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AIRBOAT WIRING

duckluv26

Well-known member
stupid question here but i've seen so many different options. the alternator (one wire setup) wires directly to the batteries......correct? where is the best place to tie in the AMP gauge? i'm wiring someone elses's boat and it was a 'rats nest' of wires. just want it to be right. i know this is the place to turn.....thanks
 
Amp meters ALWAYS run in series. It depends on what you want the amp gauge to read as to where you hook it up. If you want it just to show what the alternator is putting out you put it in line with the main alternator wire. IF you want it to read charge/ discharge of all the load on the boat you have to put it in line with the load. If you give me more input on what you have and what you want it to do I would be glad to help you out.
Tim
 
i want to use my gauge to see charge/discharge so i can see the status of my batteries and the output of my alternator
 
Ill try to add something here. AMMETERS as mentioned above must ALWAYS be in series. The question is series with what. To see the alternator charging the battery just put it in line with the single wire from the alternator to the battery.

What it "looks" like you were asking is to read any charge/discharge from the battery and that is a whole different deal. To do that you need a 500AMP+ meter cause if you put it in series with the battery, when you hit the starter your going to make a flash cube of the ammeter if its only a 30-60 AMP meter.

I blew a couple of em up before I went to Navy Electronics school hahahahah. Now I realize its best to just put an ammeter in series with the alternator OR switch it off during starting.

Another option to this is to not put the starter in the circuit but let everything else run through the ammeter. This gives a general indication of whats being used/vs/whats being charged. Limitation here is it won't show a drain outside of what you have hooked up to the meter.

Most folks have gone to using a voltmeter so they dont have a 60-500 AMP hot wire in the insturment panel.

Since now we can get 1,000 CCA batteries, its even more of a case to only use a voltmeter.

Voltmeter is simplicity itself in use, just remember your battery is 12.6 volts and any reading above that is a charge. Usually youll see 15-17 volts right after starting. And it can be hooked between ground and the "on" side of the ignition switch or nearly anywhere theres a direct hot wire. It uses like 16 or 18 gage wire and is way easier to do the wiring on.

An ammeter doesnt really give a battery status, but a voltmeter actually does.

If ya want more let me know, I'm full of general (some say useless) info.

Hope I shed some light.

Scotty :)
 
Scotty, I'm sure glad you cleared that one up. I'm by no means an electrician, but something told me that start load would NOT work through a little $30 ammeter ...... :shock: .

BF
 
what should a voltage gauge read with good batteries and alternator? ie, what is the acceptable range from start up all the way through 3 hours of frogging with 4 spotlights running? i'm guessing anything above 13 up to 15??????
 
Yup 13-15 is about right, 17 isn't unheard of.

Glad its a voltmeter, much easier and tells more of a tale.

Scotty
 
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