Electrical

Basics

“Chasing Sparks”
 What is Electricity?
Everything that
has substance
and takes up
space, whether it
is solid, liquid, or
gaseous, is
made up of very
small particles
called atoms.
 What is Electricity?
Scientists believe all
atoms have negatively
charged particles known
as electrons, which
revolve around a central
core, or nucleus. This
nucleus is believed to
be positively charged,
and to contain other
particles known as
protons and neutrons.
 What is Electricity?
Electrons in the inner
orbit or orbits are
known as bound
electrons.

Those in the outer

orbit are called free
electrons, and can
be easily forced out of
their orbits, flowing
from one atom to
another.
 Current Flow
The “electron theory”
states that current
flow is the organized,
forced movement of
free electrons in a
specific direction.
Continuous current
flow in only one
direction is known as
“DC” or “Direct
Current.”
 Current Flow
Flow that alternates
back and forth is called
“Alternating Current.”

A good conductor is a
material that has many
free electrons, such as
copper. Lead and gold
have large numbers of
free electrons.
 Current Flow
Good conductors
readily transmit
electricity.
The force that causes
electrons to move
from one atom to
another is called
electromotive force
(EMF).
 Current Flow

Electromotive force
is caused by a
difference in
electrical potential
and is measured in
volts, also referred
to as voltage.
 Current Flow
When electrons begin to flow, the effect is felt
instantly all along the surface of the
conductor, very much as force can be felt all
the way through a row of billiard balls.
 Current Flow
Some older cars and
heavy equipment had
their positive battery
terminal connected
to the chassis or
frame and the
negative side of the
circuit was switched.
Practically no
production vehicle
uses this
configuration today.
 Current Flow
Today’s vehicles
have their negative
terminal battery
terminal connected
to the chassis or
frame, also known
as ground.
The positive feed
wires to vehicle
components all
originate at the
positive battery
terminal
 Current Flow
When a switch is
closed, current
flows from the
battery negative
post to chassis
ground, through the
load and switch,
and to the positive
terminal.
 Current Flow
Even though the
ground has the
excess of electrons,
the positive post is
the one that is
generally regarded
as “hot.”
 Current Flow
“Electron theory”
theory
supposes current
flow to be from
negative to positive,
while “Conventional
Theory” supposes
the current flows from
positive to negative.
 Current Flow
Thus, the current in
automotive circuits is
usually traced from
the source (battery)
to the load (bulb,
motor, etc.) and then
to ground.
 Sources of Electricity
A battery is a
chemical source of
electricity. It
contains a number
of positive plates
and an equal
number of
negative plates.
 Sources of Electricity
The positive
and negative
plates are
immersed in an
electrolyte
solution
composed of
water and
sulphuric acid.
 Sources of Electricity

When the battery is

charged, a
chemical reaction
of the acid on the
plates results in an
excess of electrons
collecting on the
negative plates.
 Sources of Electricity
If a conductor is
connected
between the
plates, current
(electrons) will flow
through the
conductor from
one plate to the
other.
 Electromagnetic
Induction
When a
conductor
connected to a
closed circuit is
passed through a
magnetic field,
current is
produced in the
conductor.
 Electromagnetic
Induction
Alternators, generators, and
various inductive sensors
use this principle to do their
work.
Static Electricity
Electrons can
move from one
body of matter to
another by
friction. Scuffing
your shoes on
carpet on a cold,
dry day can
cause a nice zap!
Lightning is
another form
of static
electricity
discharging
from the
atmosphere
to the earth.
Electrical Circuits
 Electrical Circuits

An electrical circuit is a complete path

for current flow… basically defined as
being froma power source to a load
component that has resistance and uses
electricity to do its work, and finally a
ground path back to the negative
terminal of the power source.
 Circuit Components

One component
necessary for all
circuits is a power
source.

In an automobile, the power source is the

battery when the engine is switched off and the
alternator when the engine is running..
 Circuit Components
Conductors are
wires and cables,
usually protected
from each other
and ground by
insulation, and
they carry the
current in an
electrical circuit.
Circuit Components

Note: In an automotive
circuit, the vehicle
chassis and the engine
block are actually
conductors in the
circuit.
Circuit Components

Controls (switches) are

necessary to turn the circuit
on and off.
 Circuit Components
The Load is a device
that uses up
electricity and turns it
into work.
Light bulbs and motors are
among the examples of
loads in an automotive
circuit
Circuit Components
The Circuit
Protector is a
device that protects
the conductors and
components in a
circuit in case of an
overload.
 Current Will Flow
IF...
• The switch is closed
• The circuit protector is
not open
• Charge is available
 Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s Law is the basic rule for the
relationships between voltage, current, and
resistance.

1. CURRENT FLOW IS DIRECTLY

PROPORTIONAL TO VOLTAGE
2. CURRENT FLOW IS INVERSELY
PROPORTIONAL TO RESISTANCE
 Ohm’s Law
1. CURRENT FLOW IS DIRECTLY
PROPORTIONAL TO VOLTAGE:
Simply put, this means that an increase in
VOLTAGE will cause an INCREASE in current
flow. This is true because voltage is, in effect,
electrical “pressure.” The higher the voltage,
the higher the pressure, thus the higher the
current flow. Remember:

1 volt pushes 1 amp through 1 ohm.

 Ohm’s Law

2. CURRENT FLOW IS INVERSELY

PROPORTIONAL TO RESISTANCE

This statement means that

an increase in
RESISTANCE will cause a
DECREASE in current flow.
 Ohm’s Law
High current
flow…

Added
resistance…

Lower Current
flow
 Ohm’s Law

Voltage E
“ ” is used to
equals denote volts.
Current
times
Resistance

I
“ ” denotes R” denotes
“
current. resistance.
 Ohm’s Law
1 volt pushes 1 amp
through 1 ohm, right?
Okay, how many amps will
12 volts push through 6
ohms?
Resistance — 2 ohms Resistance — 2 ohms
Draw — 5 Amps Draw — 6 Amps

Voltage is
like
Pressure
10 12
volts volts
Voltage is like Pressure
NOTE:
Increasing
voltage in
a given
circuit
always
increases
current
draw.
 Voltage is like Pressure
Voltage is also
expressed as a
“difference in
potential” when it
refers to
electromotive
force caused by a
difference in
electrical charges
between two
points in a circuit.
Current

Current is
the flow of
electrons
between two
points in a
closed
circuit that
have a
difference in
potential.
Current
The unit of
measurement
to determine
current flow is
the ampere
(abbreviated
“amp”).
Current
One ampere is
defined as the
movement of
one coulomb
of electrons
past a given
point in one
second. A
coulomb is
one billion
billion
electrons.
Current
Current is
thus a
measure of
the rate of
electrical flow.
It can also be
known as
amperage or
draw, and is
measured with
an ammeter.
Current
When two
loads are
connected
parallel, as in
the illustration
on the left,
each draws
current
independently
of the other.
Current
In the picture,
bulb A draws
2 amps, while
bulb B draws
1 amp. The
total current
flow in the
circuit is 3
amps.
Current
In the picture,
bulb A draws
2 amps, while
bulb B draws
1 amp. The
total current
flow in the
circuit is 3
amps.
Current
Important:
The total
current draw
in a parallel
circuit equals
the sum of the
individual
current draws.
 Current
If the same two
bulbs are
connected in
series instead of
parallel, their
combined
resistance will
be 18 ohms.
 Current

0.67 amps X 18 ohms = 12 v

12 v/ 18 ohms = 0.67 amps

Resistance
 Resistance
Resistance is an opposition to
current flow offered by a load or a
resistor.
 Resistance
Even conductors have some
resistance; for example, a
piece of 22 gauge copper wire
60 feet long has one ohm of
resistance. Larger diameter
wires have less resistance.
 Resistance

Heat generally causes

resistance to increase in a
conductor or connection.
 Resistance
An interesting and somewhat volatile
relationship exists between heat and
resistance in electrical wiring…
 Resistance
Since every connection has some
resistance, that resistance produces
heat…
 Resistance
…and that heat produces more
resistance, which in turn produces more
heat until current finally stops flowing and
the component fails.
 Resistance

When resistors are in series, the total

resistance is the sum of the individual
resistances… 6+6 = 12
 Resistance

When resistors are in parallel, the total

resistance equals the source voltage
divided by the combined current draw.
 Resistance

With a 12 volt supply, how much

amperage would each of these
resistors pull?
Resistance
 Resistance

So each 6 ohm resistor will pull 2 amps.

And 2 + 2 = 4
 Resistance

Okay, if the total circuit pulls 4 amps, how

many ohms of resistance would the total
circuit have, based on a 12 volt supply?
Resistance
Resistance
Resistance
 Resistance

Let’s try a different combination. With a 12

volt source, how much total resistance
would this parallel circuit have?
 Resistance

_______________Amps
+_______________Amps
Equals __________Amps total.
Resistance
Resistance
Resistance
Voltage Drop
It’s a basic
rule for
closed
circuits that
the voltage
“used up” or
“dropped” in
the loads
must be
equal to the
source
voltage.
Voltage Drop
The voltmeter
at point A will
measure the
source
voltage.

If the voltage
measurement
is taken at
point B, what
will the
voltage be?
Voltage Drop
Did you say
zero volts?
You’d be
right.

The voltage
drop is equal
to 12 times
zero, which
comes to
zero volts.
 Voltage Drop
When two or
more loads
are in series:
1. The
voltage drop
of each load
is equal to
current draw
times
resistance.

(E = I X R)
 Voltage Drop

2. The
sum of all
voltage
drops
equals the
source
voltage.
 Voltage Drop

That is, the

closer you
move your
probe to the
ground side
of a circuit...
 Voltage Drop

…the lower
the measured
voltage will
be.
 Voltage Drop

Thus in the
example
shown here:
Total
Resistance = 6
ohms, and draw
= 2 amps.
 Voltage Drop

The voltage
drop at the
brightness
control is 2
amps x 3 ohms,
which equals 6
volts.
 Voltage Drop

Thus
available
voltage to the
bulb is only 6
volts
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
If all the
resistances are
equal, divide
the resistance
of one alone by
the number of
resistors.
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
In this example,

12/4 = 3 ohms
resistance.
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
If there are only
two resistances,
multiply their
values and
divide by the
sum of their
values.
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula

In this example:
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
For any three or
more resistances,
first find their
“reciprocals,”
then add the
reciprocals
together and
divide the total by
one.
 Computing Parallel
Resistances by Formula
In this example:
Power Sources and Grounds
Power Sources
The storage
battery
provides
current to all
electrical
systems
when the key
is on and the
engine is off.
 Power Sources
The generator maintains the charge in the battery
after the engine is started and supplies electrical
current to all electrically powered equipment.
 Grounds

Case Grounds are

used where the
component itself is
securely attached
to a well-grounded
part of the vehicle.
 Grounds
Remote
Grounds are
used where
the
component
itself is not
grounded...
 Grounds

...or where the remote ground

is used to control the
component. Examples are
reversible motors (power
windows, door locks) and
instrument panel warning
indicator lamps.
Reading Schematics
Basic Rule: The top
of most schematics
is usually “hot” and
the bottom is
usually “ground”.
 Power is fed to the fuse... Let’s start
by tracing
power from
hot to
ground...

Okay, let’s stop right

here. Where is
Through circuit 295 Connector C172?
and connector C172..
How do you find it?
The male side of the
connector is C172M,
while the femaile side
is C172F.
Most wiring books have a location view like this.
Using the numbers and letters, find C172 at A 6
Notice that C172F is on the left and C172M is on
the right… These are mating connectors.
Find circuit 295. What is the pin number? What color is
the wire? Write down both pieces of information.
Locate the wire where it
passes through a connector

Now we not only …we also know

know where C172 what the connector
is... pinout looks like,
AND...

…we know which

pin is number 34
on the connector
There are three things we should notice
about this current path.

#1: The truck could

have either of two
switches, depending
on whether it is
equipped with a
manual or automatic
transmission. This is
drawn as an
“alternate current
path.”
#2: the wires going
into and out of
the switch in
question both
pass through
connector C172.

#3: After the circuit

passes through the
switch, the circuit
number changes
from 295 to 140.
Find circuit number 140. What is the pin number? Write
it down.
 With that in
mind, we
inspect all
four pins, i.e.,
We know now that the MALE and
pins 34 and 32 are FEMALE pins
both part of the
34 and 32.
backup lamp
circuit and that Finding no
either pin could be problem, we
the cause of a
problem.
move on...
Now the circuit
passes through a
splice and two
more connectors.
The splice could
be a problem, but it
is usually taped
into the harness
and can be difficult
to locate. It should
be examined last.
Let’s find
connector C148 in
our location
drawing:
Find D10 on the grid and locate connector C148.
This pinout legend is slightly different. Find circuit 140
and double check the wire color to make sure we’re still
on track… Write down the pin number.
Once again, we can find the connector on the vehicle,
then locate the pin in that connector so that we can
check the integrity of the circuit at the connector.
Now let’s go on to
find C411 the same
way...
Find F7 on the grid and locate connector C411.
The circuit number we’re looking for is still 140. Find it
and write down the pin number. Once again, we can go
to this connector, find the pin in question, and check
the circuit.
Our last inline connector is C 403. Let’s find it on the
vehicle like we did the others.
Find E10 on the grid and locate connector C403.
The circuit number we’re looking for is still 140. Find it
and write down the pin number. Once again, we can go
to this connector, find the pin in question, and check
the circuit. By this time we should have a pretty good
idea where the problem is, if we haven’t already found
it.
One more potential problem point is the ground,
namely G104. Let’s locate it.
Find E10 on the grid and locate connector G104.
 …but on the
schematic the
ground looks very
close to the lamps.
Distance is not
indicated on a
schematic…

Notice that the

ground for the
backup lamps is at
the opposite end
of the vehicle
from the lamps…