volt / amp meter ??'s

[ndemge]

Building a stand alone batter/inverter/charger box for camping. Just for running small elctrical items, like a small fan or a string of xmas lights at the campsite.<br /><br />...I do this now, but have to carry everything, battery,inverter,etc... then I don't have a meter to see the state of the battery...<br /><br /><br />What I'm looking for, is voltage/amperate gauge, would wire it up with a momentary switch, so you can just walk up, hit the button and see what the current draw and voltage are sitting at. And this would also help while charging to be able to see exactly how much current the battery is taking (have a 15 amp coverter that will be in the box)<br /><br />And keeping in mind I'm cheap

 

[JB]

Re: volt / amp meter ??'s

You need two, Noel. Voltmeters and ammeters are very different critters.

 

[ndemge]

Re: volt / amp meter ??'s

yeah, undertand that..<br /><br />need shunt for the amp meter... just not having much luck on ebay for what I'm looking for<br /><br />amp meter could be analog if I can't find anything, but the volt meter really needs to be digital, since the range from full - dead battery is so small, a 0-15 volt range just leaves ya guessing.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: volt / amp meter ??'s

I've made several of those things...they're getting so big now that I have to put them on wheels. I usually just make my own meter with about 6 LEDs that shows the condition of the battery. Check allelectronics.com for what you're looking for, they've got lots of surplus meters and shunts. Maybe you could use one of those $3 digital meters from Harbor Freight...I've got one duct taped to a generator I made.

 

[KRS]

Re: volt / amp meter ??'s

Voltmeters sold at Radio Shack, but they aren't meant for much bouncing around. Buying a sturdy one would be a good idea. They do sell the momentary push button switch though