Can I use this AMP gauge

[69Ford]

How does this AMP gauge work and can I use it in bump era truck. Part # C1TZ10850A And here's the pics. Thanks for any help.

[bluef250]

Provide a wiring diagram.

[Mancar1]

Can't really c anything but what looks like a blank backside of a gage in the 1st pic. The power going to the amp gage passes thru a resistence wire that gives it very little current. The needle moves very little if at all. You can bench test a amp gage with a little 9 Volt battery. I am installing a volt meter when I replace my dash cluster. The amp gauges doesn't really work all that well.
You may want to Google, "How does a AMP gage work", you will get a lot more detail.
Don't you already have a amp gauge in your bump?
Yes if you want to install a different AMP gage it should work.
Keep on Trucking....John

[69Ford]

I'm looking at putting the gauges pictured in my F500 bump stye bezel just becouse they look cool. Just looking at the picture the amp gauge is different. The other gauges look like they will work. These sopposedly where taken out of a 67 cabover. Anyway I lost the bid today on Ebay for them. If anybody has a set they would like to get rid of let me know.

[HIO Silver]

IMO, an ammeter is a worthless gauge... send yours to these guys and have it converted to a voltmeter: http://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php ... u-volt-all

[68RGR]

I disagree that an ammeter is useless. It can provide very useful information about what is going on with your battery and electrical system. Ideally, you'd have both an ammeter and a voltmeter.

You asked how an ammeter works. In general, an ammeter can be thought of as a voltmeter that measures the voltage drop across a small value resistor which is called a shunt. Of course, voltmeters are really ammeters with a series resistance. But, that's a different topic.

They work this way:

Let's say you took a voltmeter that reads from -1 to +1 volts with 0 volts in the center of the scale. And, you placed a very small resistance is series with the charging line to the truck battery. You connected the two voltmeter terminals across the small resistor. Let's say the resistor value was 0.01 ohms. When current flows through this resistor, a voltage is developed across the resistor. The voltmeter measures this voltage. If a current of 25 amps flows through the resistor, the voltmeter will read +0.25 volts (V=I x R or V = 25 x 0.01) If 50 amps flowed in the opposite direction, the meter would read -0.50 volts.

If you were to change the dial scale on the voltmeter to read -100 to +100 AMPS, you'd have a meter that measured the current flowing into and out of the battery NOT including any current going to the starter. That is, you'd have an ammeter. There are other ways to measure current. Like by using induction. The clamp-on type meters use induction to measure the current flowing in a wire.

Whether the ammeter pictured will work with your truck depends on how the ammeter was wired in the original application, the wiring in your truck and possibly other factors.

[69Ford]

Thanks for the great reply. The more I know the better I'm at restoring my truck

I disagree that an ammeter is useless. It can provide very useful information about what is going on with your battery and electrical system. Ideally, you'd have both an ammeter and a voltmeter.

You asked how an ammeter works. In general, an ammeter can be thought of as a voltmeter that measures the voltage drop across a small value resistor which is called a shunt. Of course, voltmeters are really ammeters with a series resistance. But, that's a different topic.

They work this way:

Let's say you took a voltmeter that reads from -1 to +1 volts with 0 volts in the center of the scale. And, you placed a very small resistance is series with the charging line to the truck battery. You connected the two voltmeter terminals across the small resistor. Let's say the resistor value was 0.01 ohms. When current flows through this resistor, a voltage is developed across the resistor. The voltmeter measures this voltage. If a current of 25 amps flows through the resistor, the voltmeter will read +0.25 volts (V=I x R or V = 25 x 0.01) If 50 amps flowed in the opposite direction, the meter would read -0.50 volts.

If you were to change the dial scale on the voltmeter to read -100 to +100 AMPS, you'd have a meter that measured the current flowing into and out of the battery NOT including any current going to the starter. That is, you'd have an ammeter. There are other ways to measure current. Like by using induction. The clamp-on type meters use induction to measure the current flowing in a wire.

Whether the ammeter pictured will work with your truck depends on how the ammeter was wired in the original application, the wiring in your truck and possibly other factors.

[Hawkrod]

Can't really c anything but what looks like a blank backside of a gage in the 1st pic. The power going to the amp gage passes thru a resistence wire that gives it very little current. The needle moves very little if at all. You can bench test a amp gage with a little 9 Volt battery. I am installing a volt meter when I replace my dash cluster. The amp gauges doesn't really work all that well.
You may want to Google, "How does a AMP gage work", you will get a lot more detail.
Don't you already have a amp gauge in your bump?
Yes if you want to install a different AMP gage it should work.
Keep on Trucking....John

Unfortunately that is not correct for an old Ford. The gauge shown is an inductive ammeter and does not use resistance wire and they work just fine. To wire this one all you do is run your main power wire off of the solenoid from the main harness through the loop and back to where it was originally hooked up (if the gauge reads backwards run the wire from the opposite side of the loop). Hawkrod

[68RGR]

Hawkrod - Thanks for the clarification on the inductive ammeter.

69Ford - You might be able to use this ammeter but I would advise against it. The more wires running in/through your dash firewall, etc, the more likely you are to have a problem. Especially when they are heavy gauge wires connected to the battery, alternator, etc. Back in the day, I ran the battery "charging" wire through the firewall to one of those trio gauge ammeters. I wouldn't do that today in the interest of safety. Even though the gauge looks good, using it could lead to risks I can't justify. Just my opinion. YMMV.

[69Ford]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I did not win the bid on this cluster. Still looking for the same gauge setup If anyone knows of one let me know. Also in my research I found an amp gauge that works like our bump's but this style.

[68RGR]

Hey, sounds like a winner.

Hope you find that one.

[HIO Silver]

OK.. I still think an ammeter is useless.