[DeTomaso] voltmeter vs ammeter

[Kirby Schrader]

Ammeter vs. voltmeter is a subject something like religion....
Some people claim an ammeter is best, other claim a voltmeter will do
the job best.
In my opinion, using both will tell you the most information.

I never have understood why people say an ammeter is 'useless'.

An ammeter will not 'steal' power. Well, OK, a very small amount of current
is 'lost', I guess, but it's so little you'll never notice or even measure
it without a lot of effort.

The majority of the current flows through a shunt past the ammeter and only
a small amount of current goes through the ammeter itself.

Wiring up a voltmeter is trivial. One side goes to a positive wire
somewhere; the other side goes to ground. Now... the big decision is _where_
to put it.
If you put it at the end of a small wire with a big load, you will always
see a low voltage and it won't be as much help. Wire it up to a large main
wire and ground.

What you're looking for with a voltmeter is really two voltages. One when
the alternator is charging; one when it is not. A 12 volt battery fully
charges is over 13 volts. If you have less than that, then something is
wrong and you're not charging.

An ammeter will tell you that immediately also.

I suppose the worst thing about an ammeter is that you are running a major
current carrying wire to the dash and back again.

Hope that helps.

FWIW,
Kirby



On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 12:16 PM, <LEVITT1946 at aol.com> wrote:

>
> Hello all,
> I have been told by several people that the ammeter in the car is useless
> and only steals power .I have been told to replace the ammeter with a volt
> meter  instead .Do you all agree? If so ,is there a special way the
> voltmeter
> should be  wired into the car ?
>
> Robert
>
>
>
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