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10-07-2013, 07:44 AM | #1 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 65
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Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
I posted this in Yamaha but since that section doesn't get much traffic and the informations is universal, I'll post it here as well.
After a lot of reading on the subject of battery state of charge and battery life cycle, I figured it was probably important that I monitor the battery charge and keep my batteries in good health. I've seen quite a few of the rectangular Datel meter installs that ultimately lead me to the Datel site. What I found was the Datel DMR20-10-DCM round digital voltmeter. I particularly like the round gauge, autoranging feature, and the +/-.01 V resolution. I purchased the gauge through Mouser for $45 plus shipping. Maybe someone can help me with this problem. The Yamaha Drive has a wire harness tucked under the dash for the OE state of charge meter. It is a 3-wire 4-pin connector. Using my DMM I read ~50v consistently across pins 1 and 4. I had originally planned to use this connector to power the meter as it was very convenient. However, with the Datel meter hooked up to these two pins it would only read ~5.00 v. I went through the wiring several times and could not get it to read correctly. I finally gave up and wired straight to the battery. I'm still puzzled by this. Also something to note. The autoranging feature places the meter in the +/-.01 resolution mode with the voltage drops below 51 V (perfect for our application). The meter is shipped with the autoranging feature off. To turn the autoranging feature on, you need to jumper two pins with a hard drive type jumper. I don't know if one is included or if I lost in the furor of the meter showing up and me seeing an interesting caterpillar on the ground. On to the install: |
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10-07-2013, 08:47 AM | #2 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Rio Verde, Az
Posts: 7,087
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
There must be a resistor in series with that connection. The meter is powered from the input voltage so it may just pull the voltage down. You can check that by measuring those pins with your DVM while the meter is also connected. If you wired directly to the battery I hope you added a fuse at the battery.
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10-07-2013, 09:04 AM | #3 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 65
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
Humm... I hadn't thought about that. I'll throw my meter on it in a little while and see what resistance it reads. I did fuse the meter. The instructions say that unit has an internal fuse and recommends a .25 A slow blow fuse.
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10-07-2013, 01:28 PM | #4 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Rio Verde, Az
Posts: 7,087
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
You want to have the fuse at the battery connection not at the meter!!!! You want to protect the wires not the meter.
Don't put your DVM on ohms. Put a load on and measure the voltage. |
10-07-2013, 03:01 PM | #5 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 65
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Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
Calm down chief, when I said I "fused the meter" I was implying that I installed a fuse just a few inches off the positive post ring terminal. I thought that was understood. The purpose of the post wasn't really to illustrate the install process to the nano level in details. I was trying to show another meter that folks might be interested in and I took some pics along the way.
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10-07-2013, 05:06 PM | #6 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Chestermere, Alberta - Canada
Posts: 1,146
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
I do like the look of that meter (eg. tidy & small) - very hard to drill a "nice" square hole with other meters I've seen!
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10-08-2013, 05:07 PM | #7 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: East Texas
Posts: 586
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
What size hole did you drill?
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10-08-2013, 05:25 PM | #8 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 65
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10-08-2013, 07:22 PM | #9 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 20
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Re: Datel 'nanoMeter' DC Voltmeter Install
The meter manufacturer recommends a 30mm hole. I agree that a 1 ¼” hole saw should be fine. I used a 30mm hole saw for mine because I had one available.
I also mounted a rocker switch to power the meter off so it wouldn’t be on all the time. I used a 11/16” spade bit to bore the hole . Mine is a 2010 Precedent, and the plastic on the dash cut pretty easily. I believe I probably could have used a 1 ¼” spade bit to cut the hole if I didn’t have the hole saw. Wiring was pretty painless as there was a pair of wires already in place by the Low Battery Light for an “optional“ meter ( as shown on the wiring diagram). I measured those wires with my DVM and was within 5mv of the reading on the battery pack. That was close enough for me. |
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