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Step 6Rework the Meters
This is the most difficult and delicate part of the project.
1. Inspect the meter.
Open up the meter and inspect it carefully and determine the best way to move forward.
The meters I bought from allelectronics.com were all from the same manufacturer so they all had the same outside cases, mounting screws, and basic configuration.
2. Take the meter apart.:
After removing the front cover, face plate, and the back of the meter I unscrewed the movement from the case and pulled it forward. All three of these meters contained necessary electronics in the back portion of the meter by the binding posts.
I cut the wires leaving enough on each side so that they could be reattached later.
3. Remove the bushing from the meter case.
The cylindrical bushing shown in picture three is difficult to remove. Take out the movement and place it safely aside before pushing it through.
4. Mount the bushing in the new meter panel.
The hole required for these meters was slightly larger than 7/8". A small amount of sanding was necessary to fit them. It is important to achieve a tight fit so do not over sand. Once there is enough clearance use a piece of scrap wood and a hammer to tap them into place.
5. Drill a secondary hole next to the bushing.
When you inspect the meter you will notice that the wire attached to the front of the movement does not pass through the bushing but next to it. Drill a small hole to feed this wire through. Do not put it directly in line with the mounting hole as it will block you from mounting the movement properly.
See image 4.
6. Remount the movement.
This is very delicate and it is absolutely necessary that the movement is centered in the bushing and perfectly square. If not it will bind. Hold the movement in place and gently tap the needle so that it swings from one end to the other freely. If it sticks at any point you need to readjust.
Using a scrap piece of wood drill a test hole with a bit and see how the mounting screw from the meter fits. Though the screw is designed for a metal thread a pilot hole into hard wood will work.
Use the bit you determine to work best to drill holes to mount the movement.
Be careful in this step. If your holes are slightly off it will be very difficult to adjust.
7. Mount the back of the meter.
The back of the meter with the connectors and the necessary electronics should be screwed on (Image 6) so that the wires can be reattached and movement of the assembly will not put strain on the wires which could damage the movement or pull it out of alignment.
8. Reattach the wires.
Simply connect the right wires. It is important that you have the right back associated with the right movement. As you can see in image 6 the 5A meter and 15A meter have the same color wires.
I used a small amount of solder and some heat shrink tubing to splice the wires back together. (image 7)
1. Inspect the meter.
Open up the meter and inspect it carefully and determine the best way to move forward.
The meters I bought from allelectronics.com were all from the same manufacturer so they all had the same outside cases, mounting screws, and basic configuration.
2. Take the meter apart.:
After removing the front cover, face plate, and the back of the meter I unscrewed the movement from the case and pulled it forward. All three of these meters contained necessary electronics in the back portion of the meter by the binding posts.
I cut the wires leaving enough on each side so that they could be reattached later.
3. Remove the bushing from the meter case.
The cylindrical bushing shown in picture three is difficult to remove. Take out the movement and place it safely aside before pushing it through.
4. Mount the bushing in the new meter panel.
The hole required for these meters was slightly larger than 7/8". A small amount of sanding was necessary to fit them. It is important to achieve a tight fit so do not over sand. Once there is enough clearance use a piece of scrap wood and a hammer to tap them into place.
5. Drill a secondary hole next to the bushing.
When you inspect the meter you will notice that the wire attached to the front of the movement does not pass through the bushing but next to it. Drill a small hole to feed this wire through. Do not put it directly in line with the mounting hole as it will block you from mounting the movement properly.
See image 4.
6. Remount the movement.
This is very delicate and it is absolutely necessary that the movement is centered in the bushing and perfectly square. If not it will bind. Hold the movement in place and gently tap the needle so that it swings from one end to the other freely. If it sticks at any point you need to readjust.
Using a scrap piece of wood drill a test hole with a bit and see how the mounting screw from the meter fits. Though the screw is designed for a metal thread a pilot hole into hard wood will work.
Use the bit you determine to work best to drill holes to mount the movement.
Be careful in this step. If your holes are slightly off it will be very difficult to adjust.
7. Mount the back of the meter.
The back of the meter with the connectors and the necessary electronics should be screwed on (Image 6) so that the wires can be reattached and movement of the assembly will not put strain on the wires which could damage the movement or pull it out of alignment.
8. Reattach the wires.
Simply connect the right wires. It is important that you have the right back associated with the right movement. As you can see in image 6 the 5A meter and 15A meter have the same color wires.
I used a small amount of solder and some heat shrink tubing to splice the wires back together. (image 7)
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