Alistair:

If I wasn't a bit of a gadget guy myself, I probably would not have bought
one. I guess my point was that after the first few outings, you're probably
not going to learn too much new. I find it a very useful device for
determining usage, and yeah, it's kind of fun little gadget to play around
with. I like my toys too:)

Troy

Troy,

thanks for the report. I don't know about other vanagon owners but I get
some enjoyment out of mods or additions that are not in the strict sense
needed. A Doc Wattson or Watts Up meter would be useful and fun for me. My
van is a hobby as well as a means of transportation, and it would please me
to have a meter monitoring aux battery usage perhaps in the same way as
other owners get pleasure in cool A/V systems, water filters, water heaters,
bamboo flooring, toasters,  etc etc.

I've ordered a Doc Wattson and I can't wait to wire it in and see what's
what :)

thanks again Troy,

alistair

>
> I installed one of these last summer. I find the gauge very useful for
> determining AH drawn of various devices, but not sure one would need to
> use this meter all the time. I was surprised by certain things like my
> stereo and GPS, both of which draw more than I expected. I was pleasantly
> surprised how little the Vitrifrigo fridge uses. I thought that it was
> drawing quite a bit of power, but it's actually the fan that runs much
> more than the compressor. I do kind of wish they had a little better
> design for a dash mount, but I use Anderson power pole connectors and just
> keep the gauge under the rear seat above the battery.
>
> I have a second meter elsewhere to keep an eye on battery voltage as well.
> I think I now have something like 160AH of reserve power, so not quite as
> obsessed about pwr usage. It is pretty surprising as well to watch how
> quickly battery performance declines. My little 22AH golf cart batteries
> have performed better than anything I've purchased. These are the ones
> that Karl recommended a number of years ago. My Walley world 125 amp hour
> battery lost about 20% of its charge holding capacity within the first
> year. Now wishing I would have bought a Trojan or something similar. You
> do get what you pay for as the saying goes.
>
> For determining electrical usage, one needs to have good instruments, and
> this device has proved invaluable, and is much less expensive than some
> competitive models. Overall, I think it was a good purchase and have no
> regrets. Hope this helps! I have the watts up model btw. I paid about $49
> IIRC.
>
> Troy