REDARC DUAL VOLTAGE GAUGE

[Tikka7mm08]

Has anyone fitted one of these? I have a double din system with offset switch mount that has a spot for a gauge.

Was thinking of putting one of these in but hard to find reviews and whether you really need the optional lighting module.

[Tombie]

Very pricey bit of kit to tell you battery volts.

Have you got an EGT gauge yet? Put one in there.

[scarry]

If you can make a digital one fit,Outbackequipment have a few different sizes,for about a quarter of the cost.

I have had one for a while,works fine but does read about .4V higher than my Fluke meter,but that is OK.

A mate had the Redarc one you are talking about, in a 79,worked fine,but I don’t know about your lighting question.

Redarc do have a tech support number,I don’t have it with me ATM.

[AK83]

I would recommend a std USB port plus volt meter set up instead.

On my D1, I have a 1Gauge which shows dual voltages. Handy to have, but not really a gauge I keep an eye on regularly.
One day when(or if) I get another sensor of some type, I will replace the dual voltage reading on the 1Gauge, but as have filled all the currently available slots on the 1Gauge, good to have as a point of reference every now and then.

What I've found is more than knowing the exact voltage of each battery is, is the alternator charging, and is the battery really really low(or high). Never seen a really high battery voltage, but can happen(have an old charger that tries to charge batteries to over 16vots! .. obviously not used any more tho).

Anyhow, what I find more 'useful' are the USB port outlets that have a volt meter built in to them. I recently changed from regular USB2 2.5amp versions(with volt meters) to USB3/PD type outlets.
The USB3/PD is great to maintain charge to the power hungry tablet at all times, charge the phone faster, etc. still has the USB3 type A port for backward compatibility for stuff like lights and whatever, but the bonus with changing from USB2 only(and hence low power) is the far better output for the power hungry device(or faster charging modern stuff like newer phones).
The other side benefit of having this updated USB power port is the ability to turn it off with a simple on board switch.

Like this one off ebay. (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/354211292531?hash=item5278a36573:g:~1EAAOSwq3Zi8Gq u&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4Chkly%2BAtnnFqipdzasXYw87W5R 9n%2FnM57wPO5v2EOK7RXipuoWJiwfC67wIgpIDA7ECc8IRz3l JEBEtKvN0XqKZmDDnd1B8ZVygUlt3OAmY57%2BlFXLYUiHNFWd M3TaWngGJtMS%2BeRI1fZKHwJoBOFp28B1LFfJp7xb3NyBBHlC dCtURsOyXNVzx2HzvfarWoUqs6hdhBoWNMqU%2BgZbQ5NLBn9N WHI7TmdXOZclftPHCUNspFwmr2TiUsOT%2BMgpW3o03ufew3uN %2BwW8HE7I4N2aGit%2BQRVIi1JBcxyEhTee6%7Ctkp%3ABFBM zJ6nl4hi)

Can't offer any advice re this particular seller, but they're all the same. I've bought many of them now from various sellers and they're all the same.

The small switch the the handiest feature .. the ability to shut it off when not needed or blaring in ya face in really dark conditions is the most useful aspect of it. They supposedly have on board protection, so I didn't bother to refit the fuse I had for the ones I replaced .. no issues in a couple of years so far.

Mind you they not the most accurate volt meter you will use. Their variance can be easily 0.5v. At the moment my Aux is spot on, but the Main shows 0.5v lower.
The 1Gauge shows more accurate values.
But I pointed out earlier .. nice to know what voltage your battery is currently at, but in reality this isn't as important as knowing that it's getting charged or that first thing in the morning it's at 10.1v, which is what I had on the main when I had the Century battery.

So for about $30odd you have a bit of flexibility.

Like Tombie suggested, for a gauge something more important would be better to "keep an eye on"
For example I have my eye on a 3 way Redarc gague that displays EGT, boost and temp for a specific application(water/oil/ambient or fridge) ... depending on what sensor you add.
eg. G52-BET is one of the configs I'm looking at. But they're super expensive for what they provide. Possibly high quality, but still a lot of $s.

[Tikka7mm08]

I have a USB voltage reader for the main battery.

EGT would be good as straight piped and chipped motor. I'd have to get a mechanic to fit the sender I guess?

I have this flat circle of plastic begging for something to fill it... even though it is on the passenger side and impossible for the driver to see!

[AK83]

....

I have this flat circle of plastic begging for something to fill it... even though it is on the passenger side and impossible for the driver to see!

you can get small angled adapter pieces to angle the gauge towards you.
I've seen 52mm versions on ebay .. roughly $10 or so, ready to paint, or just leave it black.
I dunno the angle they provide and how to fit, but this came up as a possible requirement for an idea of placement I had in mind.
So, never used one. Only seen that they are available. quick search shows that you can find them in auto parts stores like Repco/SCA/Autobard/etc .. even tho will be more expensive than fleabay versions.

If you already have a USB thingy connected to the main batt, then easy done job to do same for the second battery too, if you have a spot to install one.

[MLD]

if you are referring to the 2" round hole in the side panel to the double DIN, what about going all out and fitting a Madman gauge and display several engine parameters with alarms etc. Bit of a faff to take a reading off stand alone sensors but once set up, that's it.

Being a Puma, any OBDII reader like scan gauge, ultra gauge will also give you engine parameters. I recently had a loose nut on the alternator after a turbo change (mechanic swore he did not touch alternator but the nut was finger tight when i found the problem). Long and short, the Puma ECU throws a battery warning light dead on 12V. i watched my volts reading on the scan gauge drop from high 13s to 11.8v over the drive from Sydney to Goulburn. Had i not stopped, the system would have kept drawing down on the battery even though the engine was running and alternator was functioning. The system does not differentiate between a faulty battery or faulty alternator. Some more sophisticated systems read the alternator output and the battery volts and if the 2 do not align, throws a fault code.

In reality, a dual gauge probably not going to help you diagnose a fault with the alternator itself (my example above) but i see benefit in a faulty battery and the charging cable. If you run a dual battery isolator, the 2 batteries will be joined until the isolation volts. Not sure if the isolator works both ways. ie cuts out if primary battery drops below the threshold to preserve the aux battery in the same way it cuts out if the aux battery drops below the threshold to preserve the primary battery. If it cuts out both ways the dual reading will tell you which battery is stuffed. If it only cuts out 1 way, ie primary is preserved but stays linked if aux drops below the threshold, it won't tell you if the primary is stuffed as both will remained joined and drop volts together. It will show up a stuffed aux battery as it should isolate the aux battery. Either way, you are on notice of a problem and out comes the volt meter.

The above is not really an answer to your query, my vote is a $5 dual battery volt display from ebay.

[Tombie]

Given you state you installed the panel on the opposite (passenger) side of the vehicle - you’ll have no way of seeing any gauge.

So why not just throw a couple of USB charging points with a simple volt meter built in. Will be more benefit.

[Tote]

I have a USB voltage reader for the main battery.

EGT would be good as straight piped and chipped motor. I'd have to get a mechanic to fit the sender I guess?

I have this flat circle of plastic begging for something to fill it... even though it is on the passenger side and impossible for the driver to see!

I thought Tombie put up a really good post regarding installing an egt sensor upstream of the turbo but I can't find it now....

Regards,
Tote

[Tikka7mm08]

I thought Tombie put up a really good post regarding installing an egt sensor upstream of the turbo but I can't find it now....

Regards,
Tote

Found a bit of discussion on whether or not it the sensor is best before the turbo or after... just not sure how to do it!

[Tombie]

Found a bit of discussion on whether or not it the sensor is best before the turbo or after... just not sure how to do it!

Grease, a drill, vacuum cleaner, a tap die and some patience.

And it needs to be pre-turbo to be accurate.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230524/d38e85f8ffe7034e49f55a6c70842d1f.jpg

[Tikka7mm08]

Grease, a drill, vacuum cleaner, a tap die and some patience.

And it needs to be pre-turbo to be accurate.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230524/d38e85f8ffe7034e49f55a6c70842d1f.jpg

Able to tap in place and the vacuum ensures no metal swarf goes thru the turbo?

[Tombie]

Able to tap in place and the vacuum ensures no metal swarf goes thru the turbo?

That’s the one.

And the grease - put it on the drill and the tap.

Any swarf that does go in is minimal and just start the vehicle and run gently when home is complete to blow any out.