Randolph coughed up:
> "Thomas G. Marshall" wrote:

....[rip]...

>> The other problem I have is how can that ground connection actually
>> be something like the rear window defroster. Wouldn't I be
>> measuring the ohms as /resistance/ and isn't a heating coil like
>> that designed around the heat produced by resistance, as in a
>> toaster? I guess I'm not sure I understand how that would be 0.
>
> What Clarence and Remco are hinting at is that measuring small
> resistances is difficult. A real ground connector will show a
> resistance of more than 0 ohms to ground. You have resistance in the
> wiring and connectors and resistance between your probes and what you
> are touching the probes to etc.

Ah, ok.

....[rip]...



> Are you relocating the power outlet, and is that the reason you can't
> use the existing ground for it?

Yes. I've had to give up on actually getting a hold of the existing in-dash
one for now until my service manual arrives. Here's my update post
explaining what I discovered. This CRV dash is much harder or at least much
"spookier" than the Buick Skylark, GMC truck, and Mitsubishi eclipse (which
is supposed to be a nightmare) that I've worked on ever were. That last one
is particularly surprising since all my "car" friends cringe at the mention
of the mitsu....there just isn't any room to do anything, on /either/ side
of the firewall.

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&....autos.honda.*

So now what I'm doing is simply attaching a new cig lighter socket (I have 3
cig. lighter plugs hanging around for various odd reasons) directly to the
always-on options connector. The new cig. lighter socket will hang out in
the drawer underneath the ash tray for now---my cell phone will be plugged
into that, and I'll shut the drawer, and have the wire for my cell phone
awkwardly hang out.

Gross, but it'll get me by.

I've been trying to get a read on what's safe and not safe to do, and it
really seems that using a bolt somewhere electrically connected to the
chassis is the best way to go. And probably the big arm thing that was
mentioned that holds the dash components in place.

I certainly *appreciate enormously* all the education you've given me in
this matter.

For the record, I'm not an EE guy, but as a software engineer, my CS major
required a moderate amount of EE, which is where my TTL and other digital
knowledge comes from.



--
Framsticks. 3D Artificial Life evolution. You can see the creatures
that evolve and how they interact, hunt, swim, etc. (Unaffiliated with
me). http://www.frams.alife.pl/