Why Run A Ground Wire From The Battery to the amp?

[UNDERGROUND_BUM 10+ year member]

Your in hawaii, i bet your classes consisted of surfing and how to put sun tan lotion on hot chicks, along with the occasional hula class.
I'm in podunk WV where we work for a living

i wish it was like that.......... hell i barley went and i still passed //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif just to boring and the waves were to good //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif lol

 

[Justintoxicated 10+ year member]

Ok I get what your all saying now... I think anyways... but the ground on a car is still the frame not the battery. I mean this is why the earth acts as a ground no? Surely the Dirt conducts pretty shity but the immense size of the earth is what makes it an ideal ground. if lightning strikes is it more likely to strike your battery terminal or the frame? I'll put my money on the frame, but it is even more likely to strike a metal spike embedded in the ground esp since a vehicle itself is not truly grounded due to rubber tires.

The frame of the car should be able to recieve a larger charge of electricity than a hunk 0ga wire connected to a battery. But I suppose this might not be true in my geo metro lol. However my trucks frame is massive and would simulate the closest thing to a true ground rather than the battery. I guess I can understand what you mean when it comes to drawing maximum voltage, but I'm still not convinced, since the battery itself is still grounded to the frame.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

The frame is a ground path. The terminal is the point that you are untimately grounding to.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Ok I get what your all saying now... I think anyways... but the ground on a car is still the frame not the battery. I mean this is why the earth acts as a ground no? Surely the Dirt conducts pretty shity but the immense size of the earth is what makes it an ideal ground. if lightning strikes is it more likely to strike your battery terminal or the frame? I'll put my money on the frame, but it is even more likely to strike a metal spike embedded in the ground esp since a vehicle itself is not truly grounded due to rubber tires.
The frame of the car should be able to recieve a larger charge of electricity than a hunk 0ga wire connected toa battery. But I suppose this might not be true in my geo metro lol. However my trucks frame is massive and would simulate the closest thing to a true ground rather than the battery. I guess I can understand what you mean when it comes to drawing maximum voltage, but I'm still not convinced, since the battery itself is still grounded to the frame.

The battery is not grounded to the frame. The electronics in your car are grounded to the battery THROUGH the frame. You seem to be laboring under the impression that power leaves the battery through the negative terminal rather than returning.

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

Ok I get what your all saying now... I think anyways... but the ground on a car is still the frame not the battery. I mean this is why the earth acts as a ground no? Surely the Dirt conducts pretty shity but the immense size of the earth is what makes it an ideal ground. if lightning strikes is it more likely to strike your battery terminal or the frame? I'll put my money on the frame, but it is even more likely to strike a metal spike embedded in the ground esp since a vehicle itself is not truly grounded due to rubber tires.
The frame of the car should be able to recieve a larger charge of electricity than a hunk 0ga wire connected toa battery. But I suppose this might not be true in my geo metro lol. However my trucks frame is massive and would simulate the closest thing to a true ground rather than the battery. I guess I can understand what you mean when it comes to drawing maximum voltage, but I'm still not convinced, since the battery itself is still grounded to the frame.

please, take the time to read my posts, I took longer than 5 minutes to write them, I expect you to do the same.

The battery itself is not grounded to the frame. Hell lets leave ground out of the situation completely, we will call it negative charge, becuase in all reality thats what it is.

If you take the batttery out of your car and turn it on, it wont start, you measure the voltage at any point on the care and it will have none.

Now go to the battery and check it. It will have 12v.

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

The battery is not grounded to the frame. The electronics in your car are grounded to the battery THROUGH the frame. You seem to be laboring under the impression that power leaves the battery through the negative terminal rather than returning.

dc actually flows from negative to positive, but that isnt what he's arguing.

Its a confusing concept, but electrons flow from negative to positive, but current flows from positive to negative, but I digress

 

[Justintoxicated 10+ year member]

The battery is not grounded to the frame. The electronics in your car are grounded to the battery THROUGH the frame. You seem to be laboring under the impression that power leaves the battery through the negative terminal rather than returning.

No thats not my point. Theres is the batterys negative path and then there is a ground. In homes (ok off topic on AC power) there is the alternating - and + but the GROUND is seperate. I would imagine this is also true with a car.

Sure your using the frame as a ground path for the battery, but it's also the end all ground for the vehicle due to its sheer size. Don't forget not all power is from the battery, the majority of it should be coming from the alternator, which is....grounded to the frame!

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

No thats not my point. Theres is the batterys negative path and then there is a ground. In homes (ok off topic on AC power) there is the alternating - and + but the GROUND is seperate. I would imagine this is also true with a car.
Sure your using the frame as a ground path for the battery, but it's also the end all ground for the vehicle due to its sheer size. Don't forget not all power is from the battery, the majority of it should be coming from the alternator, which is....grounded to the frame!

Ok i give up on your ignorant ***. You refuse to read my posts which I took time on. There is no separate ground in DC electronics. A DC voltage only travels one way. My 2 year degree in Electronics means nothing, and your ignorant assumptions you have gained through word of mouth with your ignorant friends/colleagues means more than the hours I spent studying DC electronics.

I have explained this same concept to 13 year olds ( literally my younger brother ) and he has understood it.

PS there is a wire going straight from the alternator to the battery positive

 

[Justintoxicated 10+ year member]

Ok i give up on your ignorant ***. You refuse to read my posts which I took time on. There is no separate ground in DC electronics. A DC voltage only travels one way. My 2 year degree in Electronics means nothing, and your ignorant assumptions you have gained through word of mouth with your ignorant friends/colleagues means more than the hours I spent studying DC electronics.
I have explained this same concept to 13 year olds ( literally my younger brother ) and he has understood it.

PS there is a wire going straight from the alternator to the battery mositive

To the positive but not to the negative, the Neg from the alternator is grounded to the frame which the battery connects to.

What kind of degree can you get in 2 years ?

What happened to the origional lolmaniac?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

No thats not my point. Theres is the batterys negative path and then there is a ground. In homes (ok off topic on AC power) there is the alternating - and + but the GROUND is seperate. I would imagine this is also true with a car.
Sure your using the frame as a ground path for the battery, but it's also the end all ground for the vehicle due to its sheer size. Don't forget not all power is from the battery, the majority of it should be coming from the alternator, which is....grounded to the frame!

AC and DC do not function the same. The loop starts with the battery and has to end with the battery. The alternator does not create the power. Why do you think you can run your electronics with the car off?

The frame is used as the major ground path because it is adequate for the factory electronics (not much current draw) and is much simpler to use than running dedicated grounds for every light and switch.

 

[22mountaineer 10+ year member]

come on guys...... i think we ruined him enough ; )

I dont think it has anything to do with ruining him, considering he is trying to debate something nondebatable.. I think your are just trying to look cool and joke on him because of maniacs experience.. How about you try and explain?

Calling him an idiot for him connecting to the frame instead of the post on the batt? Your so cool //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[Justintoxicated 10+ year member]

AC and DC do not function the same. The loop starts with the battery and has to end with the battery. The alternator does not create the power. Why do you think you can run your electronics with the car off?
The frame is used as the major ground path because it is adequate for the factory electronics (not much current draw) and is much simpler to use than running dedicated grounds for every light and switch.

Why can you run your electronics with a running car and dead battery?

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

To the positive but not to the negative, the Neg from the alternator is grounded to the frame which the battery connects to.
What kind of degree can you get in 2 years ?

What happened to the origional lolmaniac?

As I stated earlier in the thread, it is a vocational degree in electronics.

lilmaniac was my original yahoo email address when I was younger, I forgot the password so i registered a new one and added a 2.

You obviously know more than this whole forum, so go ahead with your ignorant assumptions. I tried to help you, but all you want to do is argue.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Why can you run your electronics with a running car and dead battery?

You can't unless the battery dies WHILE the car is running. The alternator steps up voltage and generates it while the engine is running, but it cannot produce that power without getting an initial charge from the battery. Go take your battery out and try to start your car.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

To the positive but not to the negative, the Neg from the alternator is grounded to the frame which the battery connects to.
What kind of degree can you get in 2 years ?

What happened to the origional lolmaniac?

My alt is grounded to my battery, directly, with 1/0. So is my engine block, and my frame...

You are the one who is mistaken.