Blue Sea Systems DC Analog Ammeter - 0 to 100A with Shunt User Manual

Marine Electrical Prod

ucts

Analog DC Ammeters

with External Shunt

0-50A, 0-75A, 0-100A,

Meter Specifi cations

Voltage: DC
Amperage Draw: 1 Milliamp at full scale
Display: Analog scale
Accuracy: 3% of scale range

Size Inches Millimeters

Face Width: Micro Meter 2 50.80
Standard Meter 2-5/8 66.50
Mounting Hole: Micro Meter 1-1/2 38.10
Standard Meter 1-7/8 47.60

Calibration

The Ammeters are calibrated at the factory.

Guarantee

Any Blue Sea Systems product with which a customer is not satisfi ed may be
returned for a refund or replacement at any time.

0-150A, 0-200A

Wire Sizing Chart

1. Calculate the maximum sustained amperage of the circuit. Measure

the length of the circuit from the power source to the load and back.

2. Does the circuit run in an engine space or non engine space.

3. Calculate Famps (Feet x amps). Multiply circuit length by max. current.

4. Base the wire on either the 3% or 10% voltage drop. In general, items

which affect the safe operation of the boat and its passengers (running
lights, bilge blowers, electronics) use 3%; all other loads use 10%.

5. Starting in the column which has the right voltage and voltage drop,

run down the list until arriving at a value which is greater than the
calculated Famps. Move left to the Ampacity column to verify that the
total amperage of the circuit does not exceed the maximum allowable
amperage of the wire size for that row. If it does, move down until the
wire ampacity exceeds the circuit amperage. Finally, move left to the

wire size column to select the wire size.

Example

a. A 12 volt system at 10% drop with a 40’ circuit x 45 amps = 1800

Famps. A wire size of 8 is required.

Blue Sea Systems Inc. Phone [phone]
425 Sequoia Drive Fax [phone]
Bellingham, WA 98226 USA E-mail [e-mail]
www.bluesea.com

Document 9322 Rev.H

Installation

Warning

It is not possible within the scope of these instructions to fully acquaint
the installer with all the knowledge of electrical systems that may be
necessary to correctly install this product. If the installer is not
knowledgeable in electrical systems we recommend that an electrical
professional be retained to make the installation.

1. Disconnect all AC and DC power

Before starting, disconnect the main positive cable from all batteries to

eliminate the possibility of a short circuit while installing the meter or
shunt. Also disconnect the AC shore power cord from the boat to
eliminate the possibility of electrocution from AC wiring in the proximity
of the DC circuits.

2. Select mounting location and cut opening

Select a location for the meter display which is protected from water on

the meter front and back and is not in an area where fl ammable vapors
from propane, gas or lead acid batteries accumulate. The meters used
in marine electrical panels are not ignition protected and may ignite
such vapors.

2.2. Panel Mount: For thicker mounting surfaces, the meter can be

mounted into a 0.125” thick panel. Blue Sea Systems offers meter
mounting panels for our standard size meters only. Use part number
8013 to mount a single meter or part number 8014 to mount two
meters.

Micro Meter

Choose a convenient point in the circuit to be measured to locate the

shunt. It should be located where it and the associated wiring will be
protected from physical damage and it is protected from accidental
contact with grounded metal. The shunt may be located at any point in
the circuit, but mounting it closer to the meter location will keep the
sense wires short, minimizing voltage loss and interference, creating
the most accurate meter reading. Where a long run may be required,
Interference can be minimized by using twisted pairs of conductors.
There are two mounting methods for the Ammeters

2.1. Surface Mount: Drill fi ve clearance holes a shown below. The

size of the meter will determine the size and location of the clearance
holes. Use the nuts and washers supplied in the accessory package to
secure the four mounting studs to the mounting surface. This method
will work on mounting surfaces up to 5/8” thick.

Standard Meter

Installation (continued)

3. Connection

Blue Sea Systems Ammeters of 50 Ampere and greater capacity utilize

an external shunt as the current sensing device. This shunt can be
located in the wiring system to permit the shortest and most direct path
between the source and the load. Small gauge wires connect from the
shunt to the meter, which can be located conveniently for viewing.

Break the circuit to be measured at the location for the shunt and

install the shunt by connecting the ends of the load circuit wire to each
of the two large stud terminals at the top of the shunt. Connections
should be made with properly crimped ring terminals of a size suited
to the wire and the bolt size of the shunt. It makes no difference which
wire is attached to which terminal. Ring terminals for these connections
should rest directly on the brass blocks of the shunt without any
washers in between.

Next, using a minimum of 16 AWG individual conductors or a

multiconductor assembly, route a pair of wires to the meter location. If
the shunt is in the non-grounded (usually positive) side of the circuit,
over current protection is required for both sense wires. Place a 1A
fuse in series with each sense wireconductor within 7 inches of the
shunt near the shunt connections and identify as positive the wire to be
attached to the shunt near the main conductor coming from the source.
Identify as negative the conductor connected nearest the load. Attach
the sense leads to the smaller screw terminals on the brass blocks of
the shunt using properly crimped ring terminals. Do not stack these
connections on the large screws with the main circuit conductors.

Attach the conductor identifi ed as positive to the positive terminal on

the meter back and the conductor identifi ed as negative to the negative
terminal on the meter back using properly crimped ring terminals.

If desired, additional meters may be placed in other convenient

locations and connected to the same shunt. A second shunt is not
necessary in multiple meter installations if the intention is to read the
same current at the same maximum scale factor.

4. Wire Size

Signal wires: The meter movement requires only 1 mA of current to

operate. ABYC recommends 16 AWG conductors to assure adequate
physical strength. Smaller conductors may be used if part of a
multiconductor cable such as a shielded twisted pair signal cable.

Load Conductors: The load carrying conductors should be sized to

provide suffi cient wire size for both wire heating and voltage drop.
No change in wire size is required because of installing the meter
unless the total length of the wiring path is substantially increased to
locate the shunt in a safe location. Refer to the wire sizing chart in this
document or see ABYC E-11, Table IV for minimum conductor sizes. In
12V DC systems wire sizes are frequently chosen to be larger than the
minimum to provide acceptable voltage drop.

Available Meters

PN Description PN Description

8005 0-25A DC Ammeter 8003 8-16V DC Voltmeter
8022 0-50A DC Ammeter 8028 8-16V DC Micro Voltmeter
8016 0-75A DC Ammeter 8240 18-32V DC Voltmeter
8017 0-100A DC Ammeter 8243 18-32V DC Micro Voltmeter
8018 0-150A DC Ammeter 8038 0-15 A DC Micro Ammeter
8019 0-200A DC Ammeter 8041 0-50 A DC Micro Ammeter

9353 0-150V AC Voltmeter 8250 0-100A DC Micro Ammeter

9630 0-50A AC Ammeter

Related Products from Blue Sea Systems

PanelBack Insulating Covers
High Amperage Fuses and Circuit Breakers for positive feed wires
High Amperage Battery Switches
Terminal Blocks and Common Bus Connectors
AC Distribution Panels
DC Distribution Panels
AC and DC Voltmeters and Ammeters

Useful Reference Books

Calder, Nigel, 1996: Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual,
2nd edition, Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books, Inc.
Wing, Charlie, 1993: Boatowner’s Illustrated Handbook of Wiring,
Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books, Inc.

Wiring Diagram

DC Ammeter