Reason for malfunctioning Victron 712 Battery Monitor

Jbreunig

After six months of trouble shooting the malfunctioning Victron 712 Battery Monitor in my 2020 T@b 400 BDL, I determined it was a faulty UTP cable. The original monitor gauge, and iPhone App, constantly gave faulty readings showing the battery at very low levels of charge with a high discharge rate even when nothing was running in the T@b. Readings were inconsistent, and never close to what my battery tester would show. Initially thought it was a faulty shunt. Pike Industry, the original seller of the monitor, provided a replacement unit. After installing the new shunt, it still provided inaccurate readings. Only after replacing the UTP cable from the shunt to the gauge did the monitor, and the iPhone App, provide the correct readings. Thank you to Pike Industries for exchanging the faulty unit, and to Beckley’s RV Center in helping trouble shoot the problem. The monitoring system now works great and provides great information on the status of the battery and the solar panels.

Denny16

 Yes, the small UTP cable can have bad connections on the RJ connectors.  It is always a good idea to setup he shunt and connect the monitor and cable together to test the system out before finishing the install, this way the cable, monitor and Bluetooth setup can all be checked and replaced as required. 

 My first trouble shooting is to check the cables first, components next, for failures, 9 out of 19 times, it is the cable, or a cable connection issue.  

 Thanks for sharing your experience.
cheers