Xenon timing light issue

9njunkie · Jul 12, 2017

Hey has anyone ever used a xenon timing light on a tractor setup with a 6 volt system with positive ground?

Reading the instructions it says to power the light of an auxiliary 12 volt battery ... Got that ok but then it also says to run minimum 18ga wire from the negative of the auxiliary battery to the ground on the engine.... But ground in this tractor is 6volt positive... Does not seem right to connect the negative of a 12 volt battery to something that the positive of a 6 volt battery is attached to?

Any help appreciated
Thanks

Bob M · Jul 12, 2017

Not to worry - I've done this many times!

The temporary wire is simply to provide a ground path for the high voltage (spark) signal. The ground polarity of the 6 volt battery is irrelevant since it is not part of the 12 volt timing light's power circuit.

jeffcat · Jul 12, 2017

Use your garden tractor as a power sorce. Then folow what Bob says.

9njunkie · Jul 12, 2017

Hi bob,,

So if I'm understanding correctly I run a jumper cable from the negative post of my 12 battery that I am using to power the light and connect the other end of jumper to a good bare metal spot on the chassis of the tractor,

Even though the chassis of the tractor is hooked up to the positive of the 6volt tractor battery it won't fry/ explode the 12 volt battery or light?

Just want to be sure I got this right

Thanks

Janicholson · Jul 12, 2017

Your description is correct. Each battery is doing different things in different directions they are isolated from one another electrically and common only where a
single connection is made. Jim

Ozlander · Jul 12, 2017

(quoted from post at 21:49:05 07/12/17) Hi bob,,

So if I'm understanding correctly I run a jumper cable from the negative post of my 12 battery that I am using to power the light and connect the other end of jumper to a good bare metal spot on the chassis of the tractor,

Even though the chassis of the tractor is hooked up to the positive of the 6volt tractor battery it won't fry/ explode the 12 volt battery or light?

Just want to be sure I got this right

Thanks

If you were going to push or pull that tractor, you wouldn't worry about how the batteries are connected.

JUST DO IT.

wisbaker · Jul 12, 2017

No it't won't do anything UNLESS you also hook the 12V positive to something on the 6V unit, and even then as long as there's no path for the batteries to hook together it shouldn't effect much. Also think it
you hook the negative of you 12 volt to the positive of you 6 volt you should see 18V between the positive of the 12 volt and the negative of the 6 volt that's a series connection if you hook them in parallel
I'm not sure what would happen, but I would suspect a discharged 12 volt and an overcharged 6 Volt. Your timing light is getting 12 volt power from you auxiliary battery all it's getting from the 6 volt system
is the signal it picks up from the inductive clamp on the spark lead, you need to ad the ground so it can reference between the spark/inductive load and the ground it is jumping to

MarkB_MI · Jul 13, 2017

If it bothers you to connect the 6 volt positive post to the 12 volt negative post, you could connect the two negative posts together. Or the two positive posts together. It doesn't matter; all you need is an electrical connection between the 12 volt battery and the tractor. Remember, the ignition pulse you're trying to detect is over 10 kilovolts.

gene bender · Jul 13, 2017

I hook the timing lite to a 12v batt and use on my 6v stuff only lead going to the tractor is which ever wire im checking. I do check each wire that tells me the wires and bushings are all 0k

Raptor44 · Jul 13, 2017

I just hook my leads off the light to a 12 volt jump box.

Xenon timing light issue

9njunkie

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Bob M

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jeffcat

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9njunkie

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Janicholson

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Ozlander

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wisbaker

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MarkB_MI

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gene bender

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Raptor44

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