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Putting a voltmetre in 

 

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 Post subject: Putting a voltmetre in
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:21 pm 
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Hey guys,

I wanna put a volt meter in the car. I just wanna know what i need to hook it up to. I know i need a positive to the battery, but then do i earth it. I am not sure cos i was thinking about it and i thought that it may create a short. Any ideas?

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:33 pm 
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I am pretty sure here, volt metre you earth, amp meter you dont it is + in and + out.

 

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:59 pm 
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vOltmenters are definately earthed. I'm surprised it doesn't have any sort of diagram with it.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:13 pm 
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hmm aftermarket voltmeter would be interesting, I actually need one of them. I have the radio going when the car is being worked on, doors open, hmmm might be handy.

So positive goes to the battery and the earth to the chassis...tht it?
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:20 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
hmm aftermarket voltmeter would be interesting, I actually need one of them. I have the radio going when the car is being worked on, doors open, hmmm might be handy.

So positive goes to the battery and the earth to the chassis...tht it?


just get a mid series cluster dylan - its got a voltmeter in it :wink:

 

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:26 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
I am pretty sure here, volt metre you earth, amp meter you dont it is + in and + out.


Correct - voltmeter you run in parallel and ampmeter you run in series

 

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:44 pm 
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happy is right.. if you wan to be accurate run some decent cable directly to the batter and connect the gauge both + & earth direct to the battery posts.. more acuate than grounding through the chassis as there is less resistance.. as for an ammeter, that goes in series,, ie alternator charge line runs in one side of the gauge out the other and back to the battery (dunno if id put 85 amps all the way into the cabin and back again tho.. )



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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:51 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
{USERNAME} wrote:
hmm aftermarket voltmeter would be interesting, I actually need one of them. I have the radio going when the car is being worked on, doors open, hmmm might be handy.

So positive goes to the battery and the earth to the chassis...tht it?


just get a mid series cluster dylan - its got a voltmeter in it :wink:


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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:52 pm 
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haha its easy as dylan :wink: a quick swap over! no rewiring or anything, unless you wanna keep your km reading thats is! :P

 

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:57 pm 
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i got a distribution block for my system with a voltmeter and ammeter built into it, more of a cosmetic thing than anything else though, it looks swish at night
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:13 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
So positive goes to the battery and the earth to the chassis...tht it?


No, most gauges will have lights, so there'll also be a trigger wire to let the gauge know when to turn on the lights and possiably a seperate earth wire for the lighting aswell.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:28 pm 
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ooo...now i am interested in this ammeter... so what is that. That goes from your positive terminal back to the positive terminal.

Okay i am just clarifying something. You dont have to running anything off the wire. It wont create a short will it.

Cheers guys
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:38 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
{USERNAME} wrote:
So positive goes to the battery and the earth to the chassis...tht it?


No, most gauges will have lights, so there'll also be a trigger wire to let the gauge know when to turn on the lights and possiably a seperate earth wire for the lighting aswell.


Hmm can you give me a list of what to do and instructions (just a quick version), Cheers mate.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:43 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
ooo...now i am interested in this ammeter... so what is that. That goes from your positive terminal back to the positive terminal.

no, it goes in between the +ve on your battery and the alternator - it shows you how much current.

Sort of like this...
Image

 

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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:54 pm 
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{USERNAME} wrote:
Hmm can you give me a list of what to do and instructions (just a quick version), Cheers mate.


First wire goes to the positive on the voltmeter and positive on battery, second wire to negitive on voltmeter and either ground/earth it, or run it right back to the negitive battery terminal. Your voltmeter gauge will now work!

But, some will then have a trigger wire for the lighting, so you'll run a positive wire that only get's power when your car's lights turn on (e.g. cigarete lighter light) to that terminal on the gauge. Your gauge will light up now when your lights are turned on.

But the lighting system ont eh gauge might be seperate to the voltmeter circuit, so you may need to run a second negitive wire off the gauge to the same place as the first one.

Most gauges will come with a very simiple easy to figure out diagram. But it really is easier to just put a higher cluster in - undo a couple of screws, unclip the old and clip in the new, tighten the screws - only problem then is wrong odometer reading and oil pressure won't be right, but there fixable.

Also with the gauges you'll have to find somewhere to mount them.
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