Digital voltemeter??

[raptorforme93]

Is it possible to mount a small digital voltmeter on my dash bezel that will messure the power going to my amp? right now my power system is all stock and I dont want to damage my amps so I was hoping to add a voltmeter to tell me if Im drawing too much power. When my system is banging the voltmeter on my dash goes almost all the way down from 14. (I know I need to upgrade my power system but dont have the funds right now) It seems like this wouldnt be a problem but just wanted to double check and see if anyone else has this type of setup. Thanks!

 

[blueflamed03]

like this, plugs into cig lighter
http://www.amazon.com/Auto-Meter-6391-Digital-Voltmeter/dp/B0009RUYKA

 

[retorq]

I got a cap with a digital readout on it ... It's under the back seat so I can just turn around and see what it's reading.

 

[SunlitComet]

+1 on cap with readout. Better solution.

 

[blueflamed03]

if your voltmeter on the dash is going way down, yes, forget spending money on any meter, spend it on a ** alt. Cause if you are dropping below 11v, you could see serious damage as you are clipping the signal. To make power, you need to supply the voltage. If you have 1000 watt amp, at 11v, its NOT 1000 watts.

 

[retorq]

Just FYI I notice my dash gauge is almost never in sync with what my cap says. The cap will say 14.36 or something and the gauge in the dash will be below the 14 mark ... so there is a chance you are OK just a "bad" gauge.

 

[SunlitComet]

Malfuctioning gauge or connection to it would do that. Keep in mind it does reads the voltage entering the instrument cluster and not at the alternator or battery point. So resistance from all the wire travel always has a role in it. Measure your voltage at the cluster and compare to gauge for a simple comparison.

 

[Sir-Lancelot]

http://cgi.ebay.com/STINGER-SVMB-Voltage-Gauge-Meter-Blue-Display-Car-/200570777350?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb2f32f06


Hook it up to the amp and monitor what the amp is seeing.

 

[xX Mavr1ck Xx]

^^^ That's what your looking for if you're wanting to mount on the dash. Here's mine:

 

[raptorforme93]

http://cgi.ebay.com/STINGER-SVMB-Voltage-Gauge-Meter-Blue-Display-Car-/200570777350?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb2f32f06


Hook it up to the amp and monitor what the amp is seeing.

Yes thats pretty much exactly what Im looking for and Im looking to set it up something like how xx mavr1ck xx has it set up. Thank you!

@ blueflamed03: Yes I know that dropping the volts is not good for my gear thats why whenever it drops a little bit on the gauge i either turn it down a little or turn the bass down. And I know that I am robbing myself of power because yes I have a 1000w amp but it cant push that much when its not getting power. Plus its an expensive competition amp, not just a cheapy