my bother has a 50 dodge that was converted from a 6v+ground sys to a 12v-ground sys. the tranny that is in the car has a few solenoids on it that are not connected. he wants to connect them using the inline 12v to 6v voltage drops. will there be any problem due to the positive/negative ground difference? i don't think it matters but i am not sure. does anyone have a definite answer?
one of them is a solenoid, one is a governor... the governor simply interrupts the current to the solenoid when the driveshaft output speed drops below 20mph or so... the governor wont care how you hook it up... the solenoid is a different story, but i have yet to get a decent answer to that question myself. the night prowlers website sells a booklet about conversion of 6v to 12v, and covers the entire solenoid problem, but i have yet to spring for the money to get it... might check that out... BTTT at any rate. im interested to hear what, if anything comes up on the matter
Find out how many amps it takes to run the solenoid on 6V. Then you can calculate the resistor value needed as well as the wattage rating. The basic formulas are R = E/I and P = EI
the question i have is, when you switch from 6v pos grnd to 12v neg grnd, the current is now reversed, so the solenoid would work backwards, with or without installing a voltage drop resistor correct?
As far as I know, solinoids dont have a polarity. like a lightbulb, they should work wither way. I could be wrong though. If they are polarity dependant, just swap the wires. Remember you'll need a voltage drop big enough to handle the amps.
It could care less about polarity. Look at it as a relay, such as your horn or headlights. They work either way also.
Solenoids are not dependant on polarity. They are either on/ off, true false, 1 or a 0 dependant on what class you have attended, and they also, generally, use very little amperage in order to energize. Voltage is another story. Too high a voltage in a solenoid wound for six volt application will fry when 12 volts is introduced. Like stuffing two gallons of water in a one gallon container. Run down to Radio Shack and pick-up a six volt voltage regulator for about a $1.50 and solder it in. The common part number for it is 7806 and can also be purchased from any upstanding electronics store. What it will basically do is use what it needs to energize the devise and send the rest to ground. I have used these plenty of times in six volt to twelve volt conversions and had not any problems. Solenoids generally use very little amperage and these are a good, low buck solution. Good luck.
muchas gracias . . . takes one tiny thing off the "keep thinking about" shelf in the back of my mind.
I was under the opinion that by reversing the currant in a solinoid, that the power running thru the coil would pull the contact in the oposite direction and therefore not allow the solinoid to work correctly. ie if it's normally open, it will try to make it more open. my 2c Outback
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