Electrical Glossary

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Amskeptic
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Electrical Glossary

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:00 am

*********** Electrical **********

Voltage Regulator - an electromagnetic or solid state device that controls output voltage of charging system and cuts it out of the circuit when ignition is off

Voltage Stabilizer - found at fuel gauges it is a "voltage choke" to keep voltage below expected lowest point to prevent errant readings

Series Resistors - same sort of deal, these are ceramic resistors that drop fuel injector voltages below lowest expected system voltage so they will perform accurately at all times

Generator - earlier charging device used by VW through '71, it plucks the (+) electrical flow from wires rotated inside of magnets

Alternator - later charging device that uses both sides (+)(-) of the waves created by rotating a magnet through a field of wires > thus almost doubling output

Ground Path (battery, transaxle, spade terminal) - the equally important but often neglected side of all electrical circuits found in cars > every circuit has to find its way back to the battery through the metal of the car

Spade Terminal (push-on) - the typical quick-disconnect for VWs that needs to be treated with caution and kept clean

Screw Terminal - found in critical areas like generators and voltage regulators and starter-to-battery cables, cleanliness is critical

Wire Gauge - it is not really a gauge, it is an idiotically arcane unit of measure going from small 22-24 to big 10 and even 8 ...

Fuse - a method of shutting down (opening) an electrical circuit that has been shorted (positive to ground) using amperage-induced heat to melt a sliver of soft wire > VWs generally use 8 or 16 amp

Breaker - shuts down a damaged circuit like a fuse, but can be reset or automatically reset depending on design

Fusible Link - a hardwired fuse for big amperage electrical devices, it requires involved replacement to help you remember to fix the problem first

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