Amp meter question

[dfemmert]

I just got a multimeter/amp meter from Slofly. I know I could get a better one for about $60. but this will have to do for now. It has jst plugs and all my stuff has dean's ultra or micros so I'm about to change these. What I'm concerned about is that the red and black leads are 2 feet long and are connected to an 11 inch lead with the plug. That's about 3' in and out of the meter. Would running the current thru 6' of extra wire add a lot of resistance and affect accuracy. I'm a newby and know little about this stuff, but I think I should shortin my leads. Does it matter? Info appreciated.

David

[Andy W]

You want the leads to be as short as possible. Get new plugs for the meter (RadioShack) and make up a short harness with the appropriate connectors. Just a few inches instead of several feet of wire.
..a

[jswayze]

If you did need long leads, couldn't you just use a heavier gage wire?

[Mr.RC-CAM]

... couldn't you just use a heavier gage wire?
Depends on the measurement. Some ESC's will go poof if you use long leads on them, even with heavy gauge wire. Do what you can to make them VERY short.

RC-CAM

[vintage1]

Stick a capacitor across teh ESC input - a big fat electrolytic one - and it will almost certainl;y prevent andy instability with long leads, BUT be prepared for a fat spark and huge current when you first connect the battery,.

[dfemmert]

Thanks for the tips. I'll make some short leads.
The leads that came with it are fat 22 awg. The smallest I have is 20 gauge, says good for 6 amp. I have 18 gauge, good to 15 amp. I was going to use my 1.6 mm silicone wire rated for 10 amp or would larger be better?

[dfemmert]

This meter is for up to 10 amps

[sloper steve]

The meter is intended for 6amp and under measurements as that is the JST limit before it gets warm. If there is any reason this is not adequate for 6 amp and under measurements please let me know.

It would be interesting to calculate at 6 amps how much off the meter wire loses per foot as well as the JST. If it is signifigant I'd shorten the wires on both the meter and the jst.

[jswayze]

Just a point of information here. In another thread I described how I inadvertantly pulled about 24 amps through a Pixie 20P and a TP 1320 2s pack on my BN-2 Islander (a twin-motor) . When I re-assembled my components I noticed that the standard black 2-pin GWS motor connector that formed the bottom of the twin-motor "Y" harness had melted considerably. However, the mating JST connector that went to my ESC had no damage whatsoever. Now, there's no telling how long the JST saw 24 amps, but whatever it saw, it got pretty hot and didn't melt. I'm guessing the safety factor for these connectors around 2-3X.

[dfemmert]

I always replace the standard GWS motor wire ( 22 gauge, I think ) and plug with 20 gauge wire and dean's 2 pin micros. I replace all JSTs with dean's 2 pin micros. My Tiger Moth and Dandy have dean's and my Dandy Sport and Slow Stick have dean's micros for the motor and dean's ultra for the battery so I'll make 2 pair of leads to fit both. I'm going to cut the meter lead about an inch from the plug and use 1.8 mm MP Jet gold single pin connectors (for BL motors) so I can use either one and make them 8 or 9 inches long. I'm mostly concerned with my GWS eps 300/350 motors. I want to make sure I stay under 10 amps