Why are ammeter wiring diagrams so confusing

So why can’t I find a diagram that says connect the negative post to the battery and the positive post to XXXXXX? They all show it connected to the solenoid and to the lights and coil?!?!??

You're going to need to give us some more information.

Ok, it's bad enough this shows either/or generator/alternator, but why do so many wires attach to the ammeter (I'm assuming the "A" in the circle at the right is the ammeter)? This is from https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/electronics-and-wiring/12-volt.html

All of the power from the battery passes through the ammeter and then branches off to the various electrical systems. This has to be done so the ammeter can see the total power draw.

87cr250r said:

All of the power from the battery passes through the ammeter and then branches off to the various electrical systems. This has to be done so the ammeter can see the total power draw.

Click to expand...

thanks, makes sense.

Oh yeah, the alternator/generator is downstream of the ammeter because so the ammeter can show power out of the battery but also show power into the battery from the alternator which indicates charging.

The replies are great! I always thought it was so the manufacturer would look smart as I seemed so stupid fixing stuff in the rain and snow after entering the service in the mid 70s. Then I took a bad meter apart, and read the manuals a lot. 50 years later, I find some schematics confusing at first read thru. I gotta MEP-810 prime power or a tiny 1.75KW you can try if you want.