On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, schuyler grace wrote:
> To add one tiny bit to Trevor's response, below...
>
> Think of the "ground" on your (or any) car as a "common," as in common
> electrical connecting buss. Whether it is positive or negative wouldn't
> really matter, except that some components are "polarized" *and* use
> their mounting points as a method of grounding. This is where the
> trouble comes in with regard to positive vs. negative grounded vehicles.
A long time ago, when my car was positive ground (2 owners ago), it had a
radio installed. A negative ground radio. It had a rubber 'sock' around
it to stop the thing from grounding and causing a big spark (and no
fuses...? dunno)-- the car got stolen and hot-wired. The battery blew
up. I have the holes to prove it :-)
Electricity doesn't care which way it goes, it just wants to get there.
Now, there's another urban legend that states that pos. ground cars, when
driven on foggy nights, experience an excessive draw of electricity when
driving amongst other cars (negative ground)... Not sure if this is a
legacy of Lucas or if it's just a myth.
-Malcolm
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