In alt.home.repair on Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:26:22 GMT "FDR"
posted:


"meirman" wrote in message
.. .
I have an expensive auto compass -- but I've lost the instructions --
with a wire in which both halves are black, but one side is marked
with grey or white rectangles. Which one is the ground?

Most likely the side with the rectangular markings is negative. Batteries
have + (positive) and - (negative markings)


Thanks

Meirman

You're the winner!

"Cut the cigarette lighter plug off of the power cord. Connect the
wire that does not have a stripe to the +12 volt power source ....

Connect the wire that has the white stripe to a good ground source."

It did warn about heat damage if I used a fuse over one amp, but
didn't warn about connecting it backwards. But people do use larger
fuses at times. OTOH The instructions on how to connect the wires are
quite clear.

I didnt' think I'd be able to find the notes online but I did. It
was sold by Radio Shack, but I had bought one just like it from
somewhere else. So I didn't have a part number. But I went to the
manuals section of RS's website. And then to auto, and then to auto
accessories, but all they had were antennas and radar detectors. So I
was disappointed that the manuals section seemed to only give
currently sold stuff.

But there was also a Search field, and that brought up 102 entries
over 14 pages. One that sounded right was on the first page, and when
I checked it had about the right date, and the right instructions for
setting north and south, which I pretty much remember but I'm very
glad to have. So I had it.

I went to the basement and saw that it was Radio Shack after all. I
didn't buy the other one. But it had no model number. But it did say
Flux Gate, which would have made the search quicker.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help.

(I thought this would be a simple question, not requiring going beyond
the wire.

Meirman
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