How to wire in a voltmeter
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Topic: How to wire in a voltmeter
Posted By: headcold
Subject: How to wire in a voltmeter
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2015 at 3:01pm
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Once this miserable winter lets up a little, I plan to install a j triple 3.1 amp USB charger and voltmeter with a 12 volt plug socket, which I plan to mount as close to my pod's breaker box as possible. You can see view this item on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBRA7KQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3JHFA8958HW5J Mounting it will not be a problem, but I am no electrician. I know losts of folks here have tied in a voltmeter, USB chargers etc. to the breaker box of their pod; but, I'm no electrician and really need to be walked through this process. Is there anyone out there that can render some assistance on this forum? Any advice would be appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2015 at 5:58pm
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You go to the next empty fuse spot on the 12v side, run at least a 14g wire from there to the spot where you mount this thing, and run a ground wire to ground. 12v is simple. Looks to me like you wire each component separately on it, so you just wire them in series. Use a 15A fuse.
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Posted By: headcold
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2015 at 6:39pm
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Thanks, Furpod. You've been helpful as usual. O.K., it seems simple but I have a few more questions that will reveal my electro-ignorance and need for further help. I know about grounding and series (v.s. parallel). However, to what do attach the ground wire to achieve a ground? Second, by running the three devices in series, do mean that the wires from all two 12v outlets and the one voltmeter on this device should be attached together to the 14g wire running to the empty fuse spot? You know, for a few extra bucks FR could have installed a voltmeter right next to the the standard water/grey/black tank and battery gauges. That is where a voltmeter really belongs.
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2015 at 10:54pm
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I'll toss my 2 cents worth in here and try to help. First, the three panel items should be wired in PARALLEL, not series. That is the positive from the fuse panel should connect to the positive terminals of the voltmeter, 12 socket, and the USB charger. Three connections to the positive wire. The same for the negative or ground: three connections, one from each item, to the ground wire. If you're only going a foot or so #14 AWG wire is OK, but any further and I would use #12 wire. With a 12 volt system every tenth of a volt drop counts. You're also going to want to use that voltmeter to get an idea of battery level so you need to minimize voltage drop if you have anything else plugged to the panel. The power panel in your pod should have two extra unused fuse spots. Use one with a 15A fuse and you're good to go. Use red for positive and black for negative just to conform to convention.
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: headcold
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 11:22am
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Thanks, Charlie. I'll have to get into the fuse/breaker box when it gets a little warmer (like March) to see exactly what I am dealing with. Your explanation clear except for one item: to what do you attach your ground wire? That might become evident when I start poking around in the fuse/breaker panel of the pod to see how other stuff is wired in. Part of the problem is that the extent of my electrical know-how is limited to changing out light fixtures and switch boxes in my home. When I replace them, the ground wire goes somewhere, but I have no idea where or to what. In the truck, stuff is grounded out on the engine block or frame. In my home, I haven't had the courage to change out defective breakers in my breaker box, leaving that to electricians. So, I approach even 12v wiring with some apprehension.
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Posted By: headcold
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 11:23am
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Thanks, Charlie. I'll have to get into the fuse/breaker box when it gets a little warmer (like March) to see exactly what I am dealing with. Your explanation clear except for one item: to what do you attach your ground wire? That might become evident when I start poking around in the fuse/breaker panel of the pod to see how other stuff is wired in. Part of the problem is that the extent of my electrical know-how is limited to changing out light fixtures and switch boxes in my home. When I replace them, the ground wire goes somewhere, but I have no idea where or to what. In the truck, stuff is grounded out on the engine block or frame. In my home, I haven't had the courage to change out defective breakers in my breaker box, leaving that to electricians. So, I approach even 12v wiring with some apprehension.
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 2:26pm
It's been a while since I made mods to my Pod and I don't have the Pod anymore so I'm going from memory. There should be a grounding bus behind the panel. The bus is just a long piece of bar stock with a bunch of holes with screws and wires in them. There are actually two so find the one with bare copper wires, not the one with white wires. The one with bare wires is connected to the battery negative and the trailer frame the same as on your auto. Perhaps Techntrek can jump in here with more specific info. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 4:00pm
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Yes.. thank you Charlie.. PARALLEL.. I had another chat window open in the FB group helping someone add dual 6v's.. Luckily I didn't tell them parallel.. as they were at the battery box at that moment.. We effectively did the same thing, just not in a all-in-one housing like that. We switched out 1 120v outlet for one that includes two 2.1 amp USB ports, added two lighter socket style 12v plugs, and I made up a custom panel for my $2 voltage monitor. ------------- |
Posted By: headcold
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 5:41pm
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Good information, folks. Thanks so much. During this exchange, I keep harking back to my unfortunate initiation into electricity, when - at about age seven or eight - I decided to disassemble my phonograph while it was still plugged into the wall socket. Needless to say, you probably can guess what happened.
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2015 at 10:42pm
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An event that still needles you to this day, and set a new record for unpleasantness. Any open questions I can help with? I only skimmed the thread, getting ready to go to bed. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 11 Jan 2015 at 8:01am
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Doug, The only thing I couldn't remember was the exact location and appearance of the chassis ground bus. Perhaps you can clarify for Headcold. Headcold, Those old 78s could do that to you. Now days everything runs on a battery, fits in you shirt pocket, was made in China, and can't be repaired anyway. I could tell of similar "learning" experiences, but won't. Good luck with your project. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 11 Jan 2015 at 12:01pm
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Yes it should be accessible behind the converter. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: headcold
Date Posted: 11 Jan 2015 at 2:37pm
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