Thursday, May 22, 2014
How to Connect a Voltmeter With a Delco Alternator
Unsurprisingly, a voltmeter measures the voltage running through any object that has the ability to carry an electrical charge. Generally, voltmeters do not measure solely voltage but come as part of a multi-meter device that can be used to measure other aspects of electrical currents as well, including amps and ohms. If you need to know the voltage of a Delco alternator, you can use the voltmeter component of a multi-meter to take the measurement.
Instructions
- 1
Find the volt component of the multi-meter. Depending upon the multi-meter, the voltmeter component may have its own ports, or the meter may have one main input and a dial to choose the measurement that you want to take. If the multi-meter has separate ports for measuring volts, you can recognize them from the "V" that marks them. If the multi-meter has only one set of ports, turn the dial to the "V" setting to use the device as a voltmeter.
2Plug the probes provided with the multi-meter into the appropriate ports. Test the probes by touching the tips together gently. The measurement on the multi-meter screen should not move from "0" or should move into the single digits at most. If it moves more than that, the fuse of the multi-meter is not working properly and should be replaced before testing.
3Place the black probe of the multi-meter against the negative terminal of the Delco alternator. This terminal stays the same whether you have a negatively or positively charged alternator. It is the screw with the metal arm attached to it.
4Touch the red probe to the positive terminal on the Delco alternator. In a negatively charged alternator, the positive terminal is the screw that does not have an insulating cover. In a positively charged alternator, the positive terminal is the red wire that stretches between two of the screws.
