I am running a project in Kaua'i using two ORMR readers to track nest attendance in a few burrow nesting seabird species in the ridges and mountains in this island. We have had some issues with battery drainage issues (105 Ah battery for each reader in two different locations within the same mountain site) but with our difficult environment, we think sun exposure from our solar panel source is the main issue so we are adding an additional solar panel to each set up. Additionally we are looking to add a battery monitor to help track the amp hours going into the battery from our solar source. We purchased a Thornwave Labs PowerMon bluetooth battery monitor to help with this, however with two solar panels, the load, and the battery already connected to the solar charger we have (morningstar brand) I was wondering if any other PIT reader users have attached a battery monitor to their set up and if there are any tips or tricks others may have come across that work well! Any feedback is helpful!
Bobby Brittingham
Hi all,
I am running a project in Kaua'i using two ORMR readers to track nest attendance in a few burrow nesting seabird species in the ridges and mountains in this island. We have had some issues with battery drainage issues (105 Ah battery for each reader in two different locations within the same mountain site) but with our difficult environment, we think sun exposure from our solar panel source is the main issue so we are adding an additional solar panel to each set up. Additionally we are looking to add a battery monitor to help track the amp hours going into the battery from our solar source. We purchased a Thornwave Labs PowerMon bluetooth battery monitor to help with this, however with two solar panels, the load, and the battery already connected to the solar charger we have (morningstar brand) I was wondering if any other PIT reader users have attached a battery monitor to their set up and if there are any tips or tricks others may have come across that work well! Any feedback is helpful!