how to install a hour meter and voltmeter gauge on boat

• 2022-04-21

Find where to install the hour meter on the dashboard.To be let it looking good, but more importantly, its location has to be large enough to fit the face of the front gauges. Also, looking behind the dash, you need to make sure there are no hidden parts behind that location that would get in the way of installation.Access the rear of the dash so that you can see the wires connecting to the dash, and the back of the devices and gauges mounted on the dash.Locate the back of the boat's ignition switch. The gauge can go anywhere, but it ends up being connected to the ignition switch. Installing the timer near the ignition will help with wiring later.

Most ships have a 12 volt electrical system powered by one or more batteries that are charged by the engine's alternator or other power sources, such as solar panels or wind turbines. If you don't have a voltmeter connected to your system to let you know the battery power and charging voltage at any time, you can add a voltmeter at the lowest cost and start earning money in a few minutes. You can always use a standard multimeter to measure the voltage at the battery terminals, but it's easy to install a permanent voltmeter at or near the main switch panel so that you don't have to touch the battery every time.

Like all rowing equipment, you can buy expensive navigation instruments or complex boat systems, or just buy cheap voltmeters and connect them yourself. Make sure you get a digital model instead of an analog voltmeter because you want the accuracy and ease of use of measuring very small voltage differences.Wiring is as simple as connecting the positive (red) and negative (black) leads of the instrument to the main power input in the switch panel - assuming a standard panel. If you have multiple batteries, the battery selector switch may be located outside the panel so that power flows into the panel from battery a or battery B or both. Therefore, the meter displays the voltage of any battery currently input to the panel.

If the instrument is connected to the power input, the instrument will turn on as long as the battery switch is turned on. In this case, please note that the voltage will naturally drop whenever the battery is loaded (by turning on any lights or anything else). In order to obtain the most accurate reading, do not turn on any power supply when measuring the battery voltage level.Alternatively, you can connect the voltmeter to another circuit in the panel that does not consume power directly.