Have any of you wired your voltmeter directly to an unswitched source? I'm not that familiar with automotive type voltmeters, but most voltmeters draw a very small amount of current. I would think you would get a more accurate reading if you had it connected directly to the battery. I'd also like to just be able to give it a glance without having to get the keys and turn the ignition on. Anyone have an idea how much current the automotive voltmeter uses? I'd appreciate your ideas on this!
I would prefer the analog gauges ( I haven't bought any yet ). What I'm thinking of doing is finding a friend that has gauges and just measuring how much current will flow through a voltmeter. I'll take a guess and say it's far less than the parasitic draw on todays computer cars!
You pose an intresting question non the less.. My hand held volt meter has to have a 9v battery.. Could rig a switch to switch power source from direct battery to switched to see either when you want to
That came about because I like things simple! My Maverick fits the category perfectly! My computer is the one thing I own that gives me head games. I can't count the number of times I wanted to know something and got a two page list of stuff to do from Microsoft Help, when a quick check on a forum yielded a " simple " and effective answer to my problem! Go figure!
On your friend's car with the voltage gauge, you could test the voltage directly across the battery posts and compare that to his (switched) gauge to see if a switched gauge is accurate enough for you. If you still intend to wire the voltage gauge hot, you could check the current draw of your new gauge. Get your hand-held volt/ohmmeter and the new voltage guage in a series circuit and measure the current. If its more than 50 milliamps or so, I think it would drain the battery in a few weeks.
After a little experimentation I have decided to wire the voltmeter to the accessory circuit. There was not enough difference in the readings from direct battery to accessory to worry about. I also have found out that the automotive voltmeter is not accurate enough to even read a 1 volt difference! Just so happens that I have a nice unused tap on my accessory circuit to hook it to! I haven't decided on the make of gauges yet, but I don't care for the " Sunpro ". They just look to chincy and I want to get ones with a 270° sweep. Any suggestions on a decent set for around $100? I know a lot of you have used gauge sets and either liked them or didn't care for them.
The volt meter will draw no more current than the bulb that illuminates it if it has an integrated one. Otherwise I installed mine to the Key on power source with a 5 amp inline fuse just in case.
