Deltran volt meter

[1948man]

http://products.batterytender.com/Accessories/Digital-Voltage-Indicator-with-LCD-Display.html

This works well. Just plugs into connection from battery that Battery Tender Charger plugs into. You need a short extension to get it to the handlebars (I'm thinking that was about $7). Well made like the rest of the "Battery Tender" line. No wiring or splicing required. Turns on but goes to sleep in 20 seconds or so. I'm assuming it stays on when the bike is running. I haven't road-tested it yet. That's tomorrow. Okay, i said it works well. I guess I won't really know all the details until tomorrow.

[robertbarr]

Interesting. Is it backlit?

I'll be watching this one.

[hillsy]

I bought one of these from China for about $4 and wired it into a switchable power source I found in the headlight bucket on my Intruder:



Worked well but in all honesty, it was just something else to look at / worry about

[1948man]

Interesting. Is it backlit?

I'll be watching this one.

Okay, I'm not a very good reviewer. I should have waited until I actually used it on the road. It is not back-lit and it doesn't stay on when the bike is running. You have to push the button and it stays on for 20 or 30 seconds (didn't actually time it). It's fine for a conscientious rider who wants to evaluate his charging periodically but not real good for someone who forgets to do so. The green, yellow, and red lights aren't real beneficial since you're going to read the actual number if you think to push the button and check things. I guess, in the dark, the colors would give you a quick confirmation of the general battery status when the display is not backlit. I'm wondering if I'm missing something. I guess Deltran puts more value on ease of hookup and not slowly draining your battery than constant feedback while riding.

[hillsy]

Okay, I'm not a very good reviewer. I should have waited until I actually used it on the road. It is not back-lit and it doesn't stay on when the bike is running. You have to push the button and it stays on for 20 or 30 seconds (didn't actually time it). It's fine for a conscientious rider who wants to evaluate his charging periodically but not real good for someone who forgets to do so. The green, yellow, and red lights aren't real beneficial since you're going to read the actual number if you think to push the button and check things. I guess, in the dark, the colors would give you a quick confirmation of the general battery status when the display is not backlit. I'm wondering if I'm missing something. I guess Deltran puts more value on ease of hookup and not slowly draining your battery than constant feedback while riding.

It makes sense to have it like this if you are just going to plug it into your existing battery tender plug - as that will be hard wired directly to your battery. You wouldn't want the meter to display constantly because it would effectively drain your battery over time.

I can see the advantage of this as far as ease of use goes, but if your want a voltmeter they are not very expensive or hard to install permanently.

[80GS850GBob]

Those LED meters come in a wide variety of types.....AC, DC and ranges.
I got a set meant for AC in the 0-30v range for my old Lionel transformer so I could see how many volts I was sending out to accessories. {yes, I still occasionally play with trains in my middle age}
Mine stays on all the time when power is supplied, so if yours is that way you'd want it on ign source only so you wouldn't possibly drain the battery.
I've also seen combo sets with volt and amp read outs....shop around and ask questions from the suppliers if you ever change that one to something else.

[80GS850GBob]

Just did a quick search on ebay and found this one..."DC" volt and amp with an LED readout. Cheap at $7 but don't expect it to be weather resistant.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-DC-100V-10A-Digital-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Blue-Red-LED-Volt-Amp-Meter-Gauge-US-/281850122861?hash=item419f93926d:g:rZsAAOSwYHxWPWV-

[Gorminrider]

Ammeter may be problematic. I have one that looks like this ^^^ and it needs a large bulky Shunt Resistance in parallel with the meter. I would not put it on my bike.

These little Ebay Voltmeters are what I use. About a $1. Put scotch tape over them and stick them on with chewing gum- makes em "rainproof proof. Red seems best for visibility night and day.

[Charlie G]

Okay, I'm not a very good reviewer. I should have waited until I actually used it on the road. It is not back-lit and it doesn't stay on when the bike is running. You have to push the button and it stays on for 20 or 30 seconds (didn't actually time it). It's fine for a conscientious rider who wants to evaluate his charging periodically but not real good for someone who forgets to do so. The green, yellow, and red lights aren't real beneficial since you're going to read the actual number if you think to push the button and check things. I guess, in the dark, the colors would give you a quick confirmation of the general battery status when the display is not backlit. I'm wondering if I'm missing something. I guess Deltran puts more value on ease of hookup and not slowly draining your battery than constant feedback while riding.

Good summary of the device.

I bought one on these when I saw this thread. I picked it up Friday at my local shop. I really don't think I have a need for a constant visual monitoring of my voltage. I just want a way to check quickly what my system is doing while on the road. It's compact size and convenient connection is what sold me. I constantly monitor the systems on both of my running bikes through out the season while at home. I have 13.9v on the 650 at idle and 14.2v on the 1100g.

[1948man]

Good summary of the device.

I bought one on these when I saw this thread. I picked it up Friday at my local shop. I really don't think I have a need for a constant visual monitoring of my voltage. I just want a way to check quickly what my system is doing while on the road. It's compact size and convenient connection is what sold me. I constantly monitor the systems on both of my running bikes through out the season while at home. I have 13.9v on the 650 at idle and 14.2v on the 1100g.

As I get used to it, I am happy also. It's not much trouble to push the button when you want to see the voltage and it is well-made and easy to mount (not that other ones require any difficult wiring.)