[DeTomaso] Amp gauge

Fri May 18 13:00:43 EDT 2012

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-----Original Message-----
From: "Bill Moore" <Bill at incendium.com>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2012 16:47:09 
To: Kirby Schrader<kirby.schrader at gmail.com>; <detomaso-bounces at realbig.com>; Mike Drew<mikeldrew at aol.com>
Reply-To: Bill at incendium.com
Cc: <guson at home.se>; <detomaso at realbig.com>; <mikael_hass at mail.tele.dk>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Amp gauge

Thanks Kirby, scrap the AMP meter, replace it with a VOLT meter. Measure across, not thru. 

Cheers,

Bill
Calgary

-----Original Message-----
From:	Kirby Schrader <kirby.schrader at gmail.com>
Sender:	detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
Date:	Fri, 18 May 2012 11:41:34 
To: <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
Cc: <guson at home.se>; <detomaso at realbig.com>; <mikael_hass at mail.tele.dk>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Amp gauge

On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 10:32 AM,  <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:
>>>>Actually, the *correct* way is to connect the load to the ammeter.
> That way the ammeter reads correctly under all circumstances.   You WANT to run
> all electrical loads through the instrument that is designed to measure all
> electrical loads. :>)

I disagree and can not at all see how this approach is valuable...
That's the way my GT40 came 'incorrectly' wired.
 As you turned things on (fans came on, A/C compressor, etc. etc.),
the ammeter kept climbing as it measured all the loads. Do you really
care?
I suppose for bragging rights. Look at me!!!! 83 amps!!! Woohoo!

In my case, the ammeter would be pegged 90% of the time. It gave me
absolutely no information other than more than 30 amps was going
somewhere. I had no idea if the alternator was keeping up with the
load and charging my battery or not.
I re-wired it so it read only the current being supplied to the battery.
Now I had information I could use and work with. I grew up as a hick
country farm boy on a farm in Kansas and every piece of equipment was
set up this way.

It is the classic ammeter hook up as Thomas described. You want to
know how much the alternator is supplying to charge the battery. If it
is reading positive, you are supplying all you need to the system plus
whatever the battery is requiring to be charged.

If it is negative, you have a problem. Your alternator is not keeping
up with demand _and_ your battery is not being charged. The battery is
supplying what the alternator cannot and then your battery is dead.

That is information that can be used.

As as a side note.... I used to think voltmeters were useless, but
over the years I have become a convert. The voltmeter will tell you
everything you need to know AND it does not require large gauge wires
and current to be routed to/through your dash.

Both cars now have voltmeters.

And I ain't changing my mind on this one.
So there.
:-)))

FWIW,
Kirby

>
> With the various fan/headlight relay kits out there (Moseley/Boschert/
> Volts of Confidence/home-made), an aux fusebox is powered from the ammeter.
> When the fans kick on, the ammeter shows an initial drop, then the needle
> comes back up as the voltage regulator steps up to allow the alternator to
> produce additional power.
>
> Mike
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