Tyre Inflator

[CeeJay]

I have a 12volt tyre inflator but the connection into the cigar lighter is broken. However I have a similar lead from a car kettle that is obsolete so I cut that off and intended to join it onto the trye inflator lead. Unfortunately the leads from the old kettle are blue and brown whilst the leads from the tyre inflator are both black but one has a white stipe. Does it matter which leads join onto which?

[ventodue]

Well, ceejay, this being DC, one lead will obviously be positive and t'other negative. But whether connecting 'em up the wrong way round is gonna upset the little DC motor in your air pump depends on how 'sophisticated' it is. With a conventional DC motor, it will just make it spin the other way round. But on motors with a speed controller, then the Blue Smoke is likely to escape ...

I suspect this latter isn't the case with your pump - but that's easy for me to say 'cos it's not my motor at risk. Do you have a meter (10 euros from your local Brico) that you can measure resistances with? If you have, it's 10 seconds to see which lead on each connector goes to the centre pin, and then simply connect 'em up to suit.

If not ... I'd go blue to black, and brown to black with tracer.

(Kinda weird that the kettle plug has blue and brown wires, those normally being reserved for the phase and neutral wires in 240v AC systems/appliances ...)

Craig

[vette]

I suspect that there will be a loud bang in the ceejay household if this goes ahead.

[AnOther]

Black with white tracer is the standard convention for +

[CeeJay]

Thanks to all for that info. will get a tester just to be sure.