Amps Gague

[bug bit]

I just found an old amps gague in my tool box. there are 2 bolts on the back. can someoone tell me where they are to be hooked up on an alternator?  Thanks

[dudevato]

On a car you wire it into the wire that is feeding the battery.  If you have your engine running and everything is working right it should show a bit of a charge (+)  If it shows 'negitive' then you need to switch the connections on the back of the amp gauge.  A note: all the 12 volt a car uses/makes passes through the gauge, but Not The Starter's draw; Too Much Juice! There may be a marking on the back of your gauge telling you which side goes the the battery.

[bug bit]

thanks for the info.. the only writing on the back ot the gague is "made in taiwan".  

[finnsawyer]

Make sure you connect it only to the direct current side.  You should also make sure that it is an ammeter (i. e. has an internal shunt) and not a micro-ammeter.  Take a 1.5 volt battery in series with a resistor to test it.  Start with a large resistor (say 1 megohm) and lower the resistance value until you get a reading.  Current then equals 1.5/(resistance in Ohms).  From that you can determine the full scale reading.