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RE: TR2 - converting to negative earth

To: "triumphs@autox.team.net" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: TR2 - converting to negative earth
From: Doug Hamilton <douglasehamilton@shaw.ca>
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 09:38:56 -0700
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:0.9.4) Gecko/20011128 Netscape6/6.2.1
I'd be very careful with one of these converters they don't address the real 
problem of installing a negative ground radio in a positive ground vehicle. And 
that is your antenna still grounds to the body thus creating a dead short 
between the positive earth car chassis and the negative earth radio chassis. If 
all you are going to use your hidden system for is playing Cds then just get 
some rubber isolation mounts and don't install an antenna. Mount the system on 
the rubber mounts and wire it positive to positive and negative to negative 
don't ground the unit to the chassis anywhere in the wiring of the system and 
make sure to use the systems correct rated fuse. Allot of shops will use the 
rubber mounts when installing remote CDs in trucks and 4x4s for the vibration 
isolation you'll probably need this in the Doretti anyway.
One last thought your CD is going to be drawing 7-10 amps or more with a high 
power amp when you turn your headlights on with your CD the Prince of Darkness 
will rear his ugly head because you will be drawing more current than your 
generator puts out. So you may need to go to positive ground and an alternator 
if you want to take long trips that may involve wipers, headlights and CD 
player. By the way those isolation boxes work great in 6 volt negative ground 
cars BTDT.

Doug Hamilton
1960 Triumph TR3A
1963 Fiat Cabriolet

>Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 13:19:42 -0800
>From: Randall Young <ryoung@NAVCOMTECH.COM>
>Subject: RE: TR2 - converting to negative earth
>
>Knut :
>
>The conversion is easy, see
>http://www.vtr.org/maintain/negative-ground.html
>
>Basically, assuming you don't have any positive ground accessories already
>installed, you switch the connections to the battery, ammeter, and ignition
>coil; then repolarize the generator and you're done.
>
>There are also electronic devices available that will let you safely use
>your CD player while keeping the car positive ground.  See for example
>http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=5126&BQ=jcw2
>
>Randall
>
>>> Considering coverting to negative earth on my TR2/Doretti in
>>> order to get a
>>> hidden CD player in there for the summer - I am not at my best
>>> when it comes
>>> to electrical questions, so please help... What to do and how?
>>
>
>------------------------------

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