voltage monitoring ?

[oldpara]

After finally getting the electrics sorted out on a couple of bikes I'd like to be able to monitor the voltage to the battery.
Does anyone have any experiance/preferences with on board volt meters?
I'm just looking for something simple but accurate. To give me a little peace of mind.

Thanks

 

[cowboyup3371]

Do a search here...literally dozens of threads about it.

 

[koolaid_kid]

There are a ton of choices. I have a small 3 led unit waiting to be installed on my bike. It is reviewed in the Review section (imagine that ).
The original poster liked his so I picked one up for my bike.

 

[kelticsol]

I was just searching through the forums for this.

I see a lot of recommendations for the show chrome unit, but it has a clock that you would have to reset everytime. You wouldn't want it on all the time due to battery drain.

I also saw the LED ones as mentioned.

I also found another suggestion on another board. It was a volt meter for a tractor. It's mostly weather proof. But no backlight.

Also saw some digital ones that are square. THat reads in increments of .1 v. FOund a waterproof one on ADVrider for $25. I don't know where I would mount it though.

I am also considering an analog one with some kind of waterproofing but these get costly real quick.

But yeah I'm currently in the same boat as you. I have searched through the dozens of threads already though.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[oldpara]

Thanks, and yes I should have done a search first but I thought someone would have something they're satisfied with, and a bit of laziness set in.
I saw one that looked promising but was purpose built for cars and was not in the least waterproof although it was being advertised for bikes.
"The ShowChrome digital 5 function unit."
Alot of buyers ticked because of failures due to rain, etc.
I'll search around see what I can find, I don't really care what it was designed for as long as I can mount it so it looks decent and it's waterproof or at least water resistant.

 

[spyug]

Its the first thing I put on any new to me bike. I've had good luck with the cheapo analog/mechanical style from the auto store. For under $10 they are accurate enough to let you see what's going on.

If you want better accuracy the digital type will do a better job and I've gotten them from E-bay for about $5 or so. I like a scale better than the coloured light type especially for over voltage scenarios. With some of the digital/LED types you will get a red light at a certain voltage but it might be anywhere from 14 to whatever. I like to see about what voltage its actually charging/discharging at.

They are all easy to wire but you should wire the power side as close to the battery as possible for accuracy. I usually tie in on the fuse block so it powers on with the key.

Next to a gas guage, a voltmeter is the best thing to have on your bike for peace of mind I'd say.

Go for it.

Cheers,
spyug

 

[Guest]

I'm doing mine according to this:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=163546

Bit more complicated but I don't like reading digital read outs on the go and the single LED three colour doesn't really do it for me either...

As everyone else has said, endless choices...

 

[Hammered]

Im wiring one of these little guys into my updated cluster in the next couple weeks as soon as all the parts for the rest of the update come in.

Messed with it in the car. Reads pretty fast and says the same thing as my multitester so... A little hack and hotglue and we will see.

 

[Bill Alexander]

After having stator/RR problems a few months back I tracked down a small digital volt meter (I'm colour blind so those red/orange/green led systems are usless to me). I wired in to the main power circuit inside the headlight bucket and for now it is attached to the top of the instrument cluster with velcro dots. It is not water proof but in my situation it gets sufficent cover from the fairing. It wouldn't actually be difficult to waterproof it if desired.

It gives me great piece of mind to be able to see the voltage running at say 14.3 as I ride. I recommend it. Cost me NZ$30, I wouldn't be surprised if they can be found for 1/2 than in the USA

 

[KDS111]

My favorite is the battery bug.

 

[koolaid_kid]

I looked at the ShowChrome but decided against it. Not only is it expensive, has features I don't want, but it is plagued by water issues. I ride in rallies and it (almost) always rains. And I'm not talking about an occasional shower, I'm talking downpours.
I really wanted a digital unit, and there are some on eBay in basic condition. IOW, the LEDs are packaged along with what ever it takes to make them tick. But you have to design and implement the case for it. On the plus side, you could make it waterproof from the start, If I had the real estate on my bike, I would go that route.
The LED voltmeter I have only has ~6 ranges, and it acts differently in each range. But an exact readout is impossible, there are no numbers.

 

[Steve]

I see a lot of recommendations for the show chrome unit, but it has a clock that you would have to reset everytime. You wouldn't want it on all the time due to battery drain.

There is no problem having it "ON" all the time, as it's not all "ON". The display is an LCD, much like your digital watch. Look at how long your watch lasts on that tiny little battery. Imagine how long it would last on your bike's battery.

There are three wires on the meter. One for ground, one that is connected directly to the battery to turn on the display, the third one is connected to a switched supply to turn on the backlight and the three-color voltage range display.

Next to a gas guage, a voltmeter is the best thing to have on your bike for peace of mind I'd say.

It might help to think of the voltmeter as a guage for "electrical fuel".

.

 

[oldpara]

Hammered, what's the product name of the gauge you have in your post?
It looks familiar but ...