Cheap ammeter

WindermereColvic

WindermereColvic

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Hi all,

I'm after a cheap, no nonsense ammeter, i.e not bothered about counting amphours in and out, calculating state of charge etc, just want a plain reading.

I can find what i'm looking for as an integrated unit, however I need one with a shunt.

Units like this are available :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Multimeter...ords=volt+amp+meter+12v&qid=1621349196&sr=8-5
but its not clear whether they can handle negative values, i.e, charging current.

Can anyone recommend a nice cheap little meter?

I did find this which is close..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voltmeter-...ords=12v+ammeter+gauge&qid=1621350344&sr=8-51
but the comments about the excessive back light put me off (one of the problems i'm trying to overcome is that the illuminated switches on the current panel are too bright to sleep with!)

and this one which looks nearly right,

Aramox Amp Gauge 12v, 50A Ammeter AMP Gauge LCD Display Stepper Motor Ampere Meter IP67 Waterproof Universal(Black Dial Silver Frame): Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
but would be too expensive given its so pretty i'd have to buy the matching volt meter too!

Any experiences of what's out there?

Cheers,

Matt
 
There are thousands of the things! The first link you gave looks as if it won't register negative current, so that wouldn't be any good. Although you say you don't want Ah values, but how about this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Capacity-Discharge/dp/B0788KKMBZ

It will register charge and discharge, as well as voltage, and can give you Ah readouts and SOC. It's cheap enough just to use it as an ammeter.
 
WindermereColvic said:
Hi all,

I'm after a cheap, no nonsense ammeter, i.e not bothered about counting amphours in and out, calculating state of charge etc, just want a plain reading.

I can find what i'm looking for as an integrated unit, however I need one with a shunt.

Units like this are available :
Digital Multimeter, Droking DC Meter 6.5-100V 100A LCD Display Voltage Current Power Energy Tester 12V 24V 36V 48V 60V 72V Voltmeter Ammeter Volt Amp Meter Watt Detector with 100A Current Shunt: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
but its not clear whether they can handle negative values, i.e, charging current.

Can anyone recommend a nice cheap little meter?

I did find this which is close..
Ampnogy AiLi Battery Monitor Tester Voltmeter Ammeter 8-120V 0-350A 999Ah for Car Auto Motorboat Caravan Motorhome Motorhome Solar: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
but the comments about the excessive back light put me off (one of the problems i'm trying to overcome is that the illuminated switches on the current panel are too bright to sleep with!)

and this one which looks nearly right,

Aramox Amp Gauge 12v, 50A Ammeter AMP Gauge LCD Display Stepper Motor Ampere Meter IP67 Waterproof Universal(Black Dial Silver Frame): Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
but would be too expensive given its so pretty i'd have to buy the matching volt meter too!

Any experiences of what's out there?

Cheers,

Matt
Click to expand...
I bought the aili one and its great. The back light can be turned off by long pressing the arrow buttons
 
WindermereColvic said:
Thanks PVB! Can't believe I didn't spot that one after an hour on Amazon haha.

Looks just the thing.

Thanks
Click to expand...
That particular amp meter /AH meter looks exactly like one I bought somne time back. It proved useless as readings were unstable and hard to calibrate. Another forum here had similar experience.
I think OP is perhaps misguided in wanting to measure both charge and discharge. I think what is important is alternator charge. This can idicate state of batteries and when futher chargimng from engine is not worth the noise. Discharge should be easily calculated and repeatable on a simple boat. Many cheap digital amp meters use the standard digital volt meter module requiring 200mv full scale which dictates a fairly resistive shunt and subsequent volt drop. A moving coil analogue meter by comparison tends to need a much lower volt drop shunt.
Something like this Analog Amp Panel Meter Current Ammeter From DC5A To DC 0-500A With/(out) Shunt | eBay would be ideal and cheap enough if you really want to have one for solar charge and one for discharge. NB 75mv drop of shunt at full current rating ol'will
 
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