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Author Topic: series/parallel circut wiring  (Read 5379 times)

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Offline Jerry

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series/parallel circut wiring
« on: January 18, 2009, 07:44:16 PM »
Lets say we are wiring in three lights (headlights). Because three will show things better and it will be easy to remove one and still the differents. How would you wire the circuts, and what are the +'s , -'s of each?
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trojan

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2009, 08:35:46 PM »
Series: one item after the other. ie: the current must pass through each item to get to the next. If one item electrically fails the chain is broken and the whole chain will not operate. Draws less current from the power source.

Parallel: all items share a power rail. no one item can break the chain. Draws more current from the power source.

For 3 lights, in series they would be figuratively 1/3 the brightness, they may appear not to work at all. In parallel they can operate at their full potential (pun intended) brightness.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2009, 08:59:37 PM by trojan »
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Offline Engineer

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2009, 08:58:32 PM »
I do not believe you would ever want to wire lights in series.  Connet the red or + of each light to the power (switch wire or whatever), and connect the black - wire of each light to ground.  This would be parallel, and unplugging one light will not affect the rest.




If you were to wire in series, you would connet the + of one to power, then the black of that one to the + of the next one, and so forth until the last one's black is connected to ground.  Don't do this on lights or any other 12 volt device.  In fact unless you are using a resistor, I can't think of a single application of series wiring on a buggy.
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Online fabr

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2009, 09:02:11 PM »
Anyone got an old set of Christmas lights? Series BS to the max!
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Offline Boostinjdm

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2009, 09:09:08 PM »
series lights are always a no no.  If you are doin some high speed cruising and a bulb burns out or goes bad for any reason, suddenly you are in the dark and can't see where you are going. :o
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Online fabr

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2009, 09:19:13 PM »
Christmas tree lights!!!
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

-----------------------------------------------------------
 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Offline Nutz4sand

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2009, 09:23:22 PM »
Series on a 12 volts sytem might be OK if you HAPPEN to have a pair of 6 volt lights (I dunno where you are gonna get them but maybe?) But as stated if one goes out you are in the dark so they best not be your only soruce of light. 

Somtimes you see 6 volt stuff in JC Whitney catalogs. For old cars. You might get light there or maybe 6 volt horns. Thes would be the only real place for series wiring and not something you would stake your life on.
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Offline Jerry

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Re: series/parallel circut wiring
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2009, 07:48:26 AM »
Thank you all for the explaination.
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