Electrical for dummies?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 288
Likes: 26
Electrical for dummies?
Anyone have a good resource for auto-electrical for someone who is completely ignorant? I'd like to be able to wire my own audio, lighting, additional electrical things on my truck but I don't have the skills to do it right now.
Can anyone get me started?
Can anyone get me started?
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,462
Likes: 717
From: SF Bay Area
Having done auto-electric for many many years now (so sorry I don't know any specific fast-lane tutoring), the best I can offer as far as advice is to "buy the best and cry once". Tools and supplies. Buy the best. No one ever complained about the performance of top quality products and tools.
E.g. when buying electrical tape (simple, right?), buy nothing less than 3M 33+ tape (not the $0.99 per roll junk). As far as tools, buy Klein or any other "professional" brand tools. Do NOT buy anything Chinese-made.
Follow this advice, and you will have the best results possible.
Try to find someone that knows this biz and sit in their back pocket and learn the right way to do stuff.
I wish you success!
E.g. when buying electrical tape (simple, right?), buy nothing less than 3M 33+ tape (not the $0.99 per roll junk). As far as tools, buy Klein or any other "professional" brand tools. Do NOT buy anything Chinese-made.
Follow this advice, and you will have the best results possible.
Try to find someone that knows this biz and sit in their back pocket and learn the right way to do stuff.
I wish you success!
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 862
Likes: 85
From: California
Above is some good advice. Also, I worked for a year at a place that manufactured phase converters. It was a great experience and I learned a ton of electrical. Google can open up that world too and, you can go at your own pace. Expose yourself to it and don't be intimidated. Some of it will stick with you over time. You can learn it!
One of the best electricians I knew told me one day " think of water in a hose" after that I started to get it. Best of luck.
One of the best electricians I knew told me one day " think of water in a hose" after that I started to get it. Best of luck.
Keepin' the lights on!
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,759
Likes: 231
From: BFE, NM
This site is really good at breaking things down so you can understand them. Just click the tabs on the right side of the page for a crash course. http://www.bcae1.com/
Junior Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 22
Likes: 3
From: Morgantown, PA
Having done auto-electric for many many years now (so sorry I don't know any specific fast-lane tutoring), the best I can offer as far as advice is to "buy the best and cry once". Tools and supplies. Buy the best. No one ever complained about the performance of top quality products and tools.
E.g. when buying electrical tape (simple, right?), buy nothing less than 3M 33+ tape (not the $0.99 per roll junk). As far as tools, buy Klein or any other "professional" brand tools. Do NOT buy anything Chinese-made.
I wish you success!
E.g. when buying electrical tape (simple, right?), buy nothing less than 3M 33+ tape (not the $0.99 per roll junk). As far as tools, buy Klein or any other "professional" brand tools. Do NOT buy anything Chinese-made.
I wish you success!
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 301
Likes: 43
From: California
If you are interested it would be a good idea to take some courses at your community college, some base electronics courses would do.
If you have some friends that are good at electronics try to get them to help you and learn from them.
Your local library should have some decent books on beginner electronics so you may want to see what they have that can help you.
Don't go in blind and try working on systems, it can be easy to fry a unit and cause damage elsewhere in the truck and that can get expensive.
Once you have a basic knowledge you should be able to handle most problems.
If you have some friends that are good at electronics try to get them to help you and learn from them.
Your local library should have some decent books on beginner electronics so you may want to see what they have that can help you.
Don't go in blind and try working on systems, it can be easy to fry a unit and cause damage elsewhere in the truck and that can get expensive.
Once you have a basic knowledge you should be able to handle most problems.