[DeTomaso] Amp gauge

Larry - Ohio Time Corp larry at ohiotimecorp.com
Fri May 18 13:52:09 EDT 2012


True Tomas, but if you are not charging over 12 volts you soon will have a
problem and best start turning stuff off.

Larry - Cleveland

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of Tomas Gunnarsson
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2012 1:18 PM
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Amp gauge

Having had a car with both a volt and an ammeter installed I've come to the
conclusion that if I can only have one of the two, it's the ammeter. With
the resolution of a normal dash gauge the voltage reading doesn't tell you
squat about whether you are discharging the battery with 10A or charging it
with 10A. Most people are probably better off without any of the two, if you
can't interpret the reading you're just going to be nervous. Most other cars
get by with the alternator idiot light. :-)

Tomas

-----Original Message-----
From: Kirby Schrader [mailto:kirby.schrader at gmail.com]
Sent: den 18 maj 2012 18:42
To: MikeLDrew at aol.com
Cc: guson at home.se; mikael_hass at mail.tele.dk; detomaso at realbig.com
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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