Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

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debron
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by debron »

ekap1200 wrote:Another note ; since you have this bike down to what I see in the picture, it would be the time to modify your turn signal cancel time, to increase its time before canceling. I posted the units make and model number and source of supply here on the forum.. Gene Kap
Gene - When? Where? Can you you post the link? Note that posts get automatically deleted ("pruned") a certain number of days after the last visit. Used to be as short as 4 months, I upped those to one year.
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Lucasind
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by Lucasind »

......spent some time with the rear speakers .... all is well in VOYAGER XII world .:thmup: .....................................tony :-D
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ekap1200
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by ekap1200 »

debron wrote:
ekap1200 wrote:Another note ; since you have this bike down to what I see in the picture, it would be the time to modify your turn signal cancel time, to increase its time before canceling. I posted the units make and model number and source of supply here on the forum.. Gene Kap
Gene - When? Where? Can you you post the link? Note that posts get automatically deleted ("pruned") a certain number of days after the last visit. Used to be as short as 4 months, I upped those to one year.
"turn/signal modification " was the post with both the schematic and photos of the unit, http://www.amervoyassoc.org/forum/viewt ... =15&t=4640

mfr and p/n are as follows ( AMPERITE Co. ,Inc ) P/N ( 12DNO.1-60C ) . I purchaced them thru ( NEWARK ELECTRONICS ) It is a full electronic device not a thermal switch. The best adjustment is 2/10ths of a mile versus the 1/10 that is stock. Gene Kap.
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by Muleears »

Well here's what I got from China today. I hooked it up to a dead 3.5V lithium poly battery to see if it would work. It did, shows 3.2V, hard to tell in my poor pic, but it is epoxy sealed and sealed around the wires too. Supposedly waterproof. I paid $11.88 for it shipped from Hong Kong. I'll try to get it installed this weekend. Hopefully it will last till at least next weekend! Seriously, I'll give it a honest shot and see how well it performs.

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SgtSlag
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by SgtSlag »

To improve visibility, you will want to cover the display with a tinted screen (either blue, or neutral density/gray would be good), to improve contrast. Back in the 70's, they did this with the red LED calculator displays -- otherwise it will be hard to read. Either use colored gel filters, from photography/stage lighting supply stores, or purchase a cheap pair of sunglasses, and cut the plastic lens to shape.

As far as buying a cheap Chinese Voltmeter, nearly everything is made in China. As long as it works, there is no issue. Voltmeters like this, are inexpensive to mass produce, but the quality is usually high. No worries there. Best of luck.

Be sure to wire it into a switched circuit, so it is not running when the bike is off. It will draw a few milli-Amps, likely less than 15 mA, but that can still drain a battery over a period of several weeks; if you use a smart trickle charger connected between rides, no worries -- as long as you remember to plug it in after every ride (prolongs the life of any type of battery, but especially flooded batteries). Cheers!
SgtSlag

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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by Muleears »

SgtSlag wrote:To improve visibility, you will want to cover the display with a tinted screen, to improve contrast. Back in the 70's, they did this with the red LED calculator displays -- otherwise it will be hard to read. Either use colored gel filters, from photography/stage lighting supply stores, or purchase a cheap pair of sunglasses, and cut the lens to shape.

As far as buying a cheap Chinese Voltmeter, nearly everything is made in China. As long as it works, there is no issue. Voltmeters like this, are inexpensive to mass produce, but the quality is usually high. No worries there. Best of luck. Be sure to wire it into a switched circuit, so it is not running when the bike is off. It will draw a few milli-amps, likely less than 10 mA, but that can still drain a battery over a period of several weeks; if you use a smart trickle charger connected between rides, no worries -- as long as you remember to plug it in after every ride. Cheers!
I thought it looked surprisingly well made, compared to some of the stuff I have gotten from China... I'm still waiting for a toggle safety switch, we'll see what that looks like too. I like the idea of the cheap sunglasses. I have a few pair laying around. Sounds like a good Saturday project. I do use a battery tender, I may just wire it hot and if it becomes a problem I can re-wire later.
Cal
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Re: Anybody tried this ammeter/voltmeter combo?

Post by kjsett »

Tom(North Alabama) wrote:Just got this one this winter, has clock and temperature. Have not put it to the long distance test yet, but it seems to work well.

Not waterproof, but that is a good reason to carry a zip-lock sandwich bag it is water resistant, if it works good at this price, it's cheap to replace. And real easy to install, I removed the cig plug and wired to the aux plug behind the headlight.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gigital-LCD-Car ... 2335e04965

:thmup:
I bought one of these over two years ago as my dog travels with me and I want to keep track of the temps (both high and low).
It came in handy to keep an eye on freezing temperatures on our first trip over the mountains of Oregon in April 2011. Light, but steady rain coming down and I watched the temp drop from the 50's to about 33F. Fortunately we made it over the pass and the temp started going back up (was pulling a trailer, so was no way wanting to hit any ice).
Anyway, it still works after all this time, and it has gone thru a number of rain events (that evening a steady rain for over three hours before I stopped). I never have bagged it and it sits on the back of the Cruise Control box. I wired it to a switch along with a triple Cigarette lighter outlet also velcro'd to the right storage box. It is a good idea to keep a spare battery or two (since they come in a pkg that way) as it doesn't last more than a few months when you keep shutting off the power to it.
I have the "outside" lead up under the fairing on the right side below the headlight for moving air. I admit, that when I stop with a warm engine its temps go up, and if sitting in sunlight, the display will blank out, but otherwise it does the job. I just use, when moving, the lowest reading as it seems the most accurate. Maybe because of the way I wired it, the voltage seems a couple of tenths low, but it was helpful when my battery started going bad to see I had a problem.
When it finally breaks I might try the other one mentioned in this posting, but that may be awhile yet.
Ken
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Ken - '03 Voyager XII - Shelley - '97 Vulcan VN800A
formerly: 1965 Honda CB50; 1972 Honda CJ350; '80 Suzuki GS450L; '79 Yamaha XS1100;
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