How to Hook Up a Voltage Gauge
Electrical equipment installed in boats, cars, trailers and golf carts operates at a preset voltage. If the voltage is too high, equipment such as lights and electronic components may overheat and fail. If the voltage is too low, lights and motors lose power. To maintain the correct voltage, a battery or series of batteries must be keep fully charged. You cannot identify low or poorly charged batteries by looking at them, so a simple voltage gauge is the ideal solution.
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Instructions
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Switch off the equipment and then disconnect the power supply. If the power comes from a battery, physically disconnect the positive lead from the battery and place it where it cannot make contact with the battery terminal. If you cannot disconnect the power, remove the main fuse to isolate the power supply.
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2
Identify the two points between which you want to measure the voltage. Always measure voltage parallel to a circuit, that is, between a positive point and a negative point. For example, to measure the voltage across a battery, locate the two terminals or the main wires from the two battery terminals. Select a suitable connection point to the negative side of the circuit and call it point "A." Find a similar connection point to the positive side of the circuit and call it point "B."
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3
Measure and cut two wires, both of which are sufficiently long to reach from the gauge to points "A" and "B." Strip about 1/4-inch of the insulation from each end of both wires and then slide a crimping terminal onto each end. Push the bare wire fully into the tube part of the terminal and then secure it by flattening the tube with a crimping tool. Run one wire from the negative side of the volt gauge to point "A," and connect it using the wire crimp. Run a second wire from the positive side of the volt gauge to point "B" and, again, connect the wire crimp to the circuit. Check that the connections are secure.
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4
Reconnect the power supply and replace the fuse it if was removed at the beginning of the installation process. The volt gauge shows the voltage across the circuit.
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Tips & Warnings
Assemble all the tools and equipment you need prior to starting work. Having everything to hand will reduce the time spent completing the gauge installation.
If the gauge gives a negative reading, double-check the polarity of the connecting wires.
Installing a gauge while the power supply is connected may result in blown fuses, damage to circuits or electric shocks.
Digital gauges, unlike the far more common analogue ones, may draw power from the circuit all the time that they are in use. To stop it using power, install a switch in either wire to the gauge and switch it off it when it is not in use.
References
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