Battery condition gauge

[SpectrumOne]

The Goldeneye Products battery gauge installed on the dash of my 1989 Spectrum/85hp when I bought the boat three years ago has never worked. Since installing new deep cycle and house batteries, no change. I removed the gauge, hot wired it separately to the two batteries and it worked, showing both batteries to be fully charged!!! I then inspected the wire (apparently cheap lampcord grade) from the gauge terminals toward the batteries; confirmed by testing with a device that came with an assortment of fuses that the device green light comes on when I touch the terminals. I could also confirm that the gauge is not wired through the fuse block and that the green testing light comes on regardless of whether the ignition is on.

My questions:

What is the gauge monitoring... amps, volts, ??? (My ignorance of things electric must now be clear)

Why will the instrument work when hot wired to the batteries, but not when plugged into its terminals that show, according to the testing device, current in the line. Is it weak current issue or something else?

​If I get the gauge to work, will it not always be " on", as the testing device shows current in the line regardless of whether the ignition is on?

Should the gauge be wired with an on/off switch? Should it be wired through a fuse in the fuse block?

How can I determine which battery condition the gauge is monitoring, as this is a single battery gauge?

I am not going to spend a lot of $$ to get the best outcome, but I believe someone will know answers to my questions and point me in the right direction. Thank you.

 

[cionjay]

Check out this thread about the goldeneye battery gauge.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...ng-motors/275893-decent-battery-gauge-in-dash

 

[gm280]

:welcome: SpectrumOne to iboats. Nice to have you aboard...

I would most definitely say your battery meter is a mere voltage type. Because if it were an amp meter, the wire gauge going to it and coming from it would be huge. So obviously a volt meter. I wouldn't have it connected up all the time. Even a mere volt meter does draw a small amount of current from the battery and will eventually run the battery down. I would have it function only when the ignition was on or the accessories on. And I also would have it fused or circuit breaker protected. That way if the meter even shorts out, you don't burn the boat down. Remember, when you are on a boat and there is a fire, there is no place to run... JMHO!

 

[Silvertip]

You will also need a small switch to select which battery you wish to monitor. Electrically challenged????? If so this is a job for someone who is electrically comfortable.

 

[Grandad]

Why will the instrument work when hot wired to the batteries, but not when plugged into its terminals that show, according to the testing device, current in the line. Is it weak current issue or something else?

​If I get the gauge to work, will it not always be " on", as the testing device shows current in the line regardless of whether the ignition is on?

Should the gauge be wired with an on/off switch? Should it be wired through a fuse in the fuse block?

How can I determine which battery condition the gauge is monitoring, as this is a single battery gauge?

It is necessary to wire both positive and negative directly from the battery to the gauge. If you were to connect to your dashboard wiring or even the existing fuseblock or an existing local negative wire, you'd be monitoring a voltage that includes voltage drop caused by every device also connected to that wiring system. You don't want to get erroneous and variable readings depending upon what other devices are turned on.

You will need both a fuse in the positive near the battery and a separate switch for the gauge at a convenient location so that you're not continuing to drain the battery via the gauge itself. I'd be inclined to use a momentary contact switch requiring me to hold the switch on while reading the gauge. That way, I couldn't forget to turn the switch off when finished.

For 2 batteries, you'll need 1 negative wire and 2 fused positive wires and either 2 switches or a double throw switch to select which battery you're wishing to monitor. - Grandad