Wiring in voltage meter thingy..

[mudcow007]

So just bought one of these badboys

as i have a feeling my battery is losing the will to live

how would i go about wiring it up?

ideally i only want it on, when the ignition is on, an also what do i do with the 3rd wire!?

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Black to earth, red to switched live, yellow to battery live. At a guess. If you're feeling posh, pop a fuse on the red wire too.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[bugeye_bob]

Have you seen these ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GAMMATRONIX-waterproof-12v-LED-Battery-level-Alternator-Charge-monitor-E-/190462726857?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c587692c9

[Aff]

Should have bought a smaller range one, then they can be powered by the voltage they are reading.

If you go and buy one of smaller range ones you can just wire it into a switched 12v on your ignition/dash and any ground.
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[WD Forte]

Are sure its waterproof?
I have three very similar ones I bought for a project and wouldn't class them as waterproof.
If in doubt, clear nail varnish on the front and Vaseline on the back
and in the cracks is cheap way to keep the weather out

They're ok and certainly cheap, but not particularly accurate.
They'll follow a good meter to 0.1v or so which to be fair is probably ok for bike use.
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[WD Forte]

Bear in mind.
These gadgets are handy for showing you running and charge voltage
but wont be a definitive indicator of battery health.
A bad battery may appear to be getting a charge, but can still be
failing internally.
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[instigator]

[P.addy]

[Aff]

[instigator]

[mudcow007]

cheers all

so whats the third wire for?

anyone any ideas?

[Aff]

[mudcow007]

oh, so if i run black to earth, red to switched live an sense to battery would that be more accurate?

[P.addy]

[instigator]

[Aff]

[mudcow007]

Cheers Aff

[smegballs]

https://i.imgur.com/G5nnUQx.jpg

My one is littler and I fitted it inside my tacho housing. Uncrimped the tacho bezel, melted two holes with soldering iron and screwed in with glue as a backup.

I took the power off the pilot light for the tacho so it displays the voltage when the sidelights/headlights are on.

Be warned however that it will only show the voltage at the point of insertion, so it will show any voltage drops you might have in the wiring up to that point. For example:

Sidelights on mine reads 14.2V
Headlights on mine reads 13.6V

For both readings the actual voltage across the battery (my R/R is hardwired, with fuse, directly across battery terminals) is 14.4V in all scenarios. What is happening is the as the headlights turn on it pulls more current through all the loom, ignition switch etc etc. The high current then leads to a greater voltage drop at the point of measurement. The battery, with its heavy cables, direct to the R/R doesn't have any of these voltage drops and thus "sees" the whole 14.4V.

One thing I want to do one of these days is to install headlight relays, to get that juicy 14.4V straight across the headlight bulb terminals. Bulbs have a non-linear voltage:brightness relationship so that 0.8V from 13.6V to 14.4V will likely result in much higher brightness.

https://i.imgur.com/hBJTcOQ.png

https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html

[stinkwheel]

I just did a 2-wire one and attached it into the switched live relay for my heated grips.

I mounted it in the fuse box cover using slow setting epoxy. I also clagged over the whole back of the unit with epoxy to render it weather proof.

https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/drumbrake/CIMG1686_zps2e9b0a95.jpg
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[WD Forte]

[mudcow007]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Casper]

I have one built into my clocks. Not 100% accurate but gives you as close as voltage. Don't you love 80's bikes.

[mentalboy]

Whatever happened to the Acumen DGV?
I see that the company only make the gear change indicators nowadays. The DGV, which I've got fitted to the Zed, has both gear change indicator and voltmeter which is great for monitoring both without cluttering up the dash and came with the added bonus that it was waterproof!
____________________
Make mine a Corona.

[MCN.]

Jesus. Do you guys really have that many charging system related breakdowns you feel the need to clutter up your dash with more tat???