NASA Marine CLIPPER BM-1Li User manual

CLIPPER
LiFeP04 BATTERY
MONITOR
BM-1Li
CHARGE
DIS
V&A
ILLUM
BATTERY MONITOR
A
V
100%
80
60
40
100%
80
60
40
TIME
DESIGNED AND
MANUFACTURED
IN ENGLAND
RoHS
2002/95/EC
SYNC
BM-1Li

NASA BATTERY MONITOR BM-1Li
Table of Contents
PAGE
INTRODUCTION
INSTALLING THE DISPLAY
Safety Notes
Installation of the Display Unit And Cables
OPERATION
Switching the backlight
Showing the Voltage and Current
Showing the Time to Go
ENGINEERING
Setting the Battery’s Nominal Capacity
Setting the Estimated Battery Temperature
Setting the Zero-Current
Setting the Charge Efficiency
Viewing the V(max) Voltage
Synchronising
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
READ THIS FIRST!
BEFORE INSTALLING THE BM - 1Li, CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING
INSTRUCTIONS, ESPECIALLY THE SAFETY NOTES AND WARRANTY
CONDITIONS.
1
1
1
1
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
6
CLIPPER BM1 - 1Li . . . . . Load & Charge
Current - 100 Amps Maximum

INSTALLING THE DISPLAY
Safety notes - IMPORTANT
Short-circuiting a battery with a metal tool or piece of jewellery can cause
catastrophic currents to flow. Before installing the BM1, remove all
jewellery (such as rings or metal necklaces). Ensure that no metal tool can
cause a short circuit.
If you are not sufficiently skilled to undertake any part of this installation
safely, you must seek the assistance of a suitably qualified person.
Installation of the Display unit
The installation should be performed in the order specified in the following
sections.
1 Select a convenient position for the display. Cut a hole in the panel
87mm wide and 67mm deep. The site must be flat and the cavity
behind the panel must remain dry at all times. (The cable entry is
deliberately not sealed to ensure adequate ventilation. This prevents
misting of the display).
2 Bring the shunt cable through the hole in the panel.
3 Unscrew and remove the wing nut from the rear of the instrument
and remove the stainless steel clamping bracket.
4 Fit the "O" ring seal into the groove in the panel-mounting face of
the instrument. Ensure that it is correctly lying in its groove to
provide the watertight seal for the display before fitting the
instrument to the panel.
Page 1
INTRODUCTION
The NASA Marine BM-1Li is a coulomb counting, lithium battery monitor
specifically intended for use with a 12-volt lithium iron phosphate
(LiFePO4) battery installation.
It is supplied complete with display unit, current shunt (standard 50mV)
and connecting cables for monitoring batteries with capacities from 20Ah to
600Ah.
With the ability to handle continuous charge or discharge currents up to
100 amps the BM-1li displays the service battery voltage, the charge or
discharge current, the state of charge and the time to achieve full charge
during charging or the time remaining during discharge. The voltage of the
engine start battery is also displayed and a visual alarm indicates when the
service battery is exhausted .
The instrument's use is limited to monitoring the battery and is not
intended to form part of the charging control system.

Figure 1 - Domestic battery only
5 Connect the shunt cable to the display unit as shown on Figure 1,
below, using the terminal block supplied. Be careful to connect the
wires exactly as shown, noting that the black and white wires are
joined at the shunt connection, and are connected separately at the
instrument end of the cable.
6 Fit the instrument into the panel, fit the stainless clamp over the
stud, fit and tighten the wing nut finger tight only. It is important
that the O-ring rubber seal makes good contact with the panel to
prevent water getting behind the unit and entering the cavity behind
the panel.
7 It is good practice to run the cables vertically downwards from the
unit, even if they later have to rise to connect to the vessel's
supplies. Doing so prevents any water that might get onto the cables
from running back along the cables and into the unit.
8 Ensure that all loads are switched off
9 Disconnect the NEGATIVE terminal from the battery and connect to
the shunt as shown on Figure 1. Ensure it is positioned where it
cannot come into electrical contact with other parts, and ensure it
will remain dry and free from contaminants. Also note that the
shunt can get warm when heavy currents flow, so ensure it is
secured in a position where its heat cannot affect other parts. TAKE
CARE TO AVOID OVER-TIGHTENING THE CONNECTION TO THE
SHUNT.
10 Connect the Black and White wires and Yellow wire to the shunt as
shown on Figure 1.
RED RED
BLACK*BLACK
WHITE*
Cables
supplied
Original
cables
WHITE
YELLOW YELLOW
YELLOW
* Black & White
MUS T NO T be
joine d a t thi s end.
V&A TIME
SYNC
ILLUM
BM
ORANGE
SHUNT
DOMESTIC
BATTERY OR
BATTERIES
-
+FUSE
NEGATIVE
TO ALL DOMESTIC
LOADS AND GENERATORS
5-metre
CABLE
POSITIVE
TO ALL DOMESTIC
LOADS & GENERATORS
VERY IMPORTANT
No other connection
should be made to
this post
Page 2

Figure 2 -
Domestic
and
starter
Batteries
TO STARTER
THIS CABLE IS NOT SUPPLIED
RED RED
BLACK*BLACK
WHITE*
Cables
supplied
Original
cables
WHITE
YELLOW YELLOW
YELLOW
* Black & White
MUS T NO T be
joine d a t thi s end.
V&A TIME
SYNC
ILLUM
BM
ORANGE
SHUNT
DOMESTIC
BATTERY OR
BATTERIES
ENGINE START
BATTERY
-
-
+
+
FUSE
NEGATIVE
TO ALL DOMESTIC
LOADS AND GENERATORS
5-metre
CABLE
POSITIVE
TO ALL DOMESTIC
LOADS & GENERATORS
VERY IMPORTANT
No other connection
should be made to
this post
FUSE
11 Connect short link cable to the shunt and then to the negative
terminal of the battery.
12 If the starter battery voltage is to be monitored then connect the
orange wire to the positive terminal of the starter battery.
A 1 amp fuse close to the starter battery will aford protection if a
fault occurs.
13 Finally, connect the red wire to the POSITIVE terminal of the battery
to complete the electrical installation.
OPERATION
Switching the backlight.
Press ILLUM to switch the backlighting on or off. The backlit area is
restricted in the top corners of the display to concentrate the lighting to the
area of interest. To save power the backlight will automatically turn off after
two minutes.
Showing the voltage and current.
Press the V&A key to display the service battery voltage, current and state
of charge. A second press of V&A displays the starter battery voltage
together with the symbol ST. The starter battery can be a lithium battery or
a lead acid battery where the open circuit voltage can be a reliable
indication of state of charge. Note when displaying the starter battery
voltage, the unit continues to monitor the domestic battery and display its
state of charge.
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Page 4
Showing time to go.
Press the TIME key to display the state of charge and the latest estimate
of how long it will take to fully charge or discharge the battery. The time
will continuously update as the load or charge current changes. Values in
excess of 199 hours are shown as 199Hr.the gauge to the right of the
screen continues to show the domestic battery’s state of charge
ENGINEERING
Engineering is the mode for setting various operational parameters. It is
accessed by keeping the ILLUM key depressed until the word ENG is
displayed. After releasing the ILLUM key pressing the V&A key will scroll
through the various settings. The magnitude of some of the settings
can be raised or lowered by pressing the UP or DOWN key. Pressing V&A
will advance to the next parameter or pressing ILLUM will store the new
values and exit the engineering mode.
SETTING THE BATTERY CAPACITY
From ENG the first parameter is the battery capacity. This can have a
value between 20AH and 600AH with a default value of 100AH. Set the
capacity to that stated on the battery. In case of a bank of batteries wired
in parallel then add all the individual capacities.
SETTING THE TEMPERATURE
From ENG press V&A to get the approximate working temperature. The
range is -10 degrees centigrade to +40 degrees in 10-degree steps. Set the
approximate working temperature of the battery. The default value is 20
degrees.
SETTING THE ZERO CURRENT
From ENG press V&A to get to the residual current screen. If no current is
flowing in or out of the battery but a small residual current is shown on
the display, then the reading will need to be adjusted to zero. First ensure
that the reading should truly be zero, that is there is no current flowing in
or out of the battery, wait ten seconds to ensure the reading is stable then
press the DOWN key until the bar graph counts down to one bar. Release
the key to complete the procedure.
warning! Do not attempt the zero-set procedure if current is flowing in the
shunt as this will introduce errors.

Page 5
SETTING THE CHARGE EFFICIENCY
From ENG press V&A to get to the charge efficiency screen. The charge
efficiency is the ratio of charge you get out divided by the charge put in.
The default value is 95% which is typical of a LiFePO4 battery in good
condition.
VIEWING THE V(max) VOLTAGE
From ENG press V&A to get to the V(max) screen.
A LiFePO4 battery is usually charged from a substantially constant
current source until the terminal voltage rises to 14.4 volts V(max) at
which point the battery is within a few percent of being fully charged.
Maintaining this terminal voltage until the charge current falls to a low
level completes the charging process. V(max) cannot be adjusted from this
screen it is set using the semi-automatic approach as described in the
SYNCHRONISING section.
SYNCHRONISING
When the monitor is first installed it will show the voltage and charge or
discharge current of the service battery. The state of charge indicator will
flash on and off indicating that the system requires synchronising.
Synchronisation is the process by which the system establishes when the
battery is fully charged. The monitor then calculates the subsequent state
of charge by integrating the charge and discharge current over time. As
charging a LiFePO4 battery in excess of 14.4 volts reduces its life
expectancy some charging systems set V(max) a little lower. This has the
advantage of protecting the battery and extending its service life at the
expense of a small amount of available capacity. The BM-1Li indicates the
state of charge of available capacity. The available capacity will be slightly
less than the stated capacity if V(max) is less than 14.4 volts as the
charger cannot fully charge the battery.
If Vmax never reaches 14.4 volts (The default setting of Vmax) then
synchronisation cannot occur and the state of charge display will continue
to flash. Ensure that the battery is in a fully charged condition then press
and hold the SYNC key until the bar graph counts down to one bar and
release the key. This is the semi-automatic synchronisation process which
synchronises the monitor and automatically resets the value of V(max) in
engineering. Further synchronising should not be necessary unless power

Page 6
to the display is interrupted or any engineering parameter (With the
exception of the zero-current setting) have been changed.
Warning! Do not attempt the synchronising procedure until V(max) has
been achieved as this will introduce errors.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q The screen of my BM-1Li blank.
A Check the wiring is correct and securely terminated. Check the fuse
and check the battery is not completely exhausted.
Q The battery voltage is correct, but the charge or discharge current is
incorrect.
A Check the wiring of the shunt. Ensure that the only connection to the
battery negative post is the shunt. There should be no other connections to
the negative battery terminal.
Q My battery is made up of a bank of several batteries. Is that a problem?
A Not if the combination produces a nominal 12 volts and all the current
flows through the shunt.
Q Can my BM-1Li monitor my engine start battery as well as my service
battery?
A Yes it can also monitor the engine start battery voltage. The open circuit
voltage of the starter battery can be used to estimate its state of charge.
Q The monitor shows there is still charge in the battery, but the low
voltage alarm is flashing.
A The available capacity of the battery has been overstated. You need to
reduce the available battery capacity by that amount. This could be due to
the battery capacity being less than stated or the charging system is failing
to fully charge the battery. See chapter on synchronising.
Q Do I need to disconnect my BM-1Li when I leave the boat for long
periods.
A Probably not, the unit is designed to be permanently connected to the
battery. It is independently fused and consumes only about one-amp hour
per month. However, you must ensure that the battery retains enough
capacity to power all residual loads over the period of none use. Allowing
the battery to become completely exhausted could cause irreparable
damage.
Q The time to discharge is correct but the time to charge takes longer
than predicted.
A The charge efficiency is set too high and needs to be reduced.

Page 7

IMPORTANT READ THIS BEFORE
UNPACKING INSTRUMENT
LIMITED WARRANTY
Prior to unpacking this instrument read and fully understand the installation instructions.
Only proceed with the installation if you are competent to do so. Nasa Marine Ltd. will
not accept any responsibility for injury or damage caused by, during or as a result of
the installation of this product. Any piece of equipment can fail due to a number of
causes. Do not install this equipment if it is the only source of information and its failure
could result in injury or death. Instead return the instrument to your retailer for full credit.
Remember this equipment is an aid to navigation and not a substitute for proper
seamanship. This instrument is used at your own risk, use it prudently and check its
operation from time to time against other data. Inspect the installation from time to time
and seek advice if any part thereof is not fully seaworthy.
Nasa Marine Ltd. warrants this instrument to be substantially free of defects in both
materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase.
Nasa Marine Ltd. will at its discretion repair or replace any components which fail in
normal use within the warranty period. Such repairs or replacements will be made at
no charge to the customer for parts and labour. The customer is however responsible
for transport costs. This warranty excludes failures resulting from abuse, misuse,
accident or unauthorised modifications or repairs. In no event shall Nasa Marine Ltd.
be liable for incidental, special, indirect or consequential damages, whether resulting
from the use, misuse, the inability to correctly use the instrument or from defects in
the instrument. If any of the above terms are unacceptable to you then return the
instrument unopened and unused to your retailer for full credit.
Name
Address
Dealer Name
Address
Date of Purchase
Proof of purchase may be required for warranty claims.
Nasa Marine Ltd.
Boulton Road, Stevenage, Herts SG1 4QG England
EU Declaration of Conformity
This declaration is issued under the sole responsibility of NASA Marine Ltd. This product is in
conformity with the relevant Union harmonisation Legislation. Harmonised standards applied:
EU directive 2014/30/EU (Electromagnetic compatibility) EN60945:2002-08
The original Declaration of Conformity certificate can be requested at [email protected]
THIS PRODUCT IS INTENDED FOR USE ONLY ON NON SOLAS VESSELS