Magnum Energy ME-BMK User manual

Owner’s Manual
ME-BMK
Battery Monitor Kit
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

ii ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Disclaimer of Liability
Since the use of this manual and the conditions or methods of installation,
operation, use and maintenance of the ME-BMK is beyond the control of
Magnum Energy Inc., this company does not assume responsibility and
expressly disclaims liability for loss, damage or expense, whether direct,
indirect, consequential or incidental, arising out of or anyway connected with
such installation, operation, use, or maintenance.
Due to continuous improvements and product updates, the images shown in
this manual may not exactly match the unit purchased.
Restrictions on Use
The ME-BMK shall not be used in connection with life support systems, life
saving or other medical equipment or devices. Using the ME-BMK with this
particular equipment is at your own risk.
IMPORTANT PRODUCT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This manual contains important safety instructions that must be followed
during the installation and operation of this product. Read all instructions
and safety information contained in this manual before installing or using
this product.
WARNINGS:
• All electrical work must be performed in accordance with local, state and
federal electrical codes.
• This product is designed for indoor / compartment installation. It must not
be exposed to rain, snow, moisture or liquids of any type.
• Use insulated tools to reduce the chance of electrical shock or accidental
short circuits.
• Remove all jewelry such as rings, watches, bracelets, etc., when installing
or performing maintenance on the ME-BMK and inverter system.
• Always disconnect the batteries or energy source prior to installing or per-
forming maintenance on the ME-BMK and inverter system. Live power may
be present at more than one point since an inverter utilizes both batteries and
AC. Turning off the inverter may not reduce this risk. As long as AC power
is connected, it will pass thru the inverter regardless of the power switch on
the inverter or the ON/OFF INVERTER pushbutton on the remote.
Safety Symbols
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, fire, or other safety hazard, the fol-
lowing safety symbols have been placed throughout this manual to indicate
dangerous and important safety instructions.
WARNING: This symbol indicates that failure to take a specified
action could result in physical harm to the user.
CAUTION: This symbol indicates that failure to take a specified ac-
tion could result in damage to the equipment.
Info: This symbol indicates information that emphasizes or supple-
ments important points of the main text.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. iii
List of Contents
1.0 Introduction ................................................................................ 1
1.1 Product Features........................................................................ 1
1.2 Identification and Compatibility.................................................... 1
2.0 Installation.................................................................................. 3
2.1 Required Components and Tools................................................... 3
2.2 Installation Procedure................................................................. 5
2.3 Network Connection with Multiple Devices ..................................... 7
3.0 Setup ......................................................................................... 8
3.1 Accessing the Charge Efficiency Menu Item ................................... 8
3.2 Adjusting the Charge Efficiency Menu Item.................................... 9
3.3 Check the SETUP: 03 Batt AmpHrs Setting .................................... 9
4.0 METER Menu Map....................................................................... 10
5.0 Operation.................................................................................. 11
5.1 METER Menu Items and Settings ................................................ 12
5.2 LED Indicator .......................................................................... 16
6.0 Troubleshooting ........................................................................ 17
7.0 Specifications ............................................................................ 18
8.0 Limited Warranty ....................................................................... 19
List of Figures
Figure 2-1, ME-BMK Installation Diagram.............................................. 4
Figure 2-2, DC Shunt Connections ....................................................... 5
Figure 2-3, Sense Module Connections ................................................. 6
Figure 2-4, Multiple Network Devices - Star Configuration ....................... 7
Figure 2-5, Multiple Network Devices - Daisy-Chain Configuration ............ 7
Figure 3-1, Accessing the Charge Efficiency Menu Item........................... 8
Figure 3-2, Adjusting the Charge Efficiency Menu Item ........................... 9
Figure 4-1, METER Menu Map (ME-BMK Displays)................................. 10
Figure 5-1, Accessing the METER Menu Items...................................... 12
Figure 5-2, METER: 03 BM: Meters Selections...................................... 13
Figure 5-3, Accessing the METER: 04 BM: Status Display ...................... 14
Figure 5-4, METER: 06 BM: TECH Selections ....................................... 14
Figure 5-5, Resetting the Min DC Value............................................... 15
Figure 5-6, Resetting the Max DC Values ............................................ 15
Figure 7-1, Dimensional Specifications ............................................... 18
List of Tables
Table 5-1, LED Indicator Guide .......................................................... 16
Table 6-1, Troubleshooting Guide ....................................................... 17
Table 7-1, Specifications................................................................... 18
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

iv ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
this page left blank
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 1
Introduction
1.0 Introduction
The ME-BMK is a single battery bank amp-hour meter that monitors and pro-
vides important information about the condition of the battery. This informa-
tion will let you know how much energy you have available and let you plan
your electrical usage to ensure the battery is not being over-discharged.
The ME-BMK is easy to install and is designed to be networked with a Magnum
Energy inverter/charger using the ME-RC remote to display the information
about your battery bank.
1.1 Product Features
• Compatible with 12, 24 or 48 volt systems
• One adjustable setting - very easy setup
• All battery meter and Magnum inverter/charger set-up and moni-
toring features in a single convenient display – doesn’t require
multiple displays for inverter and battery system information
• Displays reliable and pertinent information; such as:
Battery State of Charge
Battery Voltage
Battery Current
• Auto-detecting input voltage
• Temperature and battery bank capacity automatically compensated
and coordinated between inverter and battery monitor
• Precision 500A/50mv DC shunt (included in ME-BMK)
• Automatic efficiency detection
1.2 Identification and Compatibility
The ME-BMK is compatible with all Magnum inverter/chargers provided with
a ‘Magnum Net’ or ‘Network’ port (i.e. ME, MS and RD Series). The ME-BMK
requires a ME-RC remote display with revision 2.0 or higher to access the
available settings and features of the ME-BMK.
Info: You can view the ME-RC revision level when you first power-
up the remote or by pushing the TECH button and accessing the 02
Revisions menu.
If the ME-RC remote revision is not 2.0 or higher, refer to one of the two op-
tions below to obtain the required revision.
1) If the ME-BMK is being installed at the same time as a newly purchased
Magnum Inverter and ME-RC remote system; contact your Magnum Energy
dealer to obtain the ME-RC with revision 2.0 or higher.
2) If the ME-BMK is being installed into an installation with a previously installed
Magnum inverter and ME-RC remote system; contact Magnum Energy about
ME-RC upgrade options.
•
•
•
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

2 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Introduction
Why should I use the Magnum Battery Monitor? To ensure your batteries
perform satisfactory and have a long life, they need to be properly maintained
and charged. There are several devices that help to determine if the batteries
are being fully charged, they are:
• DC Voltmeter: An accurate DC voltmeter can be used to measure the
Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) across the battery terminals and compare
the readings with the OCV values from the battery manufacturer. A DC
voltmeter is the least costly, but is also the least accurate and requires
the batteries to be at “rest”. This “rest” requirement means the volt-
age measurement should only be done when there is no current moving
through the battery for a long period of time (most experts say a mini-
mum of 1 hour). Using a DC voltmeter when the batteries are at “rest”
is usually impractical, because the batteries are usually always powering
loads or being charged.
• Hydrometer: A good hydrometer can be used to measure the concen-
tration of battery electrolyte in each individual cell and compare these
readings with the specific gravity values from the battery manufacturer.
A hydrometer is very accurate, but can be time-consuming and becomes
unpleasant when working with sulfuric acid. A hydrometer will not work
with sealed batteries.
• Amp-hour Meter: An amp-hour meter is an electronic measuring
device that uses a precision shunt to calculate the amp-hours going in
(charging) and coming out (discharging) a battery. This meter tracks the
amp-hour usage and compares it against the amp-hour capacity of the
battery to determine its charge condition. Calculating Amp-Hours in vs.
Amp-Hours out is fairly accurate, is easily displayed, but doesn’t provide
an accurate State Of Charge under all charge and discharge conditions.
Theses devices have advantages and disadvantages based on accuracy and
ease of use. The Magnum Energy Battery Monitor combines the advantages
of these devices with additional information such as monitoring battery tem-
perature and calculating battery efficiencies to provide an easy and accurate
means to determine the battery’s State of Charge (SOC) condition. Therefore,
if the battery’s State of Charge is easily determined and accurate, the more
likely you will attempt to keep the batteries charged and enjoy your battery
system performance.
What is the difference between Amps and Amp-Hrs? Amps indicate
the flow of current going in or out of the battery. Amp-hours indicate the
amount of current returned to or removed from the battery. Amp-hrs are a
common rating used to calculate the battery’s available capacity. For example,
if a constant 3 amperes where removed from a 100 AH battery each hour, the
battery bank’s capacity would be 94 AH after 2 hours (6 amp-hours less).
To help understand the difference, imagine the battery bank is equivalent to a
water tank. When viewing the amps display, it would be similar to watching
a water gauge. You can see that the water is flowing a little or a lot, but this
doesn’t indicate how much water is left. When viewing the State Of Charge
(SOC) display, it would be similar to viewing the water tank’s level indicator,
which tells you how much water is left in the tank.
For example: If you have a 10 gallon water tank and you remove water from
the tank with a one gallon bucket. The water level indicator would show the
available water has decreased by 10%; leaving 90% of the water still available.
If this was a battery bank, then you would know that 10 percent of the battery’s
capacity has been used and its State of Charge (SOC) is now 90%.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 3
Installation
2.0 Installation
Before installing the ME-BMK, read this entire section to be aware of all as-
pects of the installation; then you can thoroughly plan the details to ensure
the overall system requirements are accomplished.
To assist you in planning and designing your installation; you should review
the basic system diagram shown in Figure 2-1. If another network device
besides the ME-BMK is to be installed, refer to section 2.3 to determine your
specific network configuration.
Info: Installations should be performed by qualified personnel, such
as a licensed or certified electrician. It is the installer’s responsibility
to determine which safety codes apply and to ensure that all appli-
cable installation requirements are followed. Applicable installation
codes vary depending on the specific location and application.
Info: Review the “Important Product Safety Information” on the
front inside cover page before any installation.
Review the following guidelines prior to performing the Installation:
• The ME-BMK sense module is connected to the inverter by a 10’ communi-
cations cable and to the DC shunt using a 5’ twisted-pair signal wire. Before
installing the ME-BMK Sense module and connecting any wires, determine:
1) the communications cable route throughout the home or vehicle/boat to
the inverter, and 2) the twisted-pair signal wire route to the ME-BMK shunt.
Info: The communications cable may be extended beyond the
supplied 10’; but to ensure voltage accuracy, do not extend the 5’
twisted-pair wire used between the DC shunt and sense module.
Info: For information on the size of the battery cable and overcur-
rent protection device to be used in the installation, refer to the
inverter’s owner’s manual.
2.1 Required Components and Tools
2.1.1 List of supplied components in the ME-BMK (see figure 2-1):
• Installation and Operation manual
• Sense Module (with two #8 x 3/4” Phillips mounting screws)
• 500A/50mv DC Shunt (with two #8 x 3/4” Phillips mounting screws)*
• 10ft Communications cable
• 5ft Twisted-pair (blue and orange color) signal wires
2.1.2 List of other Required Equipment and Materials:
• Magnum Inverter with network port (ME, MS or RD Series)
• ME-RC (Magnum ME-RC remote display with revision ≥2.0)
• Batteries (with appropriately sized cables)
• Short (~18”) battery cable (to connect shunt to battery negative)
• In-line fuse holder (with 2-amp DC fuse)
• DC Breaker (or DC fuse and disconnect) for inverter
• Phone-splitter (if using multiple network devices)
2.1.3 Tools Required to install the ME-BMK:
• Flat-blade screwdrivers (1/4” and 1/8” blades)
• #2 Phillips screwdriver
• 9/16” open-end wrench or adjustable crescent wrench
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

4 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Installation
ME-RC
(Remote Control
with revision ≥2.0 )
Magnum Energy Inverter/Charger
(with ‘NETWORK’ port)
Battery
Bank
DC Shunt
(from ME-BMK)
Battery
Disconnect
Switch
Battery/
Inverter
Cable
Fuse
DC Fuse
(2 amps)
DC
Negative
Distribution
DC
Positive
Distribution
Sense Module
(from ME-BMK)
Comm unications Cable (10')
(from ME-BMK)
Twisted-Pair
Cable (5')
(from ME-BMK)
Inverting
DC 12.6V 5A
SELECT
TECHAG S M ETER SET UPSHO REI NVERT ER
CHARG ER
INV
CHG
FAULT
PWR
ON/OFF
ON/OFF
C
LASS
TF
USE
OFF
ON
battery
side
battery
side
load
side
load
side
Figure 2-1, ME-BMK Installation Diagram
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 5
Installation
2.2 Installation Procedure
Select a location that is dry and away from extreme temperatures to mount the
ME-BMK Sense Module and DC shunt; using the supplied #8 x 3/4 screws (x4).
Allow ample room to view the LED on the Sense Module, access the screws and
bolts on the shunt; and to access the terminal block and the RJ11 port.
CAUTION: Do not mount the ME-BMK sense module in a closed
battery compartment or in an area where water or any other liquid
can enter the ME-BMK sense module and cause shorting or corro-
sion. The internal circuit board is conformal coated to help prevent
corrosion, but this failure is not covered by the warranty.
Info: Shunts should be mounted in an area where freely circulating
air is available. For continuous operation, it is recommended that
shunts are not used at more than 2/3 of their rated current.
If this
is not possible, adequate forced ventilation should be provided to
keep the shunt operating temperature below 60°C.
CAUTION: Before beginning the installation, ensure all AC power is
disconnected from the inverter; and all negative and positive battery
cables are disconnected from the battery bank.
2.2.1 DC Cable connections
1. Using an appropriate sized cable, wire the inverter’s DC negative terminal
to the DC Shunt (load side).
Info: For the ME-BMK to monitor all load currents, all DC loads - includ-
ing the inverter - must be connected to the load side of the shunt.
2. Wire the other side of the DC Shunt (battery side) to the battery negative ter-
minal. Connect cables/hardware to the shunt exactly as shown in figure 2-2.
3. Using an appropriate sized cable, wire the inverter’s DC positive terminal
to the load side of an appropriate DC disconnect/overcurrent protection device
(i.e. DC Circuit Breaker or DC disconnect and fuse).
4. Open the DC circuit breaker (or remove the fuse) and wire its other side
to the positive terminal of the battery bank.
Battery cable (x2)
Flat washer (x2)
Split-lock washer (x2)
Bolt with 9/16" head (x2)
8-32 x 3/8"
screw (x2)
Flat washer (x2)
Sense wire with
ring terminal to
Sense Module (x2)
Split-lock
washer (x2)
DC Shunt
Figure 2-2, DC Shunt Connections
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

6 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Installation
2.2.2 ME-BMK Sense Module connections
The sense module should now be mounted, refer to figure 2-3 for reference
during the following steps:
1. Run the communications cable between the ME-BMK Sense Module and the
inverter/charger. This cable is a 2-wire, twisted-pair, telephony standard with
RJ11 connectors on each end. A standard telephone cable may be substituted
if the provided remote cable is not able to be used or needs to be longer.
2. Connect the Communications cable into the RJ11 “Magnum Net” port be-
side the green label (also referred to as the “Network” port) on the Magnum
inverter/charger (see figure 2-1).
3. Unplug the 4-port terminal block from ME-BMK Sense Mode and ensure
the openings are unscrewed enough to allow the wires to be inserted.
4. Using the supplied five foot twisted-pair wire: 1) connect the blue wire
from the #1 terminal on the 4-port terminal block to the small screw on the
battery side of the shunt (negative shunt sense connection); 2) connect the
orange wire from the #2 terminal on the 4-port terminal block to the small
screw on the load side of the shunt (positive shunt sense connection).
Info: Ensure these blue and orange wires stay twisted together up
to the shunt to maintain accuracy.
5. Connect a wire (black) from terminal #3 on the 4-port terminal block to
the negative terminal of the battery and connect a wire (red) with a 2-amp,
in-line fuse from terminal #4 on the 4-port terminal block to the positive
terminal of the battery.
Caution: To prevent damage, the black and red power wires must not
be connected to the input sense terminals (terminals #1 and #2).
6. When all the connections are made and checked, plug the 4-port terminal
block into the sense module and then close the DC circuit breaker (or DC
disconnect) to supply power to the inverter and sense module.
7. Immediately after applying DC power, the LED on the sense module should
come on as the unit goes through a power-up self-test. After the initial self-test
completes, the LED should be on green. If so, your battery monitor system
is now ready for set-up; if not, please refer to the troubleshooting section.
DC Fuse
(2 amps) To Battery
Positive
To Battery
Negative
To NetworkPort
(on Magnum inverter)
To smallshunt screw
(battery side)
To smallshunt screw
(load side)
orange
blue
black
red
Communications Cable
(2-conductor twisted pair;
a telephone-type cable
may be substituted).
4-Port Terminal Block
(can be removed, and
each port accepts
30 to 12 AWG wire).
black
red
Terminals:
1 2 43
Twisted-pair cable
5 feetmaximum
orange
blue
Figure 2-3, Sense Module Connections
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 7
Installation
Inverting
DC 12.6V 5A
SELECT
TECHAG S MET ER SETUPSHO REI NVERTER
CHARG ER
INV
CHG
FAULT
PWR
ON/ OF F
ON/ OF F
ME-AGS (1st device)
ME-RC Magnum Inverter/charger
Phone
splitter
ME-BMK (2nd device)
2.3 Network Connection with Multiple Devices
If you are using more than one Magnum Energy “networked” device, a phone
splitter is required to connect the network devices. It is possible to inter-
connect the devices in two configurations; either a “star” or a “daisy chain”
arrangement.
Info: Before deciding on which configuration to use, review the dif-
ferences in installation and the ease of troubleshooting.
• Star Configuration - In the star arrangement the network devices all con-
nect to the “network” port via a phone-splitter to the inverter using individual
cable runs (see figure 2-4). Since each device is independently connected
to the inverter’s “Magnum Net” or “network” port, problems in a cable or a
device can be easily isolated; and if there is a cable failure to one device, it
does not bring down all the other devices.
Figure 2-5, Multiple Network Devices - Daisy-Chain Configuration
Inverting
DC 12.6V 5A SELECT
TECHAG S M ETER SETUPSHO REINVERTER
CHARG ER
INV
CHG
FAULT
PWR
ON/OF F
ON/OF F
ME-BMK
ME-RC
ME-AGS
Magnum Inverter/charger
Phone-splitter
• Daisy-Chain Configuration – In the daisy chain arrangement, the network
devices are linked in series (see figure 2-5). If using this configuration, the
ME-AGS must be the first device connected to the inverter’s “Magnum Net”
or “network” port - then followed by the ME-BMK.
Figure 2-4, Multiple Network Devices - Star Configuration
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

8 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Setup
3.0 Setup
This section provides information on the charge efficiency setting and shows
you how to access/adjust this setting. Normally the ME-BMK Battery Monitor
(BM) automatically calculates the battery’s efficiency, however you may want
to manually set the efficiency.
Info: The factory default setting is Chg Eff: Auto, this setting al-
lows the charging efficiency to be automatically calculated. In most
circumstances, the “Auto” setting will determine the best charge
efficiency.
CAUTION: If you do not know your battery’s charging efficiency,
leave this setting at the factory default setting, if this setting is
manually set and incorrect, the state-of-charge information would
be more inaccurate with every charge.
What is Charge Efficiency? 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 batter-
ies inefficiencies while charging, a charge efficiency setting is provided. The
charge efficiency setting compensates the AH I/O (AmpHrs In/Out) reading
by ensuring the amphrs returned to the battery are greater than the amp-
hours 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 amp-hrs (2 x 25) from the battery. If the charge efficiency
setting is set to 95%, then as you begin charging and return 50 amp-hrs, the
AH I/O reading will be less than zero, indicating that the amp-hours removed
have not been fully returned. The 95% charge efficiency setting requires 52.5
amp-hours (50/95) to be returned before the AH I/O returns to 0.
3.1 Accessing the Charge Efficiency Menu Item
On the ME-RC remote control, press the METER pushbutton and rotate the
‘SELECT’ knob until the display shows the 05 BM: SETUP menu. Once the 05
BM: SETUP menu is displayed, press the ‘SELECT’ knob to access the Charge
Efficiency setting (see figure 3-1).
Figure 3-1, Accessing the Charge Efficiency Menu Item
Info: For additional information on navigating the remote display,
see the ME-RC Owner’s Manual (PN: 64-0003).
Info: See figure 4-1, METER Menu Map (ME-BMK Displays) for a
complete map of the menu items and adjustable settings available
for the ME-BMK using the ME-RC remote control.
METER
press Status…
05 BM: SETUP
rotate to
press to select
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 9
Setup
3.2 Adjusting the Charge Efficiency Menu Item
The Charge Efficiency setting allows the battery monitor to calculate the
battery’s charge efficiency. The charge efficiency can be calculated automati-
cally using the Auto setting or can be manually programmed by the user.
The battery monitor is shipped with the Charge Efficiency setting set to Auto.
This selection allows the battery monitor to automatically calculate variables
that affect the charging efficiency such as battery type, battery age and how
the batteries are maintained - which is not always constant. When the Auto
selection is used, the efficiency is recalculated each time the batteries reach
a 100% State of Charge.
This setting can also be manually set from 50% to 97% if the battery’s
charge efficiency is known. When using a Charge Efficiency setting other
than the Auto setting; the battery monitor will use the manual setting to
calculate the AH I/O display. For example, if you set the charge efficiency to
90% and 100 amp-hours are removed from the battery. The AH Net display
would read 000 only after 111AH have been returned to the battery.
If the charge efficiency is manually set and inaccurate, the state-of-charge
information would be more inaccurate with every charge. For this reason,
continually monitor the ‘AH I/O’ reading under the 03 BM: Meters menu.
After several charge and discharge cycles (below 80% SOC), the ‘AH I/O’
reading should be slightly positive when the 02 BM: SOC display reads 99%.
If this reading is below 000 (negative number) when the 02 BM: SOC display
reads 99%, then increase the Charge Efficiency setting. If you find that the
‘AH I/O’ reading is substantially above zero when the 02 BM: SOC display
reads 99%, then decrease the Charge Efficiency setting.
Figure 3-2, Adjusting the Charge Efficiency Menu Item
3.3 Check the SETUP: 03 Batt AmpHrs Setting
It’s important that the SETUP: 03 Batt Amphrs setting is correct or the calcula-
tions used to determine the battery’s 02 BM: SOC display will be inaccurate.
To check this setting, press the SETUP pushbutton on the ME-RC remote con-
trol and rotate the ‘SELECT’ knob until the display shows the 03 Batt Amphrs
menu. When the 03 Batt Amphrs menu is displayed, press the ‘SELECT’ knob
to display the present 03 Batt Amphrs setting.
Usually battery capacity ratings tend to be optimistic and decrease at lower
temperatures, so this setting should be less than the published 20-hour Amp-
Hour (AH) capacity of the battery bank. After determining the 20-hour AH
capacity, adjust this setting slightly on the low side (a smaller value).
Info: For more information on this setting, see the ME-RC Owner’s
Manual (PN: 64-0003)
press to save
METER
press Status…
05 BM: SETUP
rotate to
press to select
rotate to
desired
selection:
Status...
ChgEff= Auto Status... Chg Eff= 60%
Status...
Chg Eff= 50% Status... Chg Eff= 96% Status... Chg Eff= 97%
.......
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

10 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Menu Map
Figure 4-1, METER Menu Map (ME-BMK Displays)
METER
Status...
04 BM: Status
Status...
BM: Status... Status...
BM: NoComm Status... BM: Pwr-up Fault Status... BM: Ready
Status...
05 BM: SETUP
Status...
ChgEff=Auto* Status... Chg Eff= 50% Status... Chg Eff= 60% Status... Chg Eff= 97%
.....
Status...
06 BM: TECH
Status...
BM Rev: **
** = read only data
SETUP
Status...
01 Search Watts
Status...
Search= 5W
Menu Button
Inverter/charger status
Inverter/charger status
Menu Items
Menu Selections
* = indicates default setting
LEGEND
Status...
03 BM: Meters
Status...
02 BM: SOC
Status...
Batt SOC: ** %
Status…
01 INV/CHG Meter
Status...
DC: **V **A
Status...
DC Volts: ** Status... DC Amps: ** Status... AHI/O: ** Status...
rAH Out: ** Status... tAH Out: **
= Resettable Menu Selections
(press and hold the SELECT button
for5 seconds to reset values)
Status...
Max DC: **
Status...
Min DC: **
4.0 METER Menu Map
The following figure is a complete overview of the battery monitor settings
and information displays available under the METER menu for the ME-BMK.
Familiarize yourself with these menu items to help with menu navigation.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 11
Operation
5.0 Operation
This section explains how the ME-BMK battery monitor works and how to
operate the ME-RC remote control to obtain information on the battery bank.
The LCD displays on the ME-RC related to the battery monitor and the status
of the Sense Module’s LED indicator is also explained in this section.
Info: For information on navigating the remote control, see the ME-
RC Owner’s Manual (PN: 64-0003).
Info: See figure 4-1, METER Menu Map (ME-BMK Displays) for a
complete map of the menu items and adjustable settings available
for the ME-BMK battery monitor using the ME-RC remote control.
5.0.1 How does the Battery Monitor (ME-BMK) Operate? The ME-BMK
battery monitor uses a precision resistor known as a shunt to measure current
flow into and out of the battery. The shunt provides a small voltage to the
sense module that is proportional to the current flow. When current starts
flowing into or out of the battery, the sense module measures the current
flow and determines the amount of current removed from and returned to
the battery. The amount of current or “amp-hours” removed or returned is
displayed on the ME-RC remote control as the AH I/O (Amp-Hours In/Out). The
AH I/O number is compensated by a charging efficiency value that accounts
for energy loses while charging and is one of the factors used to determine
the battery’s State Of Charge (SOC).
The battery’s State of Charge - which is the best indicator of the condition of
the batteries - is indicated on the SOC display. This display will show that the
batteries are fully charged (i.e. SOC = 100%) only after the following three
conditions have been met:
The charging voltage - over a period of time - has stabilized;
the charging current has decreased to a low percentage of the amp-
hour capacity - normally less than 2%; and
the amp-hours that were removed from the battery are within 1% of
fully being returned;
After the batteries have reached 100% SOC and have discharged ≥0.5% of
the battery capacity setting, the charge efficiency value will be recalculated
and the AH I/O readout will reset to the recalculated value.
Info: To help maintain the accuracy of the SOC display and to keep
the batteries in good condition, it is necessary to fully charge them
occasionally (approximately once a week).
Info: When charging from a generator (non-inverter topology) and
deeply concerned about the cost of fuel; a balance should be con-
sidered between the use of fuel against charging batteries to 100%
SOC to maintain the full service life of a battery. Batteries discharged
to 50% SOC and normally recharged to 85-90% SOC would be an
efficient compromise between fuel cost and battery life. Trying to
restore the last 10-15% for a full battery charge requires a long time
- typically several hours.
1.
2.
3.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

12 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Operation
5.1 METER Menu Items and Settings
Press the METER pushbutton on the ME-RC to access different meters, which
help determine the status of the inverter/charger and battery system.
Figure 5-1, Accessing the METER Menu Items
01 INV/CHG Meter - This menu provides the DC voltage and current of the
inverter/charger only while either inverting or charging.
The DC: V (Volts) display provides the voltage from the batteries connected to
the inverter. The DC: V accuracy is ±1.5% with a 0.1 VDC resolution.
While inverting, the DC: A (Amps) display shows the battery current used by
the inverter. If you are charging, the DC A (amps) display shows the amount
of current delivered to the batteries. The accuracy of this display below 1 amp
AC (~10 amps DC @ 12VDC) is not detected. When the current into or out
of the batteries is greater than 1 amp AC, the display accuracy is ±20%.
02 BM: SOC - This display is the best way to monitor the actual state of the
battery. The “read only” display shows the State Of Charge (SOC) for the
connected battery bank. The SOC represents the condition of the battery
as a percentage of the available capacity left in the battery. Range is 0% to
100%, where 100% represents a fully charged battery and 0% means the
battery is completely discharged.
When the Sense Module is first connected, the batteries will need to be fully
charged (i.e. SOC = 100%) at least once to establish a SOC reference point.
While this reference point is being calculated, the display will show “Think’n”,
to indicate that the SOC reference point is being calculated. After the batter-
ies are fully charged, the display will change from “Think’n” to “100%” and
begin to provide accurate SOC percentage values.
If the Sense Module is disconnected from power, this display resets to “Think’n”
and the batteries will require another full charge before this display begins
providing SOC percentage information.
Info: Try to limit battery discharging to 50% of capacity (keep bat-
tery above 50% SOC). If batteries are allowed to be continually
discharged below 50% SOC, their effective service life will be con-
siderably shorter. This 50% rule has been determined to be the best
compromise between available energy and the maximum number of
discharge cycles a battery can provide.
Press the SELECT
knob to “select” your
desired menu item
METER
Press the
METER
pushbutton
Status…
01 INV/CHG Meter
Status…
06 BM: TECH
Rotatethe SELECT
knob to find your
desired menu item
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 13
Operation
03 BM: Meters - This menu shows DC voltage, DC current and AH information
on the battery bank provided by the Battery Meter. The values for these
meter displays are updated each second.
Figure 5-2, METER: 03 BM: Meters Selections
DC Volts - This meter displays the real-time battery voltage from 07.00
to 70.00 volts (± 0.02 volts).
DC Amps - This meter displays the real-time charge current (amps into
the battery) or discharge current (amps out of the battery). Charging is
shown as a positive (+) number and discharging is shown as a negative (-)
number. The range is from ±0.1 to 999 amps, with a 1.0% accuracy.
AH I/O - Amp-Hours In/Out; this meter displays the Ampere-Hours
returned to or removed from the battery. When this value is positive, it
represents amp-hours returned to the battery during any subsequent
charging. A negative value represents amp-hours removed from a full
battery. The range is ±32768 AH.
When using the Chg Eff: Auto setting, the AH I/O value is recalculated after
the battery has been fully charged (reaching 100% State Of Charge) and ≥
0.5% of the battery capacity has been discharged. If the Sense Module is
disconnected from power, the AH I/O displayed value resets to zero.
Info: The AH I/O display correlates with the 03 Batt AmpHr setting
(under the SETUP button) to help determine the 02 BM: SOC display.
Info: AH I/O example; if you run a 10 amp load for three hours, the
display will show -30 AH. When you begin charging, the display will
count from -30 AH back toward 0 AH.
rAH Out - Resettable Amp-Hours Removed; this meter displays the total
amp-hours removed from the battery since it was last reset. This display can
be used as a battery load indicator; to help determine and monitor the battery
load consumption. The range is 0 to 65,535.0 amp-hours (0.1 amp-hour
resolution).
To reset the AmpHrs value to zero, press and hold the rotary “SELECT” knob
for more than 5 seconds when this display is shown. After this display has
been reset, the display will begin calculating and displaying new ‘rAH Out’
values. This display automatically resets to zero if the Sense Module is
disconnected from power.
tAH Out - Total Amp-Hours Removed; this meter displays the total amp-
hours removed from the battery since the Sense Module was first connected.
This display can help be used as a battery service life indicator. The value
is displayed in 0.1k [or 100 amp-hours (“k” equals 1000)] resolution up to
a maximum of 6,553.5k amp-hours (6,553,500 amp-hours). The displayed
number resets to 0.0k when the Sense Module is disconnected from power.
•
•
•
•
•
press to leave
METER
press Status…
03 BM: Meters
rotate to
press to select
rotate to
desired
selection:
Status...
DC Volts: ** Status... AHI/O: **
Status...
DC Amps: ** Status... rAH Out: ** Status... tAHOut: **
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

14 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Operation
04 BM: Status - This menu selection displays “read-only” displays that give
the current operating status of the Battery Monitor (BM). This selection also
provides information to know if there is a power-up fault condition.
Figure 5-3, METER: 04 BM: Status Display
BM: Pwr-up Fault - The BM faulted when it was powered-up; the fault
occurred because the power-up self-test failed. See the Troubleshooting
section.
BM: No Comm - The BM is not communicating with the remote. This
typically means a ME-BMK is not installed in the system. If installed, view
the Sense Module LED and use Table 5-1 to help determine the issue.
BM
: Ready - The BM is connected and actively monitoring the battery
system.
05 BM: SETUP - This menu allows the battery’s charging efficiency to be
automatically determined or manually selected; normally the charging effi-
ciency is automatically calculated (default setting is “Auto”). If you know your
battery’s efficiency and want information on changing this setting from the
“Auto” selection, return to the SETUP section.
06 BM: TECH - These menu selections allow you to access system informa-
tion used to assist service technicians in troubleshooting the Battery Monitor
or the charging system..
Figure 5-4, METER: 06 BM: TECH Selections
BM Rev - This “read-only” menu displays the firmware revision level of
the connected Battery Monitor. If the Battery Monitor is not connected or not
communicating, the display will show “0.0”.
•
•
•
•
Status...
BM: No Comm Status... BM: Pwr-up Fault
Status...
BM: Ready
METER
press Status…
04 BM: Status
rotate to
press to select
rotate to
desired
selection:
Status...
BMRev: ** Status... Min DC: ** Status... Max DC: **
press to leave
METER
press Status…
06 BM: TECH
rotate to
press to select
rotate to
desired
selection:
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

©2007 Magnum Energy Inc. 15
Operation
Min DC - This menu displays the lowest battery voltage since the last
reset. The voltage shown on the display is averaged each second and is
helpful when troubleshooting or detecting an over-discharge condition.
To reset the Min DC display, press and hold the rotary “SELECT” knob for 5
seconds while the ‘Min DC’ display is shown. After this value has been reset,
the display will begin monitoring and displaying new ‘minimum’ DC input
values. If the Battery Monitor is not connected or not communicating, the
display will show “0.0”.
•
Status…
06 BM: TECH
display
shows:
Status…
Max DC: **
rotate to
Status…
Max DC: **
Maximum DC
values are reset
and display now
shows new values:
press to
select press and hold
for ~5 seconds
Figure 5-6, Resetting the Max DC Value
Status…
06 BM: TECH
display
shows:
Status…
Min DC: **
rotate to
Status…
Min DC: **
Minimum DC
values are reset
and display now
shows new values:
press to
select press and hold
for ~5 seconds
Figure 5-5, Resetting the Min DC Value
Max DC - This menu displays the highest battery voltage since the last
reset. The voltage shown on the display is averaged each second, this allows
you to check your charging system (battery charger, charge controller, etc.)
to ensure the charging voltage has been attained. This display is also helpful
when troubleshooting or detecting if an over-charge condition has occurred.
To reset the Max DC display, press and hold the rotary “SELECT” knob for 5
seconds while the ‘Max DC’ display is shown. After this value has been reset,
the display will begin monitoring and displaying new ‘maximum’ DC input
values. If the Battery Monitor is not connected or not communicating, the
display will show “0.0”.
•
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html

16 ©2007 Magnum Energy Inc.
Operation
5.2 LED Indicator
There is a bi-color LED indicator on the front of the sense module to indicate
the Battery Monitor’s status. When the Sense Module is first powered-up, the
LED blinks red and green while going through a self test. Once the self-test
is complete, use the table below along with the 04 BM: Status display on the
ME-RC to determine the operating status of the ME-BMK.
Table 5-1, LED Indicator Guide
LED
Status Meaning
OFF
1. No power to Sense Module. Check for correct DC
voltage (7 to 70VDC) and correct polarity from pin 3
(-) to pin 4 (+) on the terminal block; or
2. Ensure the terminal block is correctly seated into
the Sense Module.
Red ON, Green
ON, Red On,
Green ON
Power-up sequence (1 second interval between each
color). The Sense module is performing a self-test
and occurs when first connected to power.
Green
ON
Normal operation
The Sense Module is transmitting and receiving correctly
with network devices.
Green
BLINKING
Not able to communicate with remote display.
A. If the remote display is off; refer to the remote’s
operation manual for troubleshooting. Ensure inverter
is on and the correct remote communication cable is
connected to the “REMOTE” port on the inverter.
B. If the remote display is on; ensure the remote display
is revision 2.0 or higher. Remote displays with revision
prior to 2.0 are not compatible with the ME-BMK.
Red
ON
The power-up sequence failed.
Unplug the 4-port terminal block from the sense module
and check for correct DC voltage on pins 3 and 4 (must
be between 7 to 70 volts DC depending on the nominal
voltage of the inverter.
Red
BLINKING
No communication or unrecognizable communication
on the network.
1. Check the communication cable; ensure it is con-
nected correctly. If the ME-BMK communication cable
is missing, a standard 2-conductor telephone cable may
be temporarily substituted.
Important: Ensure the RJ11 connector is pushed into the
correct port; you should feel/hear “click” when the con-
nection is made.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/inverters.html