BMS App with use tracking...or a good cheap shunt?

[undercrust]

Looking for recommendations here. I'm using the Overkill BMS app with my JBD 120A BMS (JBD-SP04S034-L4S-120A), and after tweaking the settings it's been working fantastic.

However, I can see more clearly now that tracking how much battery I've used while I'm off camping is going to be a bit more difficult, since the app does not provide feedback on cumulative usage as "seen" by the BMS.

Q1 - Is there an equally capable app that will provide a view on cumulative usage as seen by the BMS?

I know already that this will be much less accurate than using a proper shunt, but honestly I've pretty massively oversized my battery, so this would be a feature for convenience on my longest trips.

If no such thing exists, then I would consider adding in a shunt, but holy crow do some of these seem expensive. The Victron 500A SmartShunt is straight out, since they're $180 in Canada. Next one I see recommended is the Junctek 400A ($85) or 100A ($70) shunts from AliExpress, and finally the AiLi 350A ($70) or 100A ($65). For my use case, where my charger will max out at 70A, and my inverter will max out at 100A (which I use extremely rarely), the AiLi and Junctek 100A are my front-runners.

Q2 - If I go ahead with getting a shunt, is there any good reason to choose one over the other of these options?

Q3 - Is there any strong reason to step up to the 400A/350A version, instead of sticking with the 100A?

Q4 - Are there any top candidates I've missed that are better options?

Q5 - Are there any decent quality "dumb" shunts that would be a very cheap alternative if I just wanted to reliably track usage, instead of one of these smarter shunts that track usage and charging?

Thanks in advance to all you DIYers who have come before me!

 

[Tomthumb62]

Curious as to the replies you might get. You might try posting this in the Beginners Corner forum for more visibility.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Junctek

Man who thought up that name?

Everyone sitting around stoned one day and said Yea let’s call our company Junctek…

 

[TacomaJoe]

I have the 350A AiLi shunt monitor. I like the "at a glance" display reading but bottom line is it shows the same info as my BMS. I have 3 JBD in parallel and they track pretty close with the AiLi. I know what I'm using and how much I have but it is a snapshot. I too have a heap of battery and I can turn off charging and just watch my usage for 24 hours to get an idea of my loads. My other check is to look at my SOC Ah each morning to see if my solar is keeping up with my usage.

It's all I need to know. I really don't need the charts and graphs to break down my hourly usage and generation. Works for me.

 

[Quattrohead]

I have the Junctek and it does a good job. It outputs basic csv data from a serial/RS485 port and to a BT app but the range is not great.
I am also struggling to get the data into home assistant.

Ultimately solar assistant is the quickest easiest and most complete way to get the data you are looking for from your BMS and inverter.