Posted by MarkB_MI on April 21, 2014 at 02:56:13 from (198.208.159.19):
In Reply to: Amps and volts posted by Notjustair on April 20, 2014 at 18:08:30:
Back in the days of low-output generators and simple electrical systems, ammeters made a lot of sense: plus means "good", minus means "bad". This is easy to see if you have a 15 or 30 amp meter. But the meter needs to be able to handle the maximum alternator output, and it's pretty difficult to tell a slight charge from a slight discharge on a 60 amp ammeter. Many vehicles today have 130 amp alternators; a 130 amp full-scale ammeter is pretty much useless.
Higher alternator capacities also made it less practical to install an ammeter in the dash. The shunt needs to be large and the alternator-to-battery cable needs to be heavy gauge. Ammeter-equipped vehicles built in the late sixties used remote current shuts, but this adds a complexity and expense to the charging system.
I think another factor was the popularity of imported cars in the seventies; Japanese and European manufacturers had already made the switch to voltmeters and the introduction of these cars to the US helped gain acceptance for voltmeters. In the end, the only reason to stick with ammeters was that drivers were familiar with them. Once they got used to seeing volmeters on imported vehicles that reason wentt away.
In my opinion, the voltmeter is a far better diagnostic tool than an ammeter. Add to that the simplicity of installing a voltmeter and it wins hands-down.
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