DC Battery Shunt Location

[Turtle Blues]

I know all best practices show the shunt location to be at the negative terminal of the battery.
This particular system makes that difficult and would require extending the data cable.
If state of charge and power available are calibrated functions what would be the difference if shunt is installed on the panel side of the ground conductor. It is a straight run to the battery about 10m in length.

[flee27]

It will not matter as long as nothing bypasses the shunt. Anything that might bypass the shunt will not get counted and lessen the value of having a shunt.

Best
Foster

[Cheechako]

delete

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Turtle Blues

I know all best practices show the shunt location to be at the negative terminal of the battery.
This particular system makes that difficult and would require extending the data cable.
If state of charge and power available are calibrated functions what would be the difference if shunt is installed on the panel side of the ground conductor. It is a straight run to the battery about 10m in length.

The physical location doesn't matter. What's important it that nothing connect to system in between the shunt and the battery negative terminal, or directly to the negative terminal itself.

[Statistical]

The physical distance between the shunt and battery neg terminal doesn't matter. What matters is the wiring path. The shunt can be 200 feet from the battery as long as nothing bypasses the shunt. If ALL DC negative connections are on the load side of the shunt and then the shunt and then a single connection to the battery that is good. 1 foot, 10 feet, 200 feet it doesn't matter. All current will flow through the shunt and the current will be the same along every point of that DC negative connection between the shunt and the battery/

If you have wiring which bypasses the shunt that is a charger or devices wired directly to the battery such that their current doesn't flow through the shunt then the shunt can see that flow of energy and over time errors will be introduced into SoC and other measurements.

So keeping it correct is a bit easier if the shunt and primary DC negative busbar are near the battery. You are less likely to make mistakes and bypass the shunt but as long as you understand nothing should connect to the battery neg terminal except the shunt then where it is physically doesn't matter only where it is logically in the design.

[smac999]

assuming the shunt is for a battery monitor. And not just a panel load shunt. The wire to panel is going to be missing everything else from the battery. Chargers etc. which do not go to the panel.

[Turtle Blues]

Thanks to all who responded.
Battery monitor installed and working fine. Nice to have a step above 40 year old analog meter.
Although... This has been in boat stock for a few years so I installed it. Quick look online now I could have gotten a 2 hall bidirectional for under $100