That make perfect sense!
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Adney [mailto:jadney@vwtype3.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 10:03 AM
To: type3@vwtype3.org
Subject: RE: [T3] Getting started.
On 10 May 2007 at 8:41, Scott Walters wrote:
I tried everything last night. I checked all the grounds and the
fuses. I
have no idea what's going on! Is there a book on square backs that I
can
pick up for wiring and stuff like that? If so does anyone have a
lead on
where I can pick one up?
Do you have a voltmeter, or a test light? Either one will give you the
ability to check different places for the presence or absence of
voltage. There is little that's special about the auto electrics of
an early type 3, the stumbling block for most people is just a lack
of understanding of
fundamental electricity, but you can familiarize yourself with this
rather quickly if
you give yourself a way to measure voltage.
Think of voltage as equivalent to pressure (in a water pipe.) To get the
water to flow from one place to another there has to be some
difference in
pressure. if there's no pressure difference there's no flow. When the
water moves from
a region of high pressure to low pressure it can do work, just as
electricity
can do work when it moves from a region of higher voltage to ground (low
voltage.)
Also keep in mind that voltage is always a measurement taken between 2
points, usually between ground and the point of interest. Thus the
voltmeter you buy
will have 2 probes which you will use to measure the voltage difference
between two points.
Even a standard water pressure gauge is actually measuring a
difference in pressure. It's just that the measurement is with
respect to the pressure of
the air surrounding it, so the electricity/water analogy is actually
better than
most people suspect.