[AT] Electrical question/new twist

[charlie hill]

Walt's comment below made me think of a trick sometimes used on boats that 
might come in handy for someone but probably not on a tractor or tow truck. 
Boats often have lots of expensive electronics.  Given the problems with 
keeping good quality grounds in salt water environments it is not unusual 
for battery current going to the starter to start looking around for better 
ground paths.  Since all of the grounds on a boat are typically attached to 
a single ground buss this sometimes results in a current backfeed through a 
Loran, GPS, Radar or some other expensive piece of equipment.  The equipment 
doesn't like this too much and sometimes doesn't survive.

The answer is to put a fuse in the ground wire of the instrument between the 
instrument and the primary ground buss.  The fuse should be big enough to 
handle the ground requirements of the instrument plus a safety factor but 
small enough to pop if there is a back feed.

Read it somewhere in a boat book.  Thought it might help someone.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <DAVIESW739 at aol.com>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Electrical question


> On some of the early alternatior the diodes were  not as good as now and
> would easily burn out if given a high amp back feed to  them. I would do 
> what they
> say until someone from the company tells me its ok  not to.
>
> Walt Davies
> Cooper Hollow Farm
> Monmouth, OR 97361
> 503  623-0460
>
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