Need Help Adding a Voltmeter

[RobertN]

Cool. Will look nice on the tractor, and give you the info you need. And, meets the KISS parameters(keeping it simple)

Below is the gauge I ordered.

 

[Transit]

Dave, you have chosen what you feel most comfortable with, good. The meter is non-descript, I would suggest that you place a thin strip of tape on the meter face to help you remember where the pointer sits when things are normal. :thumbsup:

 

[Cold Beer]

Yes, it seems very basic, but the fuel level and engine temp gauges are the same style with no numbers on them, just red and green zones.

 

[Transit]

That's why I replaced my gauges with digital readouts and added gauges where there are none.

 

[Soundguy]

Will Larry, the only way to know for sure what's going on is to put an O-scope across the battery and alternator output, set up a DVM and test the outcome with various size caps. I still think you'll need a full Farad cap to keep the volt meter steady. And so what if the voltage wiggles some, learn to accept a few thousandths up and down; the moon will not spin out of orbit. As for the meter being a constant drain on the battery, just wire it in on the on-off side of the key switch.

I think the point being made was that depending on the sampling rate for the meter, it may not lock on, and thus may roll alot.

hook a consumer grade autoranger vom onto the output of an old style dc gen with brushes and comutator... many of them never settle down on a set voltage.

I'm also not a fan of the cheaper anakogs, like the 10$ sunpro.. the movements are not dampened.

as for leaving it across the battery.. i wouldn't. makes a great wire to chaff and short when you aren't around. true, a fuse would save the day.. but it's not any harder to make the connection to a switched hot wire than a non switched hot wire.

soundguy

 

[Cold Beer]

Ok, I have the gauge and I'm ready to do the install. It didn't come with installation instructions or wiring. Take a look at the picture and confirm the connections for me. Terminal "+B" is the positive connection, terminal "-B" is the negative connection. The large black terminal is for illumination. What is the lower middle terminal for (the one I have labeled "????").

 

[bota7800]

How is the illumination wired to the panel light switch? At the back of the post labeled "illumination" or at "????" ?

I don't know, I just wondered if the lighting was involved.

If the gauge is always lit when powered then, of course, I am off base. (put a battery across the pos and neg and see if the gauge lights up)

 

[RobertN]

Does your manual have a wiring diagram? I'll bet it shows in there.

You might try ohming it out; I'm guessing it is a ground for the gauge light. I would try ohming out across that terminal, and the black terminal for the lamp. You might also ohm out from that terminal to the gauge case. The gauge probably will not have a ground just from mounting it.

Ok, I have the gauge and I'm ready to do the install. It didn't come with installation instructions or wiring. Take a look at the picture and confirm the connections for me. Terminal "+B" is the positive connection, terminal "-B" is the negative connection. The large black terminal is for illumination. What is the lower middle terminal for (the one I have labeled "????").

 

[Willl]

Your ???? terminal might be just a ground for your lamp.

 

[dcyrilc]

Yes, it seems very basic, but the fuel level and engine temp gauges are the same style with no numbers on them, just red and green zones.

WOW. Nice clean looking tractor! Any chance of seeing a picture of the whole rig?

Have to agree with your choice of guages. Any other just wouldn't look right.