I was always missing information in the cockpit how my alternators were charging. After some research I did find the AMP meter from Blue Sea. This unit has been working great on BL for the last 5 years.
If you have a Mastervolt MICC panel on your boat with a 500A shunt this Amp meter can easily be connected in parallel on the same shunt. On Bella Luna I installed the Blue Sea Amp meter under the windscreen and give us following advantages.
- You learn very fast how much electricity different equipment uses.
- You can see if something is left on that should not be on.
- You can see how much your alternators are charging. Problems will immediately be noticed.
Great hands on advice! Your website is full of good advice and at the same time you and Vickie are posting interesting and relaxed observations and coments of your travels – fantastic!
Lennart Norgren
Proud HR-owner with crusing ambitions in the future
Hi Lennart,
Thanks for your kind words. Vickie and I look forward to meet you guys again.
Hi,
Interesting post. Could you post a wiring diagram?
Hi,
I do not have a wiring diagram. But let me explain what I did.
There are two wires coming from the Shunt. They are connected to the MICC Panel. As the MICC panel is closer to the cockpit than the shunt, I decided to connect the new AMP meter to the MICC panel.
It is easy to connect two cables in paralell with the shunt cables on the backside of the MICC.
If it would be easier you can also do this directly on the shunt. But if you have an HR I’m sure it is far easier to do what I did.
In addition to the shunt wires, you also need +/- to run the new AMP meter.
Hope this help
Roland