[DML] Re: Capacitors, and "Ground Bus"

["jtrealtywebspannet" <jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is EXACTLY my point, you are talking about 2 separate things. The grounding system is meant to return the electrons back to the battery, completing the electrical circuit, after doing work. The capacitors are meant to direct "noise" (any A/C component in the DC electrical system) to ground and they also happen to be grounded so the noise gets back to the battery. There is a third "system", the bonding system where all of the body panels and frame are electrically connected together (bonded) so they will all be the same potential. This is necessary to drain off any possible voltage variations but is also important to create a ground plane for the antennae so you can have good reception. As usual Bill does not understand how this was meant to work so his solution is to just build his own system into it and thereby "improve" the car. Mark is correct, if you keep the original system clean it is adequate. The rub is on a 30 year old car stored outside you can expect some of the connections to have corroded. No one thinks of maintenance when it comes to electrical systems but you do have to do something to them occasionally.
David Teitelbaum

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Marc Levy <malevy_nj@...> wrote:
>
> FWIW Martin, I agree with most if not all of what you said here, and think Bill is making an improper relationship between poor grounding and the need/use of capacitors.  HOWEVER, I have corrected many electrical problems in a number of DeLoreans by simply cleaning the grounds.  I was adding additional grounds to DeLoreans years before Bill came up with his brilliant "ground bus" (I am being sarcastic).  Making a big fuss over this solution to the "dirty ground" issues in the DeLorean is over the top, but the voltage drop caused by bad grounding in any circuit will have an impact on performance.
> 
> The DMC electrical system seems to have been designed (as most Lucas systems) for the specific use intended.  There is not a lot of margin for error, and with years of water/dirt/oxidation on electrical connections, it for sure will impact electrical performance.  
> 
> I have never said a bad word about the "ground bus", however it is not the only solution to the grounding problems...  And I think connecting grounding issues to the use of capacitors in the original design is *probably* incorrect.  Of course, I have no idea what the engineers were thinking 30 yrs ago.  Maybe the DeLorean Museum will come across some ECN's that explain why capacitors were added in later cars?  Even if it was for the AM radio, I still don't think a "ground  bus" would have corrected this problem (instead of a capacitor).
>   
> 
> --- On Sun, 7/1/12, Martin Gutkowski <martin@...> wrote:
> 
> From: Martin Gutkowski <martin@...>
> Subject: Re: [DML] Re: Mystery capacitor
> To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Sunday, July 1, 2012, 9:29 AM
> 
> The point of this reply is to point out corrections, not to argue. I am 
> not interested in going off-piste with your repsonse - please stick to 
> what I've actually written. I've never tried pulling the 
> "qualifications" card but I am a qualified electronic engineer.
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>




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