Ammeter

[guy mayers]

The usual place but the scale should be +50 to -50 not 40 but when was the last time you saw one? Bidding too high for me now so anyone else want it? I was aiming to auction it at the AGM with profits for club funds but I won't be bidding now the price is over $40.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7902697702&category=34206

Guy

[chris.richard]

Are these the sort that measure with the whole currentflowing through them, or do they measure a voltage drop across a shunt? (Sorry, A-level physics was a long time ago!)

[guy mayers]

They measure the current flowing through the system and show if the alternator is charging or if there is drain exceeding the charge as I understand it. Plus the Stratos stradale had one in the dash.
Guy

[chris.richard]

That's what they do, but there are two ways of doing it. One way works as an ammeter directly, the other is actually a voltmeter, and needs its separate shunt to measure voltage across. I think!:confused:
The ammeter-type needs the whole electrical supply to go through it, which means big cables from battery/alternator to the back of the dashboard. The remote shunt type just needs small wires from the shunt to the dashboard. Can any boffin out there confirm?

[guy mayers]

The one in my car has big heay wires running through it from the alternator to the battery as per the original Transformer wiring loom.
Guy

[Cloggie]

I also have the same set up as Guy's, and Chris Smith and I just found out that this was the root cause of all my electrical problems with my Green car for the last year!!

After I replaced my Altenator in the car with reconditioned one, it obviously gave out more current, which in turn overloaded and fused my +/-40 rated Ammeter, which effectively prevented the altenator from recharging the battery. But you'd think this would be an easy problem to find...... I was kicking myself!!

Anyway, problem is now being solved by replacing the internals of the Ammeter with a +/- 60 rated mechanism and retaining the +/- 40 fascia.... Thanks to Speedycables! (Or not so speedy as it's taking them 4 weeks to do it!!)

I Like the idea of the shunt to eliminate the big wires behind the dash, but again you'd probably need to do a significant bit of work to set it up, and modify the Ammeter? Anyone done it already?

Cheers, Nico/