Cheap & Easy to Install 12V Digital Voltmeter - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-10-2016, 11:15 AM   #1
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Name: Dave
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Cheap & Easy to Install 12V Digital Voltmeter

I have a cpap machine and nothing is worse than waking up gasping for air when my battery runs low. I looked around and saw a plug in model in LHC but that does't help when my machine is plugged in. I want to be able to see my charge all the time. A quick search and I found this little voltmeter for $8-10. I liked the blue color as well but settled on green for forest, more like camping I guess. It was cheap, easy to install, small, simple, and seems to work well.

Car Motor Green LED Digital Display Panel Voltmeter Volt Meter 12V | eBay
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Old 08-10-2016, 12:26 PM   #2
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If I were waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air then I would not be satisfied with a simple volt meter that really tells you very little about how much energy is available in your battery.

I put in a Trimetric battery use meter and I have been told that it is overkill for most people and not as accurate as it claims to be, but I believe it is MUCH better than a volt meter alone for knowing the state of charge of your battery or batteries and very appropriate for this situation. Cost with installation is around $200.
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Old 08-10-2016, 12:42 PM   #3
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if my life was dependent on a cpap machine then I would do the following
1. have a dedicated battery for it that allows no other device to put loads onto it
2. be sure the battery was fully charged before bed time
3. have the battery checked on a regular schedule by a store that has the equipment for it
4. install a low battery power alarm so that it wakes a person up before they get to the point of gasping. That way you are not trying to solve the issue while in physical distress
5. investigate the option of hooking it to a system where a generator is triggered to turn on if the battery charge gets to a certain low level. It is OK to break quiet hours noise rules in a situation where there is a life saving event needed. But it should not be the first line of action, the other things on the list should be done first. Such generator controls do exist, my partner is on the team that created the one that is sold for use with the Onan Cummings generators in RVs and it is programmable for such an event. It can also be programmed to charge the battery before quiet time starts, it knows how long it will take to top up the battery from a certain level and will turn on in time to make that happen.
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Old 08-10-2016, 01:03 PM   #4
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Sheese you guys, it's 8 bucks!!!! gives me an idea of battery condition, all I need. Reminds me of the other night when I was browsing an outdoors site. Guy asked what pistol caliber for use on bears for just in case. Nothing short of a cannon would do and snide remarks for little Pennsylvania black bears.

I have a cpap, waking up at night to change battery is annoying, not life threatening, and even with an old battery can get 3 or so nights out of it. Would prefer not get up and out. My GPS on my boat has one and at least I know my batteries are down before they are out.

It's 8 bucks and it tells me something. Besides, I like little meters of any kind anyway. I am looking at an hour glass and an old French barometer.

It's just 8 bucks!!
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Old 08-10-2016, 02:41 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Vtec View Post
Sheese you guys, it's 8 bucks!!!!..
Sheese! You said, "waking up gasping for air" so don't be surprised that people took that both literally and as a serious matter worth of spending more than $8!

But if its only an inconvenience then that's different. A family member of mine was just diagnosed and on his sleep study had a Apnoea–Hypopnoea Index (AHI) score of 44! And he had no idea he had an apena problem. I'm sure he could go without his new CPAP if he had too, since he has done just that his entire life.

So my other question is, does the light keep you awake? I bought one not too much different but never installed it because it was too bright for night use.

This is a good option if you have a spare 12 volt (cigarette lighter type) outlet, and it is only $2.61!

Car Vehicle Voltmeter Voltage Gauge Volt Meter Cigarette Plug Monitor 12V 24V F5 | eBay
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Old 08-10-2016, 03:25 PM   #6
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Too bad Vtec....

you may have caught the disease !!! and that is to strive to understand/quantify stuff in the 12V world....it's an ailment that will cause you to spend tons on time on the internet (you might already be there) and spend tons of disposable income to reach your own state of 12V nivarna.....LOL...

kidding aside....do you know what your machine's cut off voltage is? the point where it shuts down?.....ironic that the display in the ad had a reading of 12.2 (battery at 50% charge and where one should stop depleting it)

having used a single digit (after decimal point) panel meter myself you will get the information you need...like how many volts your charging system puts out in maintenance mode, when the battery is "full" (12.6+) and when it gets to read 12.1 if you are still using battery power you are shortening the life of your battery......all good info....

and about your ailment....an indication that it is getting worse is if you get the urge to go out and buy a Hydrometer...that will mean you're "hooked"...."Hi I'm Vtec and I'm a DC-aholic"
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Old 08-10-2016, 03:53 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Franswa View Post
and about your ailment....an indication that it is getting worse is if you get the urge to go out and buy a Hydrometer...that will mean you're "hooked"...."Hi I'm Vtec and I'm a DC-aholic"
Already got one! And here I thought I was just an occasional drinker all along. Didn't know I had a problem, thanks for letting me know, lol.
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Old 08-10-2016, 04:12 PM   #8
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kidding aside....do you know what your machine's cut off voltage is? the point where it shuts down?.....ironic that the display in the ad had a reading of 12.2 (battery at 50% charge and where one should stop depleting it)
I have a Resmed 9 12 Volt DC converter. From the owners manual:

"The converter will shutdown automatically when the voltage drops below 10.5 volts for a 12 volt battery, or 21 volts for a 24 volt battery. This will protect the battery from damage due to being allowed to fully discharge."

I have been using it for at least 4 years and it has worked great. When I first got it I was disappointed to find the Resmed 9 was a 24 volt unit. I thought it was impossible to run 12V until I bumped into the converter for it. Beats really expensive batteries and we are seldom in electric sites. I rotate the two trolling motor batteries out of my boat and take one or both when needed.
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Old 08-10-2016, 07:05 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
Sheese! You said, "waking up gasping for air" so don't be surprised that people took that both literally and as a serious matter worth of spending more than $8!
Just for people that do not know, many of us use a CPAP but it is most definitely NOT a life or death episode if it quits. Might be a miserable night's sleep, but I won't die. That said, the waking up gasping can be attributed to being used to breathing through the nose (for my headgear). If the machine quits I am getting NO air and wake up and breath through my mouth.

I had a Resmed S8, 120V machine and ran it fine on a 150W inverter while camping, (no heater or humidifier). Recently my Doctor decided I needed a new CPAP and it is a Philips Dream Station, which I was quite pleased to discover is a 12V unit. A 12V cigarette lighter plugged cord is available for this machine at a very reasonable price. It will give me more options for powering my machine. So I don't, like, wake up gasping for air in the middle of the night and die and stuff.
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Old 08-10-2016, 07:09 PM   #10
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I would suggest you do not in the future over dramatize your condition for your own entertainment or to try and be entertaining with statements such as woke up gasping for air unless you actually indicate you are not being serious with something such as a wink.

Would you rather people trivialized a person's medical condition if they are having serious issues? I for one will always respond to such things as if the individual is actually in distress if they make statements that say they were in distress. To be berate me or anyone else for doing so does not reflect well on the person who is doing the berating.
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Old 08-10-2016, 09:13 PM   #11
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Hey Gordon, yes, went out and checked in the dark and light from it could be/is annoying so definitely am going to put a switch on it and was planning on it before I mounted it.

Timberwolf & others with cpap, even if your machine isn't 12V, you can usually get a converter like mine that runs off 12V and automatically brings it to the needed voltage as mine is 24V plugged into 12V, no problems. I also had a Resmed 8, which plugged into 120VAC but really ran on 12VDC, and all it needed was a 12V DC cord so didn't really need an inverter. I tried an AC inverter with my Resmed 8 and got short battery life. I mention this as I have had a few cpap friends who thought they could only camp with electrical hookups.

ResMed S9-Series DC adapter for S9 Escape™, Elite™ and Autoset™ CPAP machines

And I am really sorry if it sounded life or death, and thanks for the suggestions/concerns. You really do gasp when you wake up as you tend to be in very deep sleep with a cpap. For me it's kind of scary, like drowning in a way, so I really hate running out of battery in the middle of the night. Without having one I could see where it sounds serious. Before I got a cpap I was suffocating every night, not many other ways to say it, but in hind site I should have explained the situation better. Sorry corbin, your post was well thought out in detail, your advice sound and sincere, I apologize for the offense.
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Old 08-11-2016, 10:01 AM   #12
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That is really very nice. Thanks for posting!
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Old 08-11-2016, 07:20 PM   #13
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That's life on a forum....
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Old 08-20-2016, 12:44 AM   #14
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I use a Respironics System One CPAP that can run on 12V directly and, without the humidifier, will run for close to a week off the group 27 battery in our Scamp. I installed a combination DVM, 12v socket and USB ports and am very happy with it. Besides checking the level of the battery it is useful on checking if the shore power is on. Converter puts out about 13.7V on shore power, otherwise just the ~ 12V of the battery.
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