Lighting on go-kart

[TheFauxFox]

I still don't have my gokart yet, but I am already tricking it out

So...I have been reading that people hook up lights on their kart by hooking the negative lead onto the gokart frame. Wouldn't this technically be putting 12v through my kart? I understand that the amp/milliamp draw is fairly low, but anything about 60ma can kill you, so I was wondering if I hooked up a LED headlight or two with a few led accents, do you think it would be safe to use the frame as a ground? And why not just complete the circuit with wire instead of using the frame?

thanks!

[Masteryota]

All vehicles are grounded to the frames. Period. It is the only way to have a suitable and large enough ground for the 12v system. I have been zapped more times than I can count by coils, plug wires, sub par harness connectors, alternator cables, etc, etc. All capable of well over 30A or 10,000V. There isn't any[TWEAK]thing wrong with me.....

At 12V, you would need far more than the stated 30mA to stop your heart. I know, mythbusters did a show on it, but they were using 110V appliances. As long as the connections are good, and there is a LOAD in that circuit to 'use up' all the available voltage, there is absolutely no risk of being hurt by using the frame as a ground. I would, however, suggest adding a 18ga or better ground wire from the swing arm to the main tub of the frame when adding lights, radios, GPS units, etc, as the bushing mounts and paint tend not to transfer connections well, and anything with a circuit board needs a good ground point.

Just as an example, you could go out to a camry, and snip every ground wire visible under the hood, and chances are it would still run. Every manufacturer has found out the hard way, there are never too many grounds with the amount of ECU's cars have today, and toyota went a couple steps ahead and has put double and triple ground points in all of their vehicles. Sometimes to the point of being annoying.

[icebox187]

uggh, toyota and that multiplex crap gave me a fit when making a loom for a 2jz-gte/is300. Owner wanted the stock supra ecu.

[TheFauxFox]

Originally Posted by Masteryota

All vehicles are grounded to the frames. Period. It is the only way to have a suitable and large enough ground for the 12v system. I have been zapped more times than I can count by coils, plug wires, sub par harness connectors, alternator cables, etc, etc. All capable of well over 30A or 10,000V. There isn't any[TWEAK]thing wrong with me.....

At 12V, you would need far more than the stated 30mA to stop your heart. I know, mythbusters did a show on it, but they were using 110V appliances. As long as the connections are good, and there is a LOAD in that circuit to 'use up' all the available voltage, there is absolutely no risk of being hurt by using the frame as a ground. I would, however, suggest adding a 18ga or better ground wire from the swing arm to the main tub of the frame when adding lights, radios, GPS units, etc, as the bushing mounts and paint tend not to transfer connections well, and anything with a circuit board needs a good ground point.

Just as an example, you could go out to a camry, and snip every ground wire visible under the hood, and chances are it would still run. Every manufacturer has found out the hard way, there are never too many grounds with the amount of ECU's cars have today, and toyota went a couple steps ahead and has put double and triple ground points in all of their vehicles. Sometimes to the point of being annoying.

OK good! BTW I took those numbers off a website selling electric shock protection gloves, so I'm sure they are a little fudged... Plus they were talking about AC (110v). I feel better now. So if I happened to touch either end of a 12v 12ah SLA battery I have laying around, what would happen? I accidentally touched 2 ends of a 8v (X)ma D cell battery I made () and I sorta blacked out for a second. LOL. I wired about 6 D Cells in series for the hell of it!

So....

I would just connect all of my negatives to the kart frame?

[Masteryota]

In a word, yes. Make sure it has a good connection though, scrape or grinding the paint away where the wire terminal goes.