Basicly i added a voltmeter/gauge to my lawn tractor Jonsered LT12. And the weird thing is that, when i turn the ignition on it reads 14V.
Isin't that weird ,imo it's supposed to read 12.6V when fully charged. Goes up to 15v when full throttle.
Here's the scheme of my tractor and also a sketch how i hooked the voltmeter.
red one is power, one ground is for gauge and other one for the bulb inside the gauge.
Hopefully you guys will be able to clear things up for me, it's a brand new gauge with a needle.
Also, it's not exactly a calibrated precision instrument.
If you're really paranoid, try hooking it to a tested benchtop supply and see what it reads.
Or hook it to a good Fluke (etc) meter and see what it reads in comparison.
Normal 12 volt battery reads about 12.5 volts with no load (when the tractor's not running). Normal charging voltage while it is running is 13.5 to 15 volts. Sounds like yours is working properly.
Is that 14V when you first turn it on but BEFORE you start it (key on, engine not running)? If so, get a good VM and check your battery voltage, the gauge is most likely incorrect.
As others have said, if it's with the engine running, then it's normal.
Is that 14V when you first turn it on but BEFORE you start it (key on, engine not running)? If so, get a good VM and check your battery voltage, the gauge is most likely incorrect.
As others have said, if it's with the engine running, then it's normal.
Or even hit the starter briefly to remove any "surface" charge.
You have an unregulated system (just 1 diode is it) and they aren't all exactly the same.
If your battery is fully charged, they still keep trying to charge it more.
A penlight battery is 1.50V. Maybe use it as a check? Not the most accurate part of the scale, but you should be able to tell if it reads high.
The volt motor really isn't designed to be that accurate with an exact number. That's why most of them don't have that many segments or numbers on them. It's basically just and up is higher down is lower kind of thing. You can probably take 100 of the exact same mowers and with them running the needle would be in a solid different spot on many of them.
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