1993 FIAT PANDA 1.1 SELECTA
We mentioned the new Clarke CBBT1 Bluetooth battery monitor in the 27 September issue’s Products page. I was intrigued by its claims of reporting battery power, voltage, under-bonnet temperature, trip recorder and vehicle location via an app, so decided to invest in one for the Fiat Panda to see if it lived up to its promises.
Essentially, the monitor attaches to the battery terminals via their securing nuts and, well… that’s it. It’s all so simple that even I couldn’t muck things up. You don’t even have to disconnect the battery. All that was left to do after fixing it in place with the supplied double-sided adhesive tape was to download the app and see just how healthy the little Fiat’s electrical system really is.
The monitor revealed that things were actually pretty good when I first tried it, with the battery’s state of charge at 93 per cent and putting out 12.72 volts. There are also options to check the cranking and charging states – all of which were in standard ranges. That included the diode ripple voltage; I have absolutely no idea what a diode ripple voltage is, but this is an old Italian car – and old Italian cars aren’t always noted for their electrical integrity – so anything normal is reassuring.
But the feature I was most interested in was the vehicle locator; I’ve spent far too many cold, dark, dank Classic Motor Show November evenings wandering aimlessly around identical-looking Birmingham NEC car parks wondering where on earth I��
