Thread: Anderson plug voltmeter

Hi Ranga, can’t answer your question but a pretty useful little device. Thanks for sharing:-)

I bought a couple of these that have many more readouts as well as voltage
150A Digital Volt Amp Watt Meter Solar 12V Ammeter Voltmeter Caravan 4x4 Camping | eBay

Hi Ranga, that’s not a bad idea but it is also a bit useless in that you need to be get to it to be able to get a reading.


This could be very difficult if your Anderson plug is in a hard to reach location.


As to your question, if both batteries are connected but the motor is off, it will display a voltage reading that is the common voltage of both batteries.


If the motor is running, it will display a PROPORTIONAL voltage reading based on how high the voltage is coming from your alternator at one end of your cable run, minus the amount of voltage drop caused by the battery’s SoC at the other end of your cable run.

If your auxiliary battery is in a low state, depending on how far from each end the unit is located, could make for a VERY erroneous reading, if it the voltage at the battery you are looking for.






Hi Trout, unfortunately those devices are not much use for measuring CONSTANT current loads over about 15 to 20 amps, because the cable on them is way to thin and just heats up.

Originally Posted by trout1105

I bought a couple of these that have many more readouts as well as voltage
150A Digital Volt Amp Watt Meter Solar 12V Ammeter Voltmeter Caravan 4x4 Camping | eBay

I brought one of these but got frustrated with how quickly they cycle through the reading.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Trout, unfortunately those devices are not much use for measuring CONSTANT current loads over about 15 to 20 amps, because the cable on them is way to thin and just heats up.

The wiring that came with mine seem to be fairly substantial and don't get hot when hooked up to my solar panels or even from my alternator charging 3 batteries at a time

meter1.jpg meter.jpg

I'm no expert like Drivesafe, but I guess it's going to tell you whatever the voltage is running through the cable. As Drivesafe said, that could be affected by several factors, including the state of the batteries and if the alternator is charging the system. If you connected it directly to your auxiliary battery and very close to it, then it might mainly read that battery, I guess. If you have solar connected that could also affect it.