Positive vs negative ground

[Ted Duke]

Originally Posted by ken will

If I remember correctly:
The Air Force taught that the Electrons moved from the negative to the positive.
The Navy taught that the Holes ( or vacancies) moved from the positive to the negative.

I AM SURE the Navy said, "There's the right way, the wrong way and the Navy way."

[katy]

I was taught that current flow was positive to negative but electron flow was negative to positive.
YMMV

[captndan]

Then why in an electrolysis tank does the current flow from negative to positive?

[captndan]

Originally Posted by Ted Duke

I AM SURE the Navy said, "There's the right way, the wrong way and the Navy way."

That's because steel ships in salt water are subject to galvanic action. That does not apply to dry land automobiles.

[steve s]

Originally Posted by katy

I was taught that current flow was positive to negative but electron flow was negative to positive.
YMMV

Current is the net movement of charged particles, for example, electrons moving thru metal, or ions thru fluid. All atoms and molecules consist of composites of charged particles, i.e., negative electrons and positive protons. However, most materials contain equal numbers of electrons and protons, so there is no net flow of charge when the material moves, even though, technically, charged particles are moving.

Mathematically speaking, current may have either a negative or positive value in the physics equations describing electricity and magnetism. When the charged particles are moving in the direction that free positively charged particles would move, it is labeled "positive:" This could be either positively charged particles moving away from positive toward negative in an electric field, or, negatively charged particles moving from negative toward positive. Conversely, "negative" current would be when charged particles are moving toward the same-charged end of an electric field. Positive current is the spontaneous direction, whereas negative current requires an external source of energy to force the particles to move toward their own charge.

For example, when the electrons in your car's wiring are moving "downhill", such as when lighting lights, firing spark plugs, cranking the starter motor, etc., "positive" current is said to be flowing. When the battery is being charged, negative current is flowing--even though, in both cases, negatively charged electrons are doing the moving.

It's a bit more complicated if you want to talk about what's going on inside the battery.

[Big hammer]

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All of this is good I think! but which way do they run when you are charging the battery?
I have found out what happens when + and- electrons run into each other! :-)

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Big hammer

All of this is good I think! but which way do they run when you are charging the battery?
I have found out what happens when + and- electrons run into each other! :-)

When charging the battery, electrons are being crammed back in the negative battery terminal.

In everyday life, where we only deal with normal matter, we never deal with positive, or "+", electrons. Although, they do exist, there basically are no such things as far as everyday life is concerned; if any appeared, they would almost instantly be destroyed as soon they come into contact with ordinary matter. Positive electrons are a form of anti-matter, and are referred to as positrons. They can be briefly created by physicists using synchrotrons and such.

I think your confusion comes from the mistaken assumption that positive current can only happen with positively charged particles.

[ian Simpson]

Originally Posted by huddy

It depends on whether you want the electrons to move from front to back or back to front.

Or do you want the corrosion at the battery terminal or at all the lights?

[Mike V. Florida]

I have always used pos to neg in my trouble shooting. Even the schematic drawing of electronic symbols work pos to neg.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

I have always used pos to neg in my trouble shooting. Even the schematic drawing of electronic symbols work pos to neg.

I agree. For example, look at the symbol for a diode . The 'flow' is + to - .

[Jemelton#]

To sum it all up, It's all FM (f'ing magic)

[DaWizard]

Originally Posted by nhusa

I know that Model As are positive ground but have heard that they can be converted to negative ground.

How is this done and what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

After reading through the replies on your post, I for one am not so sure your question was answered. Maybe I can help cornfuze you even more.

Ok, first, remember that the Model A ignition switch does NOT disconnect any of the electrical flow except the Ground to the points! Modern day cars, when you turn off the ignition, you remove the power to the entire car except the 4way flashers(basically).
Now, knowing this, you can still turn ON the head lights, tail lights, and anything else that does not have an interrupted circuit from the battery on the Model A.

To change from Positive to Negative ground on a Model A it will entail moving the shielded wire from the distributor to the Negative terminal of the Coil, and, using "non-popout" ignition switch, interrupt the Positive juice from the battery to the Positive terminal of the Coil through the ignition switch.

You will also need to polarize the generator, but this is easily done by quickly shorting a wire across the input and output terminals of the Cut-out.

All the incandescent light bulbs on the car don't care which direction they get the juice from. Now IF you care to build your own LED bulbs or lighting, that DOES care which direction the juice comes from.

And before you ask, YES LEDs can be used on a 6v system, BUT the industry hasn't found enough market to make them. Myself, I have changed to 12v Negative ground and built my own LED lighting for my early Drum tail lights because everyone makes LED for the Teacup light, but no one makes LEDs for the drum!

That is the short version

[Tom Wesenberg]

As far as the coil, if you switch to negative ground, just swap the 2 primary terminal wires on the coil. This will keep the polarity for the spark plug correct.

Also you'll have to swap the wires on the back of the ammeter.

[mshmodela]

+ or -, strong spark is where it's at.

[johnbuckley]

Yeah, but what about in the southern hemisphere?