Victron Smart Shunt vs. Juntek KG140F | Detailed Comparison

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Welcome to our channel! We’re excited to get into this with you guys and share some of our journey and knowledge of custom van conversions & Offgrid Power.
If you're looking for a good shunt for your campervan or boat, this is a great video for you to watch! We're going to be comparing the Victron Smart Shunt against the Juntek KG140F to see which we prefer. This is a long, detailed comparison to show the things we like and dislike about both these options.
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[@lasicey]

I don't have one of these units, but looking at the diagram on the shunt interface panel, the connector is RJ11 to RJ11 4pin - such as is used from adsl filter to router/telephone handset/modem. Readily available in various lengths. Just check pin to pin continuity on the lead you have in case they have put in a cross over ,though unlikely. The voltage display more likely of use to lead acid users, especially under heavy loads?

[@perryheideman9007]

My compliant regarding mounting is not the location of the jack, it’s clearly meant for flush panel mounting. The issue is the tiny bezel around the panel. You have to cut a very accurate hole or you risk having a gap showing. A real pain in the kester.

[@boyansilyavski8289]

Thanks for the review and comparison. The display cable should come from the back as it is a panel mount unit. So its good as it is. One should cut a hole somewhere or mount it near the driver. Its proper place anyway is near the heater control or if you have a control panel. Also most of the people will look at the graphic representation of the battery not the numbers. Try explaining the voltage and amp hours to my wife or to someone that rents. So i think the battery must be biggest and then time remaining at current draw. Then all else

[@junctek1802]

Great video, thanks!

[@4mikesutube]

Very nice review. I also agree with your suggestions. But I would add feature to Temperature readout when temp approached a high or low temperature, that the temp field would change color to warn that temperature is approaching Freezing or OverTemp to warn user of impending relay trigging that would disconnect system. This would be lowest priority of your improvements.

[@ericklein5097]

Did you try calibrating #2 and #3? #2 (Drok Charge and Discharge Monitor on Amazon) can be dialed in pretty well if you stick to a current range most of the time such as 20A to 40A or 80A to 100A. #3 I believe has a very similar calibration menu but I have not used it, just saw Jehu Garcia recommended it but him and I have a slightly different application of these(non-RV/caravan/van)

[@zxrjimmy1]

I have tried a good few, but keep going back to my bmv-712, victron

[@DrairoOrtiz]

Good review, I'll say that is a great and accurate unit for the money and its good to have something different on your mobile app. What they can do is add a tab for edit, that way you can choose your critical needs on the display. I agree with your comment about the cable plugged on the back.

[@BrunoB99]

Thanks for the review. If I understand correctly, we can use the Juntek without the remote display? Do you know if it keeps the settings if we disconnect the battery for a few weeks?

[@nigelcleary8908]

I have in use the Victron smart shunt 500a model. It works well for the most part, however the blue tooth range is absolute garbage, for me at least I need to be in line of site, and no more than 3 meters away from the shunt. I have also purchased the Junctek KG140F for another solar project, looking forward to setting it up.

[@leviahamefula3994]

How is the junctek holding up?

[@nigelcleary8908]

@@leviahamefula3994 Working very well as far as I can tell. Not skipped a beat since install.

[@TEKENGLOBAL]

Has this new unit fixed the bug seen in the other model? Where the capacity would show a negative value and ultimately skew the real capacity??

[@Renegade040]

Need help. I just installed this battery monitor and was very happy with it at the start. I set the battery bank capacity to 300ah and when fully charged to 100%. Everything was good, but after a day I noticed that all readings were still the same. I turned off the charger, put on a few more LED lights and the monitor showed all these changes, but the app on my phone is stuck on the original settings. Even still showing it's charging when the charger is turned off. Can't change any settings on the app, can't turn it off and can't disconnect, nothing, any ideas if you read this post, thanks in advance.

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

Daly shuts off current measuring at low current, that may be why it was showing higher SOC.

[@curtchase3730]

Many people have posted reviews on the Juntek power meter. You, and others have pointed out many points regarding it's design and operation. I have been using the KG140F for a few months now on my semi off grid/solar system. I agree that there are several shortcomings with the unit. You pointed out the major ones. Two things I find funny is that the blue tooth radio is in the base unit which sits next to the shunt. I'd think it should be in the remote display which is more likely to be in your living area of your RV/Caravan etc. That would make reception better VS down deep under the floor surrounded by metal structure. Did you notice on your wired display that when the battery is being CHARGED, there is a RED squiggly arrow pointing AWAY from the battery logo? When battery is discharging, the arrow is GREEN and points TOWARDS the battery logo? LOL. At least mine does. Battery time says minutes, but I think it's hours left of the colon and minutes right of the colon. The history graphs are not scalable like the little dials on the phone app. Remember, most of these techie toys are designed in China, made in China, NOT the U.S of A Corp! Nobody in the US would even think of making all the cool gadgets like the Chinese do! If we did, expect to pay like $500.00 for a meter like this. They screw up, but they also do really cool stuff. The Victron products may be more refined/thought out, I agree. I own a couple Victron LiFePO chargers. They work great, but found out while they are running, they knock out weaker AM radio stations with EMI Oh, I find the Juncktek units SOC "guess" is pretty darn good! Both unit have their merits.

[@martinsydenham5835]

But the upside of that is that you can use the shunt via Bluetooth without even installing the display.

[@curtchase3730]

@@martinsydenham5835 Hmm. Never tried that. Thx

[@aubreyj.tennant1123]

Great point about this being an advanced piece and priced very competitively to the popular big names in this category. Hope we see a software upgrade to make the displays more meaningful. 😊

[@jfkjfk1]

The Victron calibrates to increase it's accuracy on each charge cycle . I find mine really supreme 👍

[@offgrid_power]

They're a great product!

[@hendersonsobers396]

Really good review. Agree with your comments about the cable at the side of the Juntek instead of the back.

[@aaamarco6726]

Che software usare per collegarlo via wifi al PC? Grazie

[@Captain_Kdawg]

Will the junktec app work with apple phones?

[@ericklein5097]

Could the Smart Shunt have over time learned your battery is actually 270Ah and overridden your value? Or perhaps it leaves a reserve of 10Ah. 239/270=88.518

[@paulcrouch6928]

I’ve just purchased the 2023 version Port is still at rear but they have a better mounting system for shunt and a five meter cable Still waiting for it to arrive But great video

[@offgrid_power]

Hope you enjoy the new one! We haven't gotten round to trying it yet.

[@gr7485]

Excellent review but I’d still buy the Victron over the Junctek simply based on brand reputation. Junctec doesn’t translate well into English.

[@offgrid_power]

Agreed. The Victron gear is much better!

[@nathoilboy2053]

You can just get the KL-F 140 series of Juntek and it is just Bluetooth without the screen same as the Victron.

[@SnowyOwlPrepper]

I love a simple box.

[@offgrid_power]

Yep! :)

[@davidniquot6423]

17:23 ... wait a second ... you got 236Ah left in your battery and you are drawing 1A .... that's let you 236 HOURS of batterie life and not 236 Mins .. why doies this thing display "Battery Left /M 236 " ..?

[@genep3022]

you make several complaints ad nauseam about mounting....I'm pretty sure they expect you to mount direct to the battery terminal...do you not see that?

[@offgrid_power]

Yes, but don't think that's the best way of mounting this.

[@roborobo02]

Was going to order one but now I won't. Too big etc

[@shelekhov]

too bad they have very stupid design with arrows current direction on a display. Just showing +20 AMps -20 AMps would be very intuitive and easy to read.

[@peterkerr3496]

Why do you repeat yourself? I enjoy your information, but when you repeat yourself, your movies can get tiresome

[@robertramsey8287]

Ok boomer

[@inginum0607]

It's impossible to be more verbose than that. I hope you won't be so long-winded with your acquaintances.