What makes a 6v wiring system??

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xLURKxDOGx

xLURKxDOGx

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So, I’ve got a friend who had a new Ron Francis 6 volt WR-54 wiring harness he isn’t using and offered it up. So, my question to the brains on this forum who know electrical in and out. What makes make it a 6 volt? Wire thickness? What makes this specific to a car and can this be used to wire a basic race setup? I know barely the basics so looking for some information on this or links to things.

Thanks,
Jake
 
Normally the higher the voltage the smaller the wire has to be.
 
higher current load, means bigger wire gauge. current (amps) is voltage divided by resistance (ohms). 12 volts divided by 2 ohms = 6 amps, 6 volts divided by 2 ohms = 3 amps. So lower voltage is smaller current, = smaller wire.
 
I have noticed the the 6 volt factory wiring is heavier than that used in 12 volt. This rings true especially in the battery cables. Light cables used for 12 volt starters wil not carry the amperage needed for 6 volt v
 
During WWII 24V was used extensively in aircraft and in some other applications as well, partly because some of the same radio gear used in aircraft was also used on the ground. It's really too bad that "right out of the box," the US car makers didn't go to 24V instead of 6, and later 12. VeeDub stuck with 6V for a long period after most others had gone 12.


It's not just wire size. Voltage drop everywhere is decreased, through connection terminals, and switch contacts. It is much more difficult to get a starter to operate efficiently at 6V than it is or 12.

The same thing is true of transistors, in such devices as high power audio (or RF) amplifiers. Up to a point the higher the voltage you can operate the device, the more efficient and more linear you can make the thing.
 
I think your main question is whether you can use a wiring originally meant for a 6V system, on a 12V system, correct? If so, the answer is probably. As mentioned it will depend the wire size and the load you plan on putting through it, assuming the insulation is good and of proper thickness, of course. The wire doesn't care if it passes 6V or 12V. It's the amperage draw that's important and the components it's running.
 
^^True^^ Caveat is, that as old as all 6V vehicles are, the wiring and connections may be so damaged, corroded, and in general dilapidated, that there might not be ANY advantage to the larger wire size.
 
grjammer said:
higher current load, means bigger wire gauge. current (amps) is voltage divided by resistance (ohms). 12 volts divided by 2 ohms = 6 amps, 6 volts divided by 2 ohms = 3 amps. So lower voltage is smaller current, = smaller wire.
Click to expand...
True As Long as the question is about different voltages applied to the same device.
An interesting example to look at is a 6012 Headlamp, nominally rated at 40 Watts low beam.
The rating is at 12.8 Volts. The current it will draw at that voltage is 3.13 Amps.
In actual operation, system voltage is closer to 14 Volts, so the lamp will draw more current (and burn brighter).

Now the reason the 6012 lamp is a useful example is that that there was a dimensionally similar 6 Volt lamp called the 6006.
So if we can find a spec sheet for one of them we can make a comparison.
My guess is the 6006 will be designed to produce similar amount of light as the 6012, so have a filiment that draws more current.

---now continued----
6006 lamp has the same nominal power draw on low, 40 Watts.
ref: Don's bulbs at Wayback Machine
We can do the math.
Power = Current x Voltage. Also written as P = I x V.
40 Watts = I x 6.2 Volts
6.45 amps = I

It happens we can check our answer against another, more complete spec sheet.
https://taillightking.com/images/LightBulbs/LightBulbSpecs/6006 AC DELCO sealed beam light bulb lamp.pdf
So @Tooljunkie's observations are borne out by the power requirements.
thumbs_up-gif.gif
 
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brian6pac said:
Normally the higher the voltage the smaller the wire has to be.
Click to expand...

I guess I should have written it as, the higher the voltage the smaller the wire can be.
The wire running to my street is 30,000 volts and the transformer steps it down to 220 volts single phase. Is the wire for the 30,000 volt line bigger ? Not by much if any. If I was lucky enough to be in a industry street than I could get 3 phase, because the current is less on each leg the wire can be smaller. A 6 volt DC starter will draw twice as much current vs a 12 volt DC starter motor so the 12 volt motor needs a smaller wire than the 6 volt.

500 Watt starter motor
500W/12V = 41.7 Amps
500W/6V = 83.33 amps
6 Volt starter motor needs a bigger wire.
 
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brian6pac said:
The wire running to my street is 30,000 volts and the transformer steps it down to 220 volts single phase.
Click to expand...
is that a pole mounted transformer? i'd love to see a picture of that. here we run 34.5kv to substations that drop it down to 4800v, or directly to transformers on the consumers property, that then drop it down to what ever voltage they need.
 
My point being that the higher the voltage the smaller the wire for the same current draw. My buddy I grew up with was working for the city electric co. and he would tell me about all the problems they had and I took 2 years vocational electronics in high school, rebuilt electric motors for 1 year and went into automotive because that is what I liked. So I might not remember all exact but it is all fact. I am to the point.
 
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