- How to Wire Voltmeter Gauges on a Car | It Still Runs
- How to Wire a Voltmeter
- How to Use a Multimeter
This article has also been viewed , times. Car Batteries and Ignitions. Instalar um Medidor de Voltagem e Amperagem em um Carro. Open your wire kit and check the wires. They should be 10 gauge or better. Crimp and solder terminal lugs to the wires. Use wire crimpers and a soldering gun. Connect the other wire to the wire leading to the alternator. Consult your owner's manual and specific gauge instructions for further wiring details. Tighten the terminal nuts in order to compress the washers into the lugs.
How to Wire Voltmeter Gauges on a Car | It Still Runs
Connect 1 wire to the instrument lighting panel circuit or other volt source. Connect a ground wire between the center ground terminal of the meter and a good engine ground. Leave the engine off and turn on the car's lights. Your ammeter indicator should read negative.
Disconnect your negative battery cable again and switch the wires on the back of the meter if the indicator reads positive. There are many different multimeter models; visit the multimeter gallery for labeled pictures of additional models. Almost all multimeters can measure voltage , current , and resistance. See the next section for an explanation of what these terms mean, and click on the Using a Multimeter tab, above, for instructions on how to make these measurements. Some multimeters have a continuity check , resulting in a loud beep if two things are electrically connected.
This is helpful if, for instance, you are building a circuit and connecting wires or soldering; the beep indicates everything is connected and nothing has come loose. You can also use it to make sure two things are not connected, to help prevent short circuits. Some multimeters also have a diode check function. A diode is like a one-way valve that only lets electricity flow in one direction. The exact function of the diode check can vary from multimeter to multimeter. If you're working with a diode and can't tell which way it goes in the circuit, or if you're not sure the diode is working properly, the check feature can be quite handy.
If your multimeter has a diode check function, read the manual to find out exactly how it works. Advanced multimeters might have other functions, such as the ability to measure and identify other electrical components, like transistors or capacitors. Since not all multimeters have these features, we will not cover them in this tutorial.
How to Wire a Voltmeter
You can read your multimeter's manual if you need to use these features. If you haven't heard of these terms before, we'll give a very simple introductory explanation here. You can read more about voltage, current, and resistance in the References tab, above.
Remember that voltage, current, and resistance are measurable quantities that are each measured in a unit that has a symbol , just like distance is a quantity that can be measured in meters, and the symbol for meters is m. The symbol that is used for a unit is usually different than the symbol for a variable in an equation. For example, voltage, current, and resistance are related by Ohm's law see the References tab to learn more about Ohm's law:. In this equation, V represents voltage, I represents current, and R represents resistance.
So, "V" is used for both voltage and volts, but current and resistance have different symbols for their variables and units.
How to Use a Multimeter
Don't worry if this seems confusing; this table will help you keep track:. This is very common in physics. For example, in many equations, "position" and "distance" are represented by the variables "x" or "d," but they are measured in the unit meters, and the symbol for meters is m. A simple analogy to better understand voltage, current, and resistance: The amount of water flowing through the pipe is like current.
More water flow means more current. The amount of pressure making the water flow is like voltage; a higher pressure will "push" the water harder, increasing the flow. Resistance is like an obstruction in the pipe. For instance, a pipe that is clogged with debris or objects will be harder for water to flow through, and will have a higher resistance than a pipe that is free of obstruction.
This cartoon illustrates the idea as well; "volt" is trying to push "amp" through a narrow opening, which is being restricted by "ohm. Direct current abbreviated DC is current that always flows in one direction. Direct current is supplied by everyday batteries—like AA and AAA batteries—or the one in your cell phone. Most of the Science Buddies projects you do will probably involve measuring direct current.
Different multimeters have different symbols for measuring direct current and the corresponding voltage , usually "DCA" and "DCV," or "A" and "V" with a straight bar above or next to them. See " What do all the symbols on the front of the multimeter mean? Alternating current abbreviated AC is current that changes direction, usually many times in one second.
The wall outlets in your house provide alternating current that switches directions 60 times per second in the U. Do not use a multimeter to measure the wall outlets in your home. This is very dangerous. When you take measurements with a multimeter, you will need to decide whether to attach it to your circuit in series or in parallel , depending on what you want to measure.
In a series circuit, each circuit element has the same current. So, to measure current in a circuit, you must attach the multimeter in series. In a parallel circuit, each circuit measurement has the same voltage. So, to measure voltage in a circuit, you must attach your multimeter in parallel.
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- How to Wire a Voltmeter.
To learn how to take these measurements, see the Using a Multimeter tab. Figure 2 shows basic series and parallel circuits, without a multimeter connected.
To learn more about voltage, current, and resistance in series and parallel circuits, check out the References tab. You might be confused by all the symbols on the front of your multimeter, especially if you don't actually see words like "voltage," "current," and "resistance" spelled out anywhere.
Remember from the "What are voltage, current, and resistance? Most multimeters use these abbreviations instead of spelling out words. Your multimeter might have some other symbols, which we will discuss below. Most multimeters also use metric prefixes. Metric prefixes work the same way with units of electricity as they do with other units you might be more familiar with, like distance and mass.
For example, you probably know that a meter is a unit of distance, a kilometer is one thousand meters, and a millimeter is one thousandth of a meter. The same applies to milligrams, grams, and kilograms for mass. Here are the common metric prefixes you will find on most multimeters for a complete list, see the References tab:.
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These metric prefixes are used in the same way for volts, amps, and ohms. Some multimeters are "auto-ranging," whereas others require you to manually select the range for your measurement. If you need to manually select the range, you should always pick a value that is slightly higher than the value you expect to measure. Think about it like using a ruler and a yardstick. If you need to measure something that is 18 inches long, a inch ruler will be too short; you need to use the yardstick.
The same applies to using a multimeter. Say you are going to measure the voltage of a AA battery, which you expect to be 1. All of the other options are unnecessarily large, and would result in a loss in accuracy it would be like using a foot tape measure that only has markings every foot, and no inch markings; it isn't as accurate as using a yardstick with 1-inch markings. We'll explain some of those symbols here, but remember, all multimeters are different, so we cannot cover every possible option in this tutorial. Check your multimeter's manual if you still can't figure out what one of the symbols means.
You can also browse our multimeter gallery to see labeled pictures of different multimeters. Your multimeter probably came with red and black wires that look something like the ones in Figure 4. These wires are called probes or leads pronounced "leeds". One end of the lead is called a banana jack ; this end plugs into your multimeter Note: The other end is called the probe tip ; this is the end you use to test your circuit.
Following standard electronics convention, the red probe is used for positive, and the black probe is used for negative. Although they come with two probes, many multimeters have more than two places in which to plug the probes, which can cause some confusion. Exactly where you plug the probes in will depend on what you want to measure voltage, current, resistance, continuity test, or diode test and the type of multimeter you have.
We have provided one example in the images below—and you can check our gallery for a multimeter similar to yours—but since all multimeters are slightly different, you might need to consult the manual for your multimeter. Most multimeters except for very inexpensive ones have fuses to protect them from too much current. Fuses "burn out" if too much current flows through them; this stops electricity from flowing, and prevents damage to the rest of the multimeter. Some multimeters have different fuses, depending on whether you will be measuring high or low current, which determines where you plug the probes in.