Installing ammeter gauge

[fatak]

Given the troubles that these cars have electrically, I'm on my third alternator, I thought I would install volt and amp gauges. The voltage gauge is simple but I do not find a manufacturer that can handle the potential 120 amp output of the alternator. Autometer, VDO and Stewart Warner say that the ammeter installed must be able to handle the maximum amperage of the system. Potentially that is 120 amps I think.

I have searched this forum every way I can think of and don't find any post where someone has installed an ammeter. Being a mechanical engineer I am much more comfortable with PSI, RPM and ft-lbs and am uncomfortable with things I can't see or touch that can hurt me such as amps and volts. Can anyone tell me of someone who has installed an ammeter? Will the 100 amp version do the job? Is there a place that it can be installed in the circuit where it doesn't need to handle the full output of the alternator?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[SHOZ123]

You will need to get one that uses a shunt or a "dounut" current detector.

The shunt will be wired in line on the alternator ouput wire and the ammeter wires run off of it. It uses the millivolt drop across the shunt to determine the current flow.

The dounut type has the alternator output wire runing though it's center and uses the strength of the magnetic field generated to determine the current flow.

But in reality you will never see the 120A output from your alternator.

<small>[ February 14, 2004, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: SHOZ123 ]</small>