volt meter question

[buzz]

hey guys, i'm looking to install the usual gauges and was going to go with the autron pillar pod set up. but i have changed my mind and have decided to install autometer gauges in a pillar pod, simply because they match the standard gauges and still look pretty neat. my question is, if i get a 3 gauge pod and put a volt meter in (like in the link below) can i put a small button in the pod beside the gauge to switch from battery 1 to battery 2? was thinking a little button that doesn't stay pressed so when released it goes back to battery one, when held in it shows battery 2 volts. is this possible or am i on another planet? thanks gents, appreciate any advice.

http://performanceparts.com/part/Auto-Meter/3391

jamie

[NissanGQ4.2]

I'm no Auto Elect, but can't see why you couldn't set up something like that, I'm sure someone more intelligent than me will be along soon that could give you better advise :)

[Yendor]

Hi Jamie,

Yes it can be done, you just need to find a momentary switch that you like the look of and will fit in the pod.

I found this one on Narva's website (but I think it will be to big) part number 60040BL

http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/push-button

I had a look at Jaycar Electronics website but didn't find anything, although I am sure they do have them.

I recommend that you go into one of their stores and ask them.

Ideally you want the switch to have two sets of contacts, one set of contacts are closed and the other set of contacts are open with the switch in the rest position.

Then when the switch is pressed in, the set of contacts that were closed are now open and the contacts that were open are now closed.

But it really doesn't matter what type of momentary switch you get, we can make it work with the use of a relay or two relays depending on how you would like the gauges to work.

Cheers Rodney

[Arwon]

I'm no auto leccy also, but thinking you may need a three way switch , on, off, on and this would be too big for the pillar pod to hold, may need the switch elsewhere.


Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse the spelling.

[my third 256]

whynot get a guage that does both batteries at once then you dont need to take the hands off the wheel have seen them on ebay

[Steveo_the_Devo]

I had similar thoughts, but decided to pull the trigger on the autron gauges (was previously thinking autometer). Have yet to install them (or even pick up the car from the yard). Hopefully will all be done in a weeks time.

[buzz]

whynot get a guage that does both batteries at once then you dont need to take the hands off the wheel have seen them on ebay

i have googled high and low and have not seen one apart from the autron and i would prefer to stick with the one maker so if autometer don't do a dual meter, and my button idea is a no go or more hassle than its worth then i'll just go for a pod of 2 and carry a voltmeter in the toolbag.

[buzz]

I had similar thoughts, but decided to pull the trigger on the autron gauges (was previously thinking autometer). Have yet to install them (or even pick up the car from the yard). Hopefully will all be done in a weeks time.

what sold you on the autron stevo if you don't mind me asking?

[Steveo_the_Devo]

what sold you on the autron stevo if you don't mind me asking?

I just liked the idea of getting the 4 gauge readings (5 if you include the cabin/outside temp probe) from 2 gauge pods. I couldn't find a huge number of other options.

I'm not much of a fan of the LCD screen gauge - figure the standard gauges are easier to read in sunlight etc - but I haven't seen any reliability issues posted re Autron gauges. Figured the extra real estate I would save by having to install another voltmeter gauge was worth the extra $$ that you need for the Autro setup.

I'm hoping to have it all installed early next week - will post up my progress when its done :)

[the evil twin]

Like Yendor said... this is all you need http://www.altronics.com.au/index.asp?area=item&id=S1391

Cost $5 or so ... Almost any better electronics store will have them or similar

Batt 1 + to the NC
Batt 2 + to the NO
Voltmeter + to the common

Then the Voltmeter will read Battery 1 unless the switch is held then it will read battery 2.

Don't get a switch that latches... momentary is the way to go then you don't get confused which battery is being monitored

[buzz]

great info evil, thank you and thanks to all for your input. good luck with the install stevo, i look forward to the pics.


jamie

[pcpitstop]

I did the same evil twin... Good work

[Chaz]

I did something similar, but a bit different. I ran an ignition feed from the Cigi lighter to a relay and switched a feed from the second battery, so that when the ignition is off, the voltmeter shows the second battery voltage and when the ignition is on and the engine is running, it shows the cranking battery voltage.
I also now have a voltmeter on the fridge, which is run from the second battery.

[Leighw85]

Going to pinch this thread as i have a few questions on getting a new volt meter.
At the moment my dual battery setup has a Piranha DBE 180S and it comes with a very basic meter reader.
Im looking at fitting something in the back of the car, where the fridge and everything will be, so i know where the battery is sitting.
I am really wanting to get one that will give me a reading when the car is of? or would that not be recommended?

What sort should i be looking at?
i had this in mind http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DUAL-BATTERY-SYSTEM-MONITOR-12V-VOLT-METER-ABR-NEW-/290644146574?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43abbdb98e

Also had something like in mind for the back
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230699246685?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[rottodiver]

Going to pinch this thread as i have a few questions on getting a new volt meter.
At the moment my dual battery setup has a Piranha DBE 180S and it comes with a very basic meter reader.
Im looking at fitting something in the back of the car, where the fridge and everything will be, so i know where the battery is sitting.
I am really wanting to get one that will give me a reading when the car is of? or would that not be recommended?

What sort should i be looking at?
i had this in mind http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DUAL-BATTERY-SYSTEM-MONITOR-12V-VOLT-METER-ABR-NEW-/290644146574?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43abbdb98e

Also had something like in mind for the back
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230699246685?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

not really sure this is the answer you guys are looking for but i have a display with voltage and amps charge and discharge rate(how long till charged/discharged) on my second battery (this is in the cab) with a smart solenoid between the two(as most of us do) and i have nothing except the winch on the starting battery so i dont think i really need to keep much of an eye on the starting battery. i do have the multimeter with me when away so i could check anything if there was a problem. i have even changed the car dvd/stereo over to the deep cycle

Scotty

[Chaz]

Going to pinch this thread as i have a few questions on getting a new volt meter.
At the moment my dual battery setup has a Piranha DBE 180S and it comes with a very basic meter reader.
Im looking at fitting something in the back of the car, where the fridge and everything will be, so i know where the battery is sitting.
I am really wanting to get one that will give me a reading when the car is of? or would that not be recommended?

What sort should i be looking at?
i had this in mind http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DUAL-BATTERY-SYSTEM-MONITOR-12V-VOLT-METER-ABR-NEW-/290644146574?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43abbdb98e

Also had something like in mind for the back
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230699246685?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I changed my setup slightly also because I wanted to monitor the voltage at the fridge rather than from the drivers seat. It's a good thing we can have as many volt meters as necessary. This way, every time I go to the fridge, I can keep a check on it's temp and the battery voltage, with everything else switched off.

http://www.chaz.yellowfoot.org/images/Interior_8.jpg

[Leighw85]

How did ya get the voltmeter on the fridge mate? That's pretty much what I want to do. Get a voltmeter reading while the car is of, and from where the fridge is!

[Chaz]

How did ya get the voltmeter on the fridge mate? That's pretty much what I want to do. Get a voltmeter reading while the car is of, and from where the fridge is!

Leigh, Voltmeters are very high resistance meters, so it’s ok to leave them running because they don’t draw hardly any current to operate.

I fitted the meter into the fridge because I only need to know the voltage when the fridge is plugged in and I also wanted a temp gauge so that I know that the contents is at the correct temperature.

Those meters came from China (ebay) and were quite cheap, around $20 each, so I even bought some spares in case they fail, but they have been in for about a year with no problems so far. They are quite thin, only about 15mm thick, so there was plenty of room for them in the fridge. I just had to cut the holes and take out a bit of insulation for them to fit. Then I wired them into the fridge power supply, ran the temp probe to the condenser and all done, easy!

[Leighw85]

yeah im not to keen on chomping my new Waeco hahaha.
i could just mount one in the back somewhere. Does it just hook into the + and - wire to get the reading?

[Chaz]

yeah im not to keen on chomping my new Waeco hahaha.
i could just mount one in the back somewhere. Does it just hook into the + and - wire to get the reading?

Leigh,
Yes it does, The reason I wanted it mounted on the fridge is so that it wouldn't be on all the time that the fridge wasn't operating and so that I could monitor the temperature as well.
In your case if you don't want to or can't modify the fridge, you could just fit the voltmeter to the side panel of the car where you mount the fridge and plug it in with a switch, so that when the switch is on, the voltmeter also comes on. Then when you unplug or remove the fridge, switch off the power and the meter won't run unnecessarily. Also you could use it to monitor your auxillary battery even without the fridge.
Cheers,
Chaz

[Leighw85]

sweet. Yeah im definately going to mount one in the back. And the switch sounds like a great idea. do i have to fuse the + wire if i was to do it?

[Chaz]

sweet. Yeah im definately going to mount one in the back. And the switch sounds like a great idea. do i have to fuse the + wire if i was to do it?

Yes, you should. It’s best to fuse the positive wire as close to the battery or its supply as possible. The fuse is there to protect the wire should it be crushed or damaged over time and short to the body or ground. The fridge should have its own fuse to protect it, so use a fuse that is rated lower or equal to the current carrying capacity of the wire.

[Leighw85]

what size wire would you recommend for doing this? so i just run the wire from the battery down fused just after the battery, to a switch then to the volt meter? sounds easy if thats it :)

[Chaz]

what size wire would you recommend for doing this? so i just run the wire from the battery down fused just after the battery, to a switch then to the volt meter? sounds easy if thats it :)
It would depend on the rating of the fridge and its plug, but assuming that the fridge will draw say 5 Amps max and you don’t want to use the outlet for anything allot bigger, I would run a 20 to 25 Amp cable from the auxiliary battery, through a 10 Amp fuse. That would take care of any potential voltage drop over the 3 to 4 meters of cable and insure that you have full voltage to the fridge.

Then, if you decide to plug in something that draws more or even if you wanted to run two fridges in the future, all you have to do is upgrade the fuse.

[Leighw85]

awesome mate, cheers for all the info :)

what type of meter would be best, there are alot of cheap ones on ebay
had a look at this one
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/7-5V-20V-Blue-LCD-Digital-Voltmeter-Volt-Panel-Meter-/250894831268?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3a6a7f4ea4

not sure what to look for, you did get a few just incase of failure didnt you?

[robbo0001]

Chaz, thats an awesome set up with the fridge.
Seen many volmetres mounted into panels at the rear outlet, and even some fridges with a voltmetre as standatd on the fascia...but never seen a privately modded one.
exceptional...all the info required for a vehicle fridge, right where you want it

[Chaz]

awesome mate, cheers for all the info :)

what type of meter would be best, there are alot of cheap ones on ebay
had a look at this one
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/7-5V-20V-Blue-LCD-Digital-Voltmeter-Volt-Panel-Meter-/250894831268?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3a6a7f4ea4

not sure what to look for, you did get a few just incase of failure didnt you?

Yep, that’s just like the ones that I used except I went for red LED digits.

At that price, why wouldn’t you grab a couple? No problems with them so far……….

[Chaz]

Chaz, thats an awesome set up with the fridge.
Seen many volmetres mounted into panels at the rear outlet, and even some fridges with a voltmetre as standatd on the fascia...but never seen a privately modded one.
exceptional...all the info required for a vehicle fridge, right where you want it

Thanks Dave,

I had to do something. I have one of the older FF70 Waeco’s that uses the larger Danfos compressor. It’s a great fridge/freezer, but doesn’t have all of the smart electronics that the later ones have.
Cheers,

[archiem31]

I found this one on Narva's website (but I think it will be to big) part number 60040BL

http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/push-button

[lenkeit1234]

how did this go Buzz

[buzz]

ah, haven't done anything as yet. was going to go the 3 pod but will now stick with the 2 and put volt gauge in an electrical panel in the back when i get around to building a rear drawer. will start the project in the next few weeks so will keep ya's posted.

buzz