Hi folks.  I just purchased a nifty little gadget for monitoring battery usage.  The manufacturer simply calls it a "watt's up" meter, catchy eh?  While there are some very expensive battery monitoring devices out there for well over $200, this little gadget sells for under 50 bucks.

It can handle up to 50 amps of continuous current, and spikes up to 100 amps. The display reads out the actual amperage being drawn, as well as watt's being used, and then total amp hours. Has a few other features too, but these are the main ones.

This is a great little device for determining actual amperage being drawn from any appliance, whether it be a fluorescent light or refrigerator.  It can be used to check actual output of a battery charger, check the state of any battery voltage, and also let you know the total amp hours that were drawn for any given period of time.  This last feature is invaluable as a type of fuel gauge of your battery.  You can also check things like amperage going into the battery from your alternator or say a solar array, well... the list goes on.

To me, this is an invaluable tool to have in any camper.  For $50, it's a great bargain. and the nice thing as well is it's pretty tiny.  About 2 inches long and 1.5" high, by maybe 3/4" thick.

I haven't figured out quite where I'm going to mount mine yet, but it's compact size will make it pretty versatile.  This does need to go between your battery and everything else or perhaps between the end of a run of wire and fuse box (probably how I will wire mine).  A momentary switch is needed to reset the amp hours.

If you're the type that really likes to know, and not one to just trust manufactures claims, you'll love this little gadget.

They are sold on eBay and up on Amazon.  Recommended!

Troy