Strobe Shield Drain?

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 6:06 pm

I started wondering about this today. In the past, I and everyone I know or who's work I have seen has always cut and not used the shield drain on strobe wires. They put it there for some reason but I always just said to myself "It's working fine without it and no one else uses it, so hell with it".

I understand if you do use it, you only connect one end at the power supply to ground. I decided to give it shot this evening. When I grounded the 4 shield drains, It actually made more strobe noise on my scanner than it did before. What gives?

jim · Post by **jim** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 6:37 pm

Ground the power supply end to a SOLID ground- not just to the black power lead. I solder all shields together and also to a #10 wire and run it to a bolted chassis ground. TEK screws are not a ground and neither is a crimp-on connector!

This is here to prevent RFI/EMI noise. It also will prevent myterious "check engine" lights, possible airbag deployment (from induced currents) and many other electrical quirks that can pop up on the modern vehicle.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:34 pm

OK, I've never heard the term "TEK Screw". I'm sure it something I have seen and used, just never heard that term before. Can you translate to english?

And how do I explain the noise increasing when I ground them?

USPSS · Post by **USPSS** » Thu Jun 12, 2003 7:14 am

Drill Bit screws.. You just put them against metal and they drill and tap the hole all in one, good for some parts of installations but BAD for others.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Thu Jun 12, 2003 9:16 am

Oh. I love those screws! I've always called them "self-drilling" screws.

So what is recommended to make a kick ass ground if one of those are bad?