Installing a voltmeter: Difference between revisions

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A modification that will give you instant feedback on the status of your battery and charging system is a voltmeter. This is especially handy if you are running any accessories, as the EX250 doesn't have a lot of [[Alternator Information|electrical headroom]].

There are many different kinds of gauges available, but if you ask anyone who ever drove an old American car, the digital ones are much easier to use. Your local auto parts store may have what you need. You can also look at [http://www.jcwhitney.com/Voltmeter-Gauges/600002127.jcw JC Whitney], or search the internet. ~~This installation uses~~ a [http://www.digitalmeter.com/ Datel voltmeter]~~. Another version is shown close to the bottom of this page.~~

There are many different kinds of gauges available, but if you ask anyone who ever drove an old American car, the digital ones are much easier to use. Your local auto parts store may have what you need. You can also look at [http://www.jcwhitney.com/Voltmeter-Gauges/600002127.jcw JC Whitney], or search the internet. The first part of this article shows a Datel voltmeter. Later we'll show one from CA Sport Touring, which doesn't require you to cut into your fairings and is about half the cost.

====[http://www.digitalmeter.com/ Datel voltmeter]====

The first step with the installation of your meter is to find a suitable location. Put everything on your bike that you usually carry, such as a tank bag, and find a good place. Take careful measurements, because '''you only get one chance to not screw up your fairing.''' Ensure that you can see the voltmeter with a quick glance. On this Ninja 650R the meter was mounted low and to the left, but on the 250, due to a different tank bag, it was determined that up near the windscreen was better.

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[[Image:volt12.jpg|150px]]

~~'''Another choice'''~~

====CA Sport Touring [http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=14124&Category_Code=Electronics 5-function meter]====

~~This [http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=14124&Category_Code=Electronics~~ five-function meter] from CA Sport Touring is larger than the Datel one. It mounts with Velcro. It not only gives you the voltage, but also the time and temperature. It has a pickup in the case and another on a wire suitable for taping to the windscreen with a couple of strips of electrical tape, or a bit of RTV under the suction cup. The temp gauge is nice to have. If you run heated accessories you can readily tell by the voltage whether the battery is charging (13v or so) or discharging (11.4v) or everything is happy, happy, happy (14.7v).

The five-function meter from CA Sport Touring is larger than the Datel one. It mounts with Velcro. It not only gives you the voltage, but also the time and temperature. It has a pickup in the case and another on a wire suitable for taping to the windscreen with a couple of strips of electrical tape, or a bit of RTV under the suction cup. The temp gauge is nice to have. If you run heated accessories you can readily tell by the voltage whether the battery is charging (13v or so) or discharging (11.4v) or everything is happy, happy, happy (14.7v).

You can mount it between the gauge cluster and the windscreen using a couple of small L-brackets and double-stick tape - - no drilling or anything permanent. Put tape around the corners so it won't scratch the inside of the windscreen. This offers some rain protection in case the bike gets left out in the rain (this unit does not appear to be waterproof). It hooks up three places: ground & battery (front accessory leads for these two), and a switched power lead, such as a tap into the horn or instrument lighting wiring. The switched lead mainly only activates the LEDs and back lighting. The display is on constantly, as is usual for LCDs.

The nighttime illumination is not that good, but it gives you three LEDs: red, amber, and green to indicate roughly less than 12.3v, between 12.3 and 12.7v, and over 12.7. You typically get all three when moving, two when stopped without the heaters or brake on, and only the red with either load added. You can't read the display well at night, and the LEDs are invisible in the daylight, so both display methods have merit.

The nighttime illumination is not that good, but it gives you three LEDs: red, amber, and green, to indicate roughly less than 12.3v, between 12.3 and 12.7v, and over 12.7. You typically get all three when moving, two when stopped without the heaters or brake on, and only the red with either load added. You can't read the display well at night, and the LEDs are invisible in the daylight, so both display methods have merit.

[[image:IMG_7082.jpg|250px]]

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 A modification that will give you instant feedback on the status of your battery and charging system is a voltmeter. This is especially handy if you are running any accessories, as the EX250 doesn't have a lot of [[Alternator Information|electrical headroom]].
-There are many different kinds of gauges available, but if you ask anyone who ever drove an old American car, the digital ones are much easier to use. Your local auto parts store may have what you need. You can also look at [http://www.jcwhitney.com/Voltmeter-Gauges/600002127.jcw JC Whitney], or search the internet. This installation uses a [http://www.digitalmeter.com/ Datel voltmeter]. Another version is shown close to the bottom of this page.
+There are many different kinds of gauges available, but if you ask anyone who ever drove an old American car, the digital ones are much easier to use. Your local auto parts store may have what you need. You can also look at [http://www.jcwhitney.com/Voltmeter-Gauges/600002127.jcw JC Whitney], or search the internet. The first part of this article shows a Datel voltmeter. Later we'll show one from CA Sport Touring, which doesn't require you to cut into your fairings and is about half the cost.
+====[http://www.digitalmeter.com/ Datel voltmeter]====
 The first step with the installation of your meter is to find a suitable location. Put everything on your bike that you usually carry, such as a tank bag, and find a good place. Take careful measurements, because '''you only get one chance to not screw up your fairing.''' Ensure that you can see the voltmeter with a quick glance. On this Ninja 650R the meter was mounted low and to the left, but on the 250, due to a different tank bag, it was determined that up near the windscreen was better.
@@ Line 46: / Line 48: @@
 [[Image:volt12.jpg|150px]]
-'''Another choice'''
+====CA Sport Touring [http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=14124&Category_Code=Electronics 5-function meter]====
-This [http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=14124&Category_Code=Electronics five-function meter] from CA Sport Touring is larger than the Datel one. It mounts with Velcro. It not only gives you the voltage, but also the time and temperature. It has a pickup in the case and another on a wire suitable for taping to the windscreen with a couple of strips of electrical tape, or a bit of RTV under the suction cup. The temp gauge is nice to have. If you run heated accessories you can readily tell by the voltage whether the battery is charging (13v or so) or discharging (11.4v) or everything is happy, happy, happy (14.7v).
+The five-function meter from CA Sport Touring is larger than the Datel one. It mounts with Velcro. It not only gives you the voltage, but also the time and temperature. It has a pickup in the case and another on a wire suitable for taping to the windscreen with a couple of strips of electrical tape, or a bit of RTV under the suction cup. The temp gauge is nice to have. If you run heated accessories you can readily tell by the voltage whether the battery is charging (13v or so) or discharging (11.4v) or everything is happy, happy, happy (14.7v).
 You can mount it between the gauge cluster and the windscreen using a couple of small L-brackets and double-stick tape - - no drilling or anything permanent. Put tape around the corners so it won't scratch the inside of the windscreen. This offers some rain protection in case the bike gets left out in the rain (this unit does not appear to be waterproof). It hooks up three places: ground & battery (front accessory leads for these two), and a switched power lead, such as a tap into the horn or instrument lighting wiring. The switched lead mainly only activates the LEDs and back lighting. The display is on constantly, as is usual for LCDs.
-The nighttime illumination is not that good, but it gives you three LEDs: red, amber, and green to indicate roughly less than 12.3v, between 12.3 and 12.7v, and over 12.7. You typically get all three when moving, two when stopped without the heaters or brake on, and only the red with either load added. You can't read the display well at night, and the LEDs are invisible in the daylight, so both display methods have merit.
+The nighttime illumination is not that good, but it gives you three LEDs: red, amber, and green, to indicate roughly less than 12.3v, between 12.3 and 12.7v, and over 12.7. You typically get all three when moving, two when stopped without the heaters or brake on, and only the red with either load added. You can't read the display well at night, and the LEDs are invisible in the daylight, so both display methods have merit.
 [[image:IMG_7082.jpg|250px]]