Matching shunts to alternator

[Greg Arehart]

Is it necessary to match an ammeter shunt to the alternator output? I have a 60A alternator but a 40A shunt for my meter (Dynon D120). Most of the time I expect to see minimal charging/discharging, so it seems that 40A should work fine. If the charge/discharge is greater than 40A, then obviously I will go off-scale on the meter, but will this damage the shunt or other components?

thanks,
greg

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Originally Posted by Greg Arehart

Is it necessary to match an ammeter shunt to the alternator output? I have a 60A alternator but a 40A shunt for my meter (Dynon D120). Most of the time I expect to see minimal charging/discharging, so it seems that 40A should work fine. If the charge/discharge is greater than 40A, then obviously I will go off-scale on the meter, but will this damage the shunt or other components?

thanks,
greg

I don't know the physics, but from what I understand, the 40A shunt is OK for a 60A alternator, regardless of whether you put it in location A, B, or C (Dynon guide). It indicates this somewhere in my D180 manual; probably in your D120 manual as well.

[Rivethead]

I have the same shunt and asked Dynon support about it. Since the box it came in was marked 60 AMP. Dynon told me it was Aok. I'm still wondering about it though.