libstudent44 wrote:
>Can someone recommend a good spot to put the power hookup for an
>accessory dash mounted voltmeter? One of the fuses?
>
>
What kind is this, are we talking about a voltmeter gauge like this:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000218997/mediaCode-ZX/appId-100000218997/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000218997
This requires 4 wires. 2 will go to the 12V source you are monitoring (+
and gnd) and 2 to a source of power when the lights are on. The
cigarette lighter socket might be a good place to get these four wires
hooked, that is, if your socket is switched off when the ignition key is
out. If not, you'd need to add a switch. There is more to it depending
on if you use that socket or not etc. It also depends on what you are
wanting to monitor. Do you have a problem with a specific section of the
circuit? You might not see a voltage drop on the cigarette lighter
socket, but there might be one on another circuit that is overloaded or
with a wire that is oxydised. If you look at the fusebox PCB you'll see
several independent circuits, each fed with one or two big guage wire,
each going to a distribution block at the battery.
Another type of guage I've seen used, something like:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F008%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=22%2D410
You'll need to add a led or two to illuminate that kind of guage if you
want to look at the voltage level at night. Bulb on my turbo guage has
burnt and it's unreadable at night.
If it's for occasional monitoring, this is what I use:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=270-1521
In combination with banana plug probes and a full fledged multimeter:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F008%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=22%2D812
I use this multimeter because it can log to RS-232 to a computer (laptop
for example) so you can track voltage over a long drive and see if your
system is operating properly. I typically do that once a year. This
multimeter is sometimes on sale for $59. It used to cost over $100. It's
a great unit and can measure capacitance, frequency and test
transistors, diodes etc. With a simple pickup made from magnet wire you
can even monitor RPM and your ignition system.
Another thing that is handy if you dont want to setup something
permanent and make holes in your dash and all:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000219961/mediaCode-ZX/appId-100000219961/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000219961
Altough I think that is fairly expensive for just a voltmeter. Radio
Shack used to have something like that but with only 3 leds. It
basically told you if your charging system or battery was ok or not. I
seem to remember it was around $20 or less.
Francois
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Received on Thu Mar 31 08:14:06 2005
