so i have ms1-V.3-PCB and everything is checked out and works in simulation,

and i dont have money for a new lab-top, hence squirt.

so ive built a car-puter similar to a cops set up.

but where should i ground it?

i built a dc/ac converter, but im curious as to if i need another ground?

 

Ground it to a good chassis ground. I am assuming you are talking about the computer's 12V feed here.

 

yup, thanks cake.

where are some good points along the driver side rear bucket?

 

You can make a ground to any part on the body that has metal. Just make sure you don't do it somewhere that is open to the elements on the opposite side or you can cause rust. Although if you dont want to drill you could probably get a good ground from the rear mount on the sliders for the seats.

 

If you don't know where to find a ground, I suggest you take a basic course in electronics before you start wiring your Megasquirt. Modifying the 'Squirt for rotary use is a bit different then installing a stereo...

 

Why not use a DC-DC converter? They're far more efficient and much smaller in size, and can be used to turn on the computer when the engine is running.

 

pics or it didnt happen...

no really i have always thought about doing this but done have near enough money or skill to pull it off.

 

ill post the pics as soon as the box is built and the dash is in place, in still ironing out the faults and issues of my RHD swap

 

i know how to find a ground

ive had some interference with certain things before.

being that the box is mounted next to the car batt. in the other bucket, imm worried it might interfere.

example.... if you ground a wire directly over a power wire for a system, it will cause road noise in the amp which sounds like clipping

same goes for RCA cables fed to close to a power wire for amp.

 

This is a computer you wont have any interference problems... Audio is one of the few things that will have interference and I believe it just has to do w/ magnetic fields created by the electricity messing w/ the speaker wire. That just means you don't want your RCA's next to large power wires. I don't think that it will matter where you put your ground since they all come from the SAME source.

 

Damn right. Inverters suck. DC-DC is the way to go. I ran an Arise DC-DC converter to power my in-car computer for 10 years without issues.

How do you ground over a power wire? If you connect a power wire to ground, it's a short.


Not true at all. Many, many people have battled ground loops and noise when using a DC-AC inverter to power in car computers. The inverter ends up creating a floating ground which at some point gets reconnected to the cars ground (generally through the audio cable). The result? Ground loop and noise.

Quality shielded audio cable has no interference issues. It's the crap cable that most people use which causes problems. I have always run my power cables and signal cables in the same loom. But then, I don't use crappy cable.

In theory, one ground on a car is the same as another. However in practice this is not true. Not every ground connection is perfect so some may have higher resistance then others. The result is a voltage offset which can cause all manner of strange issues. That's why, for example, all the ECU related circuits are grounded back at the ECU which leads to a ground on the engine block. All related stuff in an installation should share a common ground point to avoid this.