7 replies to this topic

[Lola]

I have a smiths battery condition gauge I want to fit to my 1967 mini. Where do people recommend on the wireing I hook it up? I am a novice so instructions in a very basic terms would be great. I have the mounting bracket set up, I have the correct amp wire, so now I have to do the most important bit, connection!! [b]

Edited by Lola, 13 June 2009 - 02:46 PM.

[tommy13]

The battery condition gauge needs an ignition switched supply. This is easily taken from the fuse box, if you wish the supply to be fused, attach it to the terminal which carries the green wires ( usually the upper fuse). Connect the other terminal on the gauge to earth. Make sure you observe the correct polarity, your car would normally be positive earth but may have been changed.

[Phaeton]

your car would normally be positive earth.

Not unless it's from the 60's no idea what year they actually changed but just looking at my HBOL it's '69 onwards which is NEGATIVE earth.

Alan...

[dklawson]

Make sure you observe the correct polarity, your car would normally be positive earth but may have been changed.

I would not worry about polarity. The Smiths battery gauges are resistance-type voltmeters. They work by heating of an internal resistance wire and are not polarity specific since they are not "electronic". However, keeping polarity in mind is generally important for other brands of gauges (like VDO and AutoMeter) which are electronic and do not work by resistance heating.

[Cooperman]

Does it make any difference which way around a voltmeter is connected so long as the case does not earth out?
On my '64 car, which is neg earth, I wired the voltmeter from the ignition 'on' switch and to earth. It works fine. It meant not having to run yet another wire through the bulkhead.

[dklawson]

As I tried to explain in my previous post, if the gauge is a SMITHS brand voltmeter, it is NOT polarity sensitive and either spade lug can be connected (+) or (-). The case needs to have its own earth connection if you plan on using a light... unless you happen to have a lamp for it that has two leads.

If the gauge you are using is from someone other than Smiths, it likely WILL be polarity sensitive.

[minwaar]

For future reference for anyone else wishing to fit this gauge to their car I found a .pdf of the Smiths instructions for this gauge from November 1966:

http://www.google.co...bZ4FeDrhMvO6D3w

[minwaar]

Really useful resource if you shorten the url to: http://www.magical.e....co.uk/impclub/