MarantzManiac Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 yes, it does vary quite a bit however in everyday riding it sits a little over 14v.... vfrness upgrade is working well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted September 2, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted September 2, 2014 Has anyone considered adding an ammeter as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faran Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted November 2, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted November 2, 2014 I just noticed that there are at least three different Honda round voltmeter gauges in just this thread. Mine was made by VDO (post #67), but the ones in post #124 and #60 are both somewhat different and may have been made by other companies (for Honda). Hmmm. Ciao, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted November 2, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted November 2, 2014 Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? You'll get lots of answers to this - anything from running a fused wire directly from the battery to tapping in to another circuit. IMO the main thing to consider is whether you want it to be hot all the time - showing voltage with the ignition off - or if you want it switched off when the ignition is off. I chose the latter, running it off a switched fuseblock I got from Tightwad on his website. Double checking it with a shop meter across the battery I get the exact same reading, so no losses I can see by going through a relay and fusebox. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faran Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? You'll get lots of answers to this - anything from running a fused wire directly from the battery to tapping in to another circuit. IMO the main thing to consider is whether you want it to be hot all the time - showing voltage with the ignition off - or if you want it switched off when the ignition is off. I chose the latter, running it off a switched fuseblock I got from Tightwad on his website. Double checking it with a shop meter across the battery I get the exact same reading, so no losses I can see by going through a relay and fusebox. YMMV. Thanks for your input. Honestly, I don’t want really fancy work, but I don’t want LEDs to be running all the time and eventually burn. What I was thinking was to install a small toggle switch and run wires directly from the battery and just use double sided tape and stick display somewhere where it’s visible. Because then in that case if this el cheapo meter burns out, just replace it with a new one. More like keeping the circuit open and then using toggle switch(closed circuit) when I am on the bike. Is this approach good or no? P.S: Is tapping into any other circuit a good approach? Asking, because I don’t want to deal with any later electrical issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted November 2, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted November 2, 2014 A manual switch would definitely work. A relay however is just a switch that's triggered by current from a circuit that becomes hot with the key on. Often the tail light is used for that purpose but any circuit that becomes live with the key on will do. It's a more elegant solution than a manual switch. I wanted to take my reading directly off the battery so that what's going on in some other circuit does not affect the reading. If you run a dedicated wire from the battery be sure to place a fuse close to the + terminal. I used a 3A fuse as there's practically no current draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faran Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Thanks Cogswell. I am definitely planning to do a dedicated wire from the battery. What I was thinking was to use two straight wires, with an eyelet hooked with battery + and - terminals. Do I need a fuse with it? If so, how should I hook it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nirtus Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Here is mine. This way I can see voltmeter while riding.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AnikMankar Posted November 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted November 6, 2014 this will give you exact voltage reading Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? have added these same ones in my meter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faran Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 this will give you exact voltage reading Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? have added these same ones in my meter Thanks Anik, please see attached pict and can you help me understand it a bit better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AnikMankar Posted November 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted November 6, 2014 this will give you exact voltage reading Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? have added these same ones in my meter Thanks Anik, please see attached pict and can you help me understand it a bit better?- You need to get a powered source , this way the voltmeter comes on only when the switch is on. This I have taken from the rear brake switch. - next connect a relay. Relay gets powered buy the source. . - output of the relay should go to the voltmeter. - relay is connected directly to the battery. Not sure if this helps. - The section you have highlighted are connectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faran Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Gotcha, thanks for clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer badelman Posted January 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 23, 2015 Here's mine. I may add Tightwad's digital monitor as well but needed this one as it's in my face and will let me know if it changes ASAP by virtue of its location! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 this will give you exact voltage reading Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? have added these same ones in my meter +1 on the direct battery hookup with a relay, I noticed that going through something the tailight circuit displays slightly lower than actual voltage values, maybe because of other systems in the circuit(?)...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted January 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 23, 2015 this will give you exact voltage reading Thanks for putting this thread up. I have ordered a bunch of el cheapo Chinese digital voltmeters. Today, I received the first one, see pict attached. Now question, where should I hook it up in terms of providing power and wiring? have added these same ones in my meter +1 on the direct battery hookup with a relay, I noticed that going through something the tailight circuit displays slightly lower than actual voltage values, maybe because of other systems in the circuit(?)...... Or... skip the relay and wire the voltmeter direct to the battery with fuse and switch in line on the + side. You can check the battery voltage/health before starting the bike in this setup. ...................Flip meter switch, check volts, start bike...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Not a 5th gen but I had the same location on my 4th as I do on my 6th gen. I just velcro-ed it to the leading edge of my ignition box. I've never had it come loose. Just make sure you put it low enough that it clears the lower edge of your instrument cluster because it turns with your bars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 That's how I mounted mine too, tho it's permanently attached. I would have preferred Datel made a unit with green output, but the red works ok. They also make a daylight readable unit now, but it requires a 5v power supply so it's a more complicated install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Mine just uses colour & flashes to indicate voltage state. I prefer this to a digital readout since it woks fine most of the time so I don't need to know the exact voltage, just that it's within spec. If it changes colour to Amber or Red or flashes Red, than I know there is an issue and I can check the decode to see what the value is. It is light sensitive too so dims when it goes dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SCguy Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Skids, what voltage monitor is that? Looks bigger than the SDC. RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Skids, what voltage monitor is that? Looks bigger than the SDC. RD They're called Sparkbrite. Mine is the Eclipse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SCguy Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Skids, what voltage monitor is that? Looks bigger than the SDC. RD They're called Sparkbrite. Mine is the Eclipse. Thanks man, now I know what I'm getting for my 99. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Skids, what voltage monitor is that? Looks bigger than the SDC. RD They're called Sparkbrite. Mine is the Eclipse. Thanks man, now I know what I'm getting for my 99. Those lights are nice... but a healthy vfr charge system will run in the high 13s to mid/low 14s Volts and over time if something is going amiss will drift down to the low 13s and 12s. By the Eclipse meter, you never know the trend of what is happening and if it goes amber, surprise! Your hosed. - The overcharge side looks good. ------ But again if you have a digital read out, you know what is happening before you are stranded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 Skids, what voltage monitor is that? Looks bigger than the SDC. RD They're called Sparkbrite. Mine is the Eclipse. Thanks man, now I know what I'm getting for my 99. Those lights are nice... but a healthy vfr charge system will run in the high 13s to mid/low 14s Volts and over time if something is going amiss will drift down to the low 13s and 12s. By the Eclipse meter, you never know the trend of what is happening and if it goes amber, surprise! Your hosed. - The overcharge side looks good. ------ But again if you have a digital read out, you know what is happening before you are stranded. Can't disagree.....a digital gauge tells you exactly what's happening. But I have enough to concentrate on when I'm riding and reading another gauge of digits is another distraction, whereas a simple coloured light is easy. I don't know enough about electrics but my 6th Gen is always green, once running. My 5th Gen, before I retired her, was always amber except when hot & below 2500rpm (something to do with R/R output I think) when it went green. Ran beautifully for 000's of miles showing mainly amber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duccmann Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Quick guestion, was reading this thread around 2 am last night, was there mention of having a digital meter plugged into the tickle charge harnes off the battery. Sorry, to lazy to read all 15 pgs again. I liked the mount that with alittle piece of metal mounted to the triple tree top bolts , okay thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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