Topic: usb port, voltmeter

[Don R]

 I just put one of these on my gl1000, it should be great on a cb also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-24V-2-Port-USB-3-1A-Car-Boat-Charger-Socket-Voltage-Panel-Volt-Meter-MA1108/222469117307?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

[Don R]

 It reads 12.5 to 12.7 key on, not bad voltage drop through the Honda wiring, ignition switch and the windjammer wiring. drops a volt with the headlight on, goes up to 14.3 or so with the engine running. It does fluctuate with the blinker .5 or so.
 It is bigger than a cigarette lighter so it won't fit in the same hole. There are many other shapes also.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ofplAu8k43Kwa5rA2

 forgive the crookedness in the pic.

[strynboen]

i have that 4 in one unit on my boat..hvere voltmeter and usb is seperate units..vorks fine..but use power all time..so dont hotvire it..it need both a fuse and a breaker..

[Deltarider]

Probably made in China and for me that's automatically: no go (lessons learned). Have a look at the pic below if you will and you'll see it's already corroded there. Probably won't live long.

[b52bombardier1]

I have the rectangular version on my CB500 mounted between the handlebars. Works great. I have it connected in the headlight bucket to a black key - switched hot wire and ground.

I think I paid 14 bucks for it on Ebay.

Rick

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Hey Rick, I was just looking at my rectangular volt meter wondering how was I going to mount it. Can you post up a picture of your solution please?

[strynboen]

yes delta..its china..and i have no big hope of it vill live long in vet kondisions.
.china stuff is just vorth hvat you pay.(or less).no magig..

just hope my setup voll vork some sesons..so i can get a idea of hvat i need in the boat(and specily not need)..but vill not pay heigh money if i later dropp the idea of a ipad to navigate vith..i had a old gps..vitaut Card ..its a bit hard to use

one of my freinds have a usb on his moped..it died of vater..så they dont like direkt rain..but vho load telefones in rain..it need to be protekted even it have that rubber cap..

[Deltarider]

Strynboen, I tried to decipher that oval plate, right side of the steering wheel. What is it, some sort of identification? I suppose you as a Danish, have a Bukh engine in there, right?

[grcamna2]

Delta, I like your new avatar; is that a vote for Alfred E. Neuman as president? 

[Deltarider]

Delta, I like your new avatar; is that a vote for Alfred E. Neuman as president? 

No, no, you know as well as I that by today's standards, Alfred is overqualified. How about Goofy?

[strynboen]

ha... its aktly a Volvo penta engine. and the boat is a Danish Ejvind...but the engines is  almost the same teknik..i had a bukh traktor once..a heavy and solid machine..it used ZF( fridrichshafen tahnradfabrik )gearbox..just like fendt and Deutz traktors did..

[Don R]

 The American made voltmeter I could find is an Autometer, 12X the price and high quality but 2 1/16" dia. Last trip I made a jumper off the battery charger adapter to a cigarette lighter port to a 12V charger cord. This seems easier.

[Deltarider]

I choose to make my own. I've opened an USB connector (China made) abandoned by a friend, because the center pin didn't contact the cigarette lighter connector properly. For the rest it works and I've planned to make it as small as possible and then to connect it with a cable to the free female black connector that the standard harness provides (under the tank). I can do without a voltmeter. No costs, clean (when not needed, I can tuck it away), precisely what I need and no extra thingies on my handlebars.

[grcamna2]

Delta, I like your new avatar; is that a vote for Alfred E. Neuman as president? 

No, no, you know as well as I that by today's standards, Alfred is overqualified. How about Goofy?

lol 

[Deltarider]

lol 

I'll make you a confession: nowadays I watch BBC World (for me still the number one) and CNN (not bad either) and I have as much fun as watching a soap.

[b52bombardier1]

Hello Jerry,

  Yes, I will post a picture later today but its a simple, inexpensive mounting. My rectangular meter has mounting holes at each corner and the plastic housing for the meter is black.  So I found some black 16 gauge wire (I twisted it into two strands) and anchored the two lower corner meter holes to the upper two bolts of the handlebars. Basically, I loosened the two bolts and looped the twisted strands around the bolt shafts and re-tightened the bolts.  With everything black including the handlebar brackets, my admittedly cheesy 16 gauge wire solution is hardly noticeable.

  This makes for a solid mounting and the 16 gauge wire handles the crushing torque needed on the bar bolts to keep the handlebars from being loose.  My only two minor complaints about the meter situation here is that the meter reads about three tenths of a volt low compared to what is actually happening at the battery posts - not the fault of the meter. And then, this is only at idle RPM. At higher RPM, the numbers are very close. Secondly, the LED numbers are hard to read in open sunlight but shading the numbers with my hand solves that problem.

Rick

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I think if you use the cover when you do not have a USB cable attached, you shouldn't have corrosion problems.

[b52bombardier1]

Here is the picture of the rectangular version mounted on my bike.  Works well for me.

Rick

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Thanks. A picture is worth that 1000 words. The one I have is just a smaller rectangular digital voltmeter. Your's helps me in the idea department. Looks like a trip to the hardware store for a piece of metal. Mine is a F so it has the ignition switch and 'dashboard' right where you placed yours. I should be able to place it over to one side of either handlebar bolt though.

How is your 'dashboard' mounted on the K bikes? I could maybe fab a mount and utilize the bar bolts and elevate it above the bars??

[b52bombardier1]

The "dashboard" on my bike has a bracket that the handlebar bolts pass through if I remember correctly.   It seemed like a good place to mount the voltmeter.   Funny thing is that I have never used the USB 2.0 port although I came close back in late May - it does work though.  Even though a CB500 is too big to be called a tiddler, I had it all ready to go for the 200 mile Texas Tiddler Run in Shelbyville and the 70 mile trip from here to there - as a cell phone charger.  They allow older bikes that are larger than the max 300 CC size to be called a tiddler to enter the rally in the non-competitive class.

   But it came a frog strangling rain that morning at my 6 am departure time between here and there so I stayed in bed. Maybe next year.

Rick

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I wonder how much distance there is between the bars and the top of the 'dash'? I could maybe use one with some mods?

[Deltarider]

Am I the only one that thinks it looks horrible? The 'voltmeter' that worked for me the last 37 years: waiting at a traffic light hold left hand in front of the headlight, rev and check light becomes brighter. That's it. Works with gloves on just as well. On longer trips like holidays, I carry an automotive DMM anyhow.

[PeWe]

I have a LED to see charging voltage when driving and battery status when ign off. I want a small temp gauge, all I've found are 50mm OD. Smaller needed.

[Deltarider]

Pewe, the LED volt indicator you have shown us, IMO is simply the best: it is small, so it can be hidden between the clocks and doesn't spoil the looks of your bike. Moreover it will be in line where your view should be at all times . It is intuitive and so does not distract. It is waterproof. If only somebody could combine a similar LED with the multifunction engine guard I poposed many years ago*. My favourite would be a simple LED that would indicate: red (= stop immediately), yellow (= something needs attention), green (= all is well) in combination with a small LCD screen (that could be mounted anywhere) where you can find what is wrong.
* http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=44306.msg463126#msg463126

[PeWe]

Hi Deltarider,
Yes, I have mentioned that LED many times since I was in need of voltage control after my experience with 3 ohm coils and quickly drained battery. I did a charging overhaul with help of this forums post covering that matter in details (TwoTired) and the Honda shop manual chapter 8. Cleaned and adjusted the regulator and all connectors. I see that LED at every ride and when the charge is green, around 4000/4500 rpms as it should and that it will overcharge for short times as I also have read here as a natural behavior. Red LED for a minute mostly less, I have seen a few minutes too.

AF/ratio on each exhaust would be perfect with LED's plus exhaust temperature close to the ex valve. This needs sensors though.

When I had my bike on the dyno checking power and AF ratio the dyno guy stuck long pipes into the exhaust pipes.  Those pipes sucked the gases out from the exhaust to the Lambda sonds mounted beside the dyno (compressed air made an underpressure). Important to measure as early as possible. More important with fuel injection when he want to measure the AF ratio direct , not with a delay.