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Topic: Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins (Read 1122 times) previous topic - next topic

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Per the below link,,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?34359-Ammeter-conversion-to-Voltmeter-R-amp-R-guts&daysprune=365

I have converted my son's buttstuffog cluster Ammeter to a volt meter.

now i can introduce the below part into the car. 
It is a 12pos rotary swtich which in pos 1 will read normal battery voltage.
I have pos 2-12 open.
I can mount this rotary switch anywhere i like in the dash like behind the cover next to the power antenna / fog lamp  or basically anywhere.
the shaft would be cut down and a straight slot cut into it so it can be rotated with a screw driver.

The remaining points would be wired out to various points in the vehicles wiring harness so you can troubleshoot. 
When you rotate the switch, you simply use your new "voltmeter" conversion as your meter.
This mod would only be useful for people with buttstuffog clusters however, i do believe that it could be integrated to clusters with an "AMP" light, if amp light comes on then there is power,, if its dim then low power ect,, so i think it could be useful with the base electronic cluster as well. ~dono exactly yet but seems reasonable.

what circuits would you all find useful to monitor for troubleshooting purposes?

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #1 –
earlier today i did a dry run on a tap to the green wire on the TPS,
its cool to step on the gas pedal with your key in run and see the volt meter needle move,,, will be very useful to see the intermittants that can be experienced by a tps because the needle will deflect in defective spots.

building a list now of desirable tap points.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #2 –
Well that car will look like a christmas tree with wires up the KAZOO. Are you going to use a digital meter??? Reason being monitoring a device that is only capable of a max 1Volt output (O2) that gauge wont tell much. Or are you going to use a meter that reads lets say a max of 6 Volts to accomplish accurate readings. Just a thought!!

So you are finally getting around to this as we spoke some time ago. Good Luck Thanks tom
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #3 –
in post 1 i have a link to the "ammeter to volt meter conversion", go ahead and click on it , you may have over looked it after reading your post.

now the car has an buttstuffog volt meter in place of the buttstuffog amp meter.

pos 1 on the rotary switch reads  battery at the ign sw accy wire(s)(closest choice) for now although there is a voltage drop.
The rotary switch ground will be common to all 12 monitor points

pos 2-12 are reserved for what i described in post 1.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #4 –
i am actually considering the following also,

add a positive meter jack next to the rotary switch and bond it to pos 12.
since my volt meter is already bonded to ground, pos 12 will be a wired to a jack that i can simply plug a regular meter lead into and prob around inside the car for other circuits not on the rotary switch.  I think i should  call jack 12 the "manual" mode since its basically an open circuit until i use a meter lead and prob for power.  Perhaps a 12v buzzer in series betweent the jack and pos 12 will allow me to "hear" a simple tone so i dont have to look at the guage , just in case i am probing up in the engine bay instead of in the car.

I am thinking that i dont need to monitor "fused" circuits , as i can "see" that fault with a visual inspection.

i suppose the purpose of this mod is to make use of the volt meter for other tasks besides just sitting there telling me battery voltage.
it should become the on board power go/nogo monitor so to speak.  this means i dont need to go fetch my meter .
the additional jack would allow me to dive deaper into individual circuits.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #5 –
here is an etch and sketch of the concept.

the rotary switch, manual meter jack and buzzer will all be contained in a small area along the lower portion of the dash under the cosmetic covers along the headlamp or power antenna switches not to be seen when covers are on.
The cover that conseals this should be removed to also reveal a lable notating what test points are picking what circuit, a legend so to speak like your home breaker panel.  this could be done by avery sticky back or ptouch, or whatever professional means you would want.

think of this as a built in "break out box" used for power only testing.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #6 –
so to this end, im sure most of you are thinking it might be useful to have your on board "voltmeter" also act as a hand held meter,
what important circuits would be useful to bond to the rotary switch?

this is the part im havingtrouble with because something is telling me that a good amount of information can be gained by monitoring the down stream side of the fuse links.... and there are a vast qty of these.

think of it like this, when you are in trouble, the name of the game is how quickly can you narrow down the problem to the circuit and then "where" is the failure.

again, this is suppose to supplement what the car already has by way of fuses you can "see are blown" or even supplement the eec diag.
This is to use the volt meter conversion and exploit it for purposes that are infinate, litterally... if you felt like doing all the monitor leads.

i can honestly see how you could slave another 12pos rotary switch#2 off the primary switch from a single test point giving you 12more ckts to monitor.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #7 –
Tom,
i agree with your example, thats not the intenet though, especially with an o2.  The intent is to monitor as deeply or as sub component as you want,, completely flexible.
the buzzer is there just incase someone doesnt really "care" to see 12v, they just want a tool that acts as a "test light",, giving an audible tone helps in this area and you can get a tone from anywhere there would be enough power to trigger the buzzer.
a test light is a really good tool to have, ive integreated a buzzer when i pull codes so i dont have to "look",, just listen.

Ammeter as a volt meter for troubleshooting MOD begins

Reply #8 –
so to this end, im sure most of you are thinking it might be useful to have your on board "voltmeter" also act as a hand held meter, what important circuits would be useful to bond to the rotary switch?

The output of the fuel pump relay comes to mind, if the pump didn't run you would know instantly if the relay was working.  Likewise the power to the electric cooling fans for those that use them.