You want your head to hurt? Add to that, the 80 amp alternator doesnt push 80 amps through the meter normally. Its much less because the battery has to accept the current. However, if you use that 80 amps for things like AC Inverters, etc. You need to put a SHUNT in the circuit. If you don't you WILL burn up your meter, wires that are not able to carry that much, and any electronic device in the circuit.
So, to prevent any surges that could completely destroy your system, let alone a fire that would burn down at least your truck if not your house, put a shunt in the circuit.
Here is the problem, and I have been actively reaching out to every electronic engineer that will listen....
First, do we know the exact amperage rating of the stock meter? I have been telling people its 30 to 50 amps so I get replies back that make sense and can be translated mathematically to the real number since I do not know.
Second, once we KNOW the amp rating of the meter, we need to calculate the number of ohms (This will be milliohm range), that is needed to properly SHUNT the ammeter circuit based on the alternator's amp rating and the battery.
Third, I am really into test equipment and have most of what I need, but I do NOT have a way to measure milliohms. Anything less than an ohm is only one digit and that isnt even close to accurate enough. Anyone having information that could help us with mathematical and electronic heavy lifting, please let us know!
Here is an article that explains it pretty well, but I have questions and the engineers there do not want us to just know a shunt value and place to buy it, they want us to purchase their products.. which is their job.
https://www.bluesea.com/articles/552
