Cheap Voltmeter for Bike

Spotted a battery / alternator tester in Aldi this weekend - £3. Since the SV has a history reg / rec issues and I have Heated grips, sat nav, phone charger and uprated bulbs, I wnted to monitor the voltage, but didn't want to pay much to do so .

This little doodad has 3 LEDS for battery - 5v (bad) 12.0v (OK) 12.5v (Good) which are a good indication of battery condition.

Fire the ignition up, and the next 3 LEDs come into play - 13.0v (bad) 13.5v (OK) 14.0v (Good). Thats enough to keep an eye on the charging system.

So the idea is this - take it apart, remove the 6 LEDS, solder a length of wire in line with the LEDs to allow for remore installation - LEDs on dash and the gubbins safe back in the fuse area. Install to ignition live. Job done, and any charging issues should be obvious when out on a ride and therefore reduce chance of stranding.

Heres a few pics, WIP at the moment

The unit stripped down:


The PCB, with LED rail


LEDs de-soldered and ready to rewire: