Hi John,
That's a good point. Normally, the voltage drop along the wire from the
alternator to the ammeter will be negligible, but from a practical
standpoint your arrangement will probably be better, especially if you
consider the possibility of a connection coming slightly loose and then
causing a bunch of localized heating. Having two ring lugs stacked back
to back is worse than a single ring lug, and if you're going to have a
connection get hot it's better if it's at the alternator than at the
ammeter. The ammeters have plastic internal parts, and if they get hot
then they distort and your ammeter will never read the same again - if
it even works at all.
So: I stand corrected - if you are redoing your wiring, go with John's
arrangement here: <http://www.geocities.com/clarkjc260/ammeterwiring.gif>
Another point to consider is that 30 amps of current is the spec limit
for 10 gauge stranded wire, and having two or more such wires coming off
the alternator and sharing the load is good insurance against having way
too much current running through a single wire.
Best regards,
Theo
|
