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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9810
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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 Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:28 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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Got the Mopeka and tried it on my tank using the 6" setting.
I am confident the tank is 'full' as I watched the guy fill it and it was the usual fluid spewing and valve shut-off.
It read 77% which sounds about right for a tank with over-fill protection (remember it is measuring % of height, not % of volume).
Rather than leave it there (showing actual percentage of tank height) I experimented with tank height and found that a calibration to 4.4" yielded a reading of 100%.
I think I'll go with that and see how it behaves as gas is consumed.
Now to figure out how to remove the battery.
| kamzcab86 wrote: |
| ...You can't use decimals in the app, so you have to round the height off... |
Mine allowed decimals in the height entry - and I experimented with different numbers to conclude the tenths entry does indeed affect the answer.
Edit - After thinking about it I changed the tank height setting to 5.8" which is possibly maybe the inside diameter of the tank. That gives a reading of 81% when full which is more truthful and also will let me know if somehow the tank is ever over-filled. |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9810
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:52 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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Apparently what is now supplied (at least from Amazon) is a 2nd generation version as the instructions note differences from the 1st gen. In this example, the 1st gen has openings on the sides for pressing the tabs to release the case (for battery change) whereas the version I received has no openings and the clips are released by inserting something in the gap along the edges (2nd pic):
Minor difference but perhaps some other things have changed (e.g. height being set to one decimal place). |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7923
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| Ahwahnee wrote: |
| Mine allowed decimals in the height entry - and I experimented with different numbers to conclude the tenths entry does indeed affect the answer. |
D'oh! You're right! It was user error over Christmas!  
For my tank (ambient temp 64°F):
6.1" = 92%
5.8" = 96%
4.4" = 100%
I'm sticking with 6.1" because, while the tank was overfilled Dec. 23rd, there's no way, at this point, it's still at 100% with stove usage and some (intentional) off-gassing. I'll be doing my darndest to run the tank empty next week, then get it looked at by a pro, and will report back as far as level readings go.
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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SyncroHead 
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1145
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:54 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| SyncroHead wrote: |
My Westy's propane tank was filled by the previous owner and I don't have any idea if it's 90% full or almost empty. This device looks great!
I just ordered one of these too. I'll report back...
Jim |
Thanks jimf909 for the suggestion about warm water. I can visualize the hazard you mention about crawling under your van and pouring water, perhaps more on myself than the tank.
Well I got mine yesterday and set it up. Set it to a 6.1" tank per someone else's advice without measuring. Once I deplete this propane, I plan to replace it with a new tank and I'll measure that one before installation.
The initial setup to turn the device on was a bit confusing. One place in the instructions said to press the activation button just once and it would be recognized in the Tank Check phone app while the app was scanning. Nothing happened, despite waiting over a minute. Pressed once again waited two minutes, then again waiting even longer and the device did not show up in the app. The thing seemed dead. Instructions said if you're using their separate monitor device instead of a phone app to press the button 5 times. Tried that, still nothing. Elsewhere in the instructions it said to press and hold for 5 seconds to change the measurement interval. I gave a press-n-hold a try and after 3-4 seconds the phone found it and we're off to the races.
After that initial hiccup, it initially indicated 44-45% for several scans. Checking it today it seems to have settled on 33-34% full. It's amazing what one can get these days at an economical price and I didn't even have to spill warm water on myself while crawling under my van. 
Jim Davis
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:11 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| Ahwahnee wrote: |
Rather than leave it there (showing actual percentage of tank height) I experimented with tank height and found that a calibration to 4.4" yielded a reading of 100%.
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Great update!
Your 4.4” is similar to the 4.25” I set mine at in my original post to get the 100% full reading in the screen shot, i.e. the tank is 100% full when it’s actually only 80% full...unless it’s overfilled.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter where we set the full level. If we use 4.4” or 6.1” the device will still alert us when approaching 0% full which is what I’m mostly interested in.
Hopefully, this device will keep me from asking someone to fill a tank that’s nearly full or running out of propane when I’m hoping that the Propex will keep me warm at night.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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cmayna
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2014
Posts: 1148
Location: SF Bay area, CA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:54 am Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| jimf909 wrote: |
Hopefully, this device will keep me from asking someone to fill a tank that’s nearly full or running out of propane when I’m hoping that the Propex will keep me warm at night. |
Exactly! I will use it just to check the level before we go camping just to see if we have enough to get by or if we are running on vapors.
Hate to bother the gas man, having him lay down on his side, grunting and groaning, ending up putting in just 1 gallon of fuel and giving me that stinky eye look 
Also, I emailed Mopeka's customer service with a couple questions and they replied back
" Hello Craig this is Mopeka Support,
The battery life of a sensor on default is around 1 year give or take a couple of months due to environmental situations. You can find instructions in the app to change this to a slightly slower mode which will increase its life expectancy to about 2 ½ years. The only way to turn the sensor off is to take out the batteries. Inside the app the battery life is shown next to the sensor so you always know that he life is. If you do not use the app there is no way of knowing what the battery level is. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask "
_________________
'90 Westy / automatic.
If I'm not working on the camper or my '50 Chebbie truck, I'm either fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Craig |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:48 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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I got my propane tank filled yesterday and adjusted the depth on the app until it read 100% and landed on 4.6". I'll check it next time I fill up. Hopefully I'll get out enough to empty it by running the propex in the next few months.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Californio
Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 1306
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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Anybody figure out a way to affix the sensors to the bottom of the tanks?
I'd like to leave mine on there but don't want to lose them.
Zip-ties maybe? |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4798
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 2:16 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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the 'percent' reading MAY take into account the volume of a cylinder (π*r*r*h or L in this case) and therefore putting in an artificial tank size, while giving a satisfying 100% reading, MAY be quite non-linear in consumption. if reading the %, personally, i'd rather see the degree to which it was filled (~80%) and have a linear decline. all depends on what they programmed. reading in inches/cm would be useful too.
overall a bit of neat technology for not too much money. i've bought one but not activated it yet.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| Californio wrote: |
Anybody figure out a way to affix the sensors to the bottom of the tanks?
I'd like to leave mine on there but don't want to lose them.
Zip-ties maybe? |
I really wanted to leave mine mounted on the tank but it's fairly exposed on the bottom of the propane tank and I didn't think the $35 device would make it down there.
- one could epoxy the plastic sensor to the tank
- going one better, I could see disassembling the unit, epoxying just the sensor to the bottom of the tank and remotely wiring the rest of the unit.
In the end, I keep the Mopeka unit in a zip lock bag in the driver's side map pocket (along with an IR thermometer for measuring everything including wheel temps, a small multi-meter and a tire pressure gauge...it's a map pocket full of measuring devices) and just reach under and put it in place when I need to take a measurement).
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:42 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
the 'percent' reading MAY take into account the volume of a cylinder (π*r*r*h or L in this case) and therefore putting in an artificial tank size, while giving a satisfying 100% reading, MAY be quite non-linear in consumption. if reading the %, personally, i'd rather see the degree to which it was filled (~80%) and have a linear decline. all depends on what they programmed. reading in inches/cm would be useful too.
overall a bit of neat technology for not too much money. i've bought one but not activated it yet. |
You're 100% correct on all counts. I can't say that I've tracked it closely enough to say if 20% = 20% of 4.6" or if it's 20% of the volume which would be more than 20% of 4.6"
I'm most interested in not taking a nearly full tank to the station or if I have to get it filled before a short two day trip, i.e. the tank is nearly empty.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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deadaheadub
Samba Member
Joined: April 18, 2004
Posts: 787
Location: New Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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So glad I read about this here awhile back.
Got one in the mail and tried it out today.
It's so nice to know how much gas you got in the tank. I had had no idea how much the PO left in there when I bought it end of last year.
_________________
Grateful daily,
Ryan
______________________________________
Past loves: '65 Bug, '70 Westy poptop, '64 Squareback project, '76 Westy tintop "Loose Lucy", '76 Westy tintop "Sharee"
Current:'84 Westy poptop "Ramblin' Rose- Rosie" w/ 2003 Subaru EJ25 conversion |
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Californio
Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 1306
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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Update on this, I fabricated a little aluminum doohickey that allows me to zip-tie the sensor to the tank protector (on both sides--I have two tanks.) They don't fall off even after 100's of miles of washboard. So that's good.
Current problem is that often the sensors give a "low quality" reading and stop doing their job. Instructions relate this to crud getting between the sensor and the tank, and I find if I spray it out with WD40 that gets it back to normal. But it's a PITA and sometimes doesn't work at all.
Anybody else deal with this or have a solution? |
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VicVan
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015
Posts: 1845
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:37 am Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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What's the battery life you guys have experienced?
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH) |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7923
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:59 am Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| VicVan wrote: |
| What's the battery life you guys have experienced? |
Have to replace mine at least once a year. In fact, battery is currently dead and haven't bothered to replace it because I need the propane tank to run dry in order to replace a sometimes leaky service valve; thus, don't care about the level at the moment.
The sensor is constantly producing a signal, whether or not it's mounted to a tank. I don't leave the sensor installed, so I'm probably in the minority wishing it had a power switch.
_________________
~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9810
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| My Mopeka battery seems to last a very long time. I don't really understand such things but could the way the app is set up on your phone affect how much battery is used when the app is not open and the device is stowed in the glove box? |
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Californio
Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 1306
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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| There is a setting where you can change the number of times per minute the device checks propane level. The fewer the better for battery life. |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7473
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 3:10 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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I replaced the battery two weeks ago. Unfortunately I don't recall when it was replaced last so I'd guess a year or so. I do keep a spare 2032 battery in the zip-lock bag that the sensor is stored in incase the battery is dead when I want to take a measurement.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Californio
Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 1306
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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Since we're on the subject, what are you guys using for the grease that comes with them? It runs out pretty quick.
I was using WD-40 but who knows if it's good for that. Lithium grease? Vaseline? Dielectric grease? Suggestions?
I guess it would help to know exactly what it's supposed to do in there. |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4798
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2022 3:57 pm Post subject: Re: Mopeka Bluetooth Propane Tank Gauge |
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the supplied grease is a dielectric/silicone grease. WD40 definitely is wrong as it doesn't have any jell characteristics to transmit the ultrasonic waves.... think of the OB jell used during baby ultrasounds. same principle.
Camz- battery life can be improved by switching the update frequency of the Mopeka unit from 3 seconds to 10.5 seconds by holding down the sync button on the sensor for 5 seconds. The current update rate is shown under "additional" information in the phone app. If you forget how to change it, click the "?" button next to it and it will provide instructions.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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