Capacity
Charge Termination Current and Voltage
The default chemistry is FLOODLA with a capacity of 100Ah.

17
Initial Accuracy
The SG200 is a self learning product. It continuously monitors the battery
bank, and self adjusts over time to improve the accuracy of the two most
important parameters, State of Health (SoH) and State of Charge (SoC).
On new battery systems, both the State of Health and the State of Charge
values may be very close to accurate after the rst full charge and a
brief relaxation period. This is because the stored characteristics of each
battery chemistry is made with healthy batteries. If the batteries are older,
it will take a few cycles before these values can be relied upon, and you
may see signicant changes in these values during this time.
NOTE: The accuracy of the voltage and current measurements
are calibrated at the factory and do not change over time.
Display
The Display menu allows for the conguration of the Display’s colors,
intensity and power usage.
MENU OPTION DESCRIPTION
INTENSITY Change the brightness of the color display
THEME Change the color theme used on the display
PWR SAVE Choose four power saving combinations of
the Color Display, using timeout duration, and
whether the Display is dimmed or turned off
after timeout
TEST Run through a test of the Color Display
NOTE: Regardless of the INTENSITY or PWR SAVE options
selected, the SG200 Color Display will turn off the backlight after
12 hours of non-use to conserve power.

18
History
The HISTORY sub-menu shows the following
MENU OPTION DESCRIPTION
VIEW HISTORY Displays minimum and maximum values for the
following parameters:
Voltage, Current, SoC, SoH, Power (Watts)
VIEW FAULTS Displays details on all faults recorded on the
device.
CLR HISTORY Reset the min-max values in HISTORY to the
current values of those parameters.
Viewing HISTORY steps the user through the minimum and maximum values
recorded of the real-time data parameters. An additional set of values is shown
here for POWER, expressed in watts.
When selecting FAULTS, you can select to view either current faults (if the con-
dition leading to a fault is still present) or view information about the last fault
of each type, as well as a counter showing how many times that particular fault
has been triggered. See faults in FAULTS AND ALERTS for more information
on faults.

19
Cong
The CONFIG menu has the options listed below:
CONFIG OPTION DESCRIPTION
BAT. TYPE Select the battery chemistry
CAPACITY Set the battery capacity in Ah
CHARGING Congure charging parameters
ALERTS Congure ALERT thresholds
BAT TYPE - Selecting the Battery Chemistry
The SG200 uses proles for each common battery chemistry. It is
important to select the chemistry that most closely represents the batteries
being monitored. All batteries on the bank being monitored by the
SmartShunt should be the same size, age and chemistry. If they are not,
the SG200 may not present accurate information.
The currently selected battery type is noted with an asterisk (*) in front
of the name. The default is FLOODLA (see the chemistry table). If this is
your chemistry and the installation is new, you may either re-select the
chemistry, ensuring that the SG200 is starting fresh, or exit back to MENU
and move to the next step.

20
Chemistry Number Chemistry Name Description
00 FLOODLA Flooded (Wet) Lead
Acid
01 AGM AGM
02 CARFOAM Carbon Foam AGM
03 LIFEPO4 Lithium Phosphate
04 DUALPUR Dual Purpose Lead
Acid
05 AGMTPPL Thin Plate Pure Lead
AGM
NOTE: Every time a chemistry is selected, all learning is lost, even
if you re-select the currently used chemistry. This will mean that the
SG200 will need a few charge cycles to obtain peak accuracy.
NOTE: If you are uncertain which battery chemistry to select,
please contact Balmar Customer Support: http://www.balmar.
net/contact-technical-services/ or 1-360-435-6100
CAPACITY - Selecting a Battery Design Capacity
Once you select a chemistry, you must specify the capacity of the battery
bank. This is the total design capacity of the entire bank, regardless of the
battery’s condition, or previously measured capacity. Typically the capacity is
expressed as the 20-hour discharge rate. This may be written as something
like “105Ah/20h” on the battery or battery documentation. If you cannot nd an
Ah specication for your battery, but it does show a reserve capacity (RC) refer
the Appendix “Converting Reserve Capacity to Amp Hours.” CCA or MCCA
values are not describing capacity and cannot be used to determine the battery
capacity.
EXAMPLE: Consider three Group 31 batteries, each with a design
capacity of 100 amp hours. They are connected in parallel to make
a 12v, 300Ah bank. The design capacity to be entered is 300. Even
if the batteries are older, and they have diminished in capacity, the
bank capacity should always be entered as a design capacity.