First off I appologise for a very minimal Vanagon content, but it does
relate to a VW and it is part of my collection which includes two Vanagons...

As many of you may already know I am the proud owner of a 1980 Volkswagen
Iltis.  For those who don't know, it is a military "jeep" that Volkswagen
produced for the German Army from 1978 thru 1981 and was later produced in
Canada from 1984 to 1985.  Seeing how it is a military vehicle the
electrical system is 24V DC as opposed to the 12V DC we are used to with
our Vanagons.  I want to be able to connect a CB / HF Transcever, VHF
Transcever as well as a CD-Player in the dash.  All of the radios that I
have are 12V and will more than likely not appreciate the additional
voltage.

Some people suggested to me to take 12V off of one of the two 12V
batteries.  It has also been pointed out to me that this with setup cause
uneven charging of the batteries and will constantly kill one battery.

One item that was suggested to me was a 24V to 12V voltage regulator that
can be bought at some truck stores for about $150.

This is what I was thinking... it seems too simple so there must be a
problem with it.

Take two 12V lights and wire them in series (12+12=24).  Use these at
daytime running lights or something simular.  Attach a 12V device in
parallel to one of the lights as the difference across one of the lights
would be 12V.  I guess the flaw in my logic might be that if they were two
IDENTICAL 12V lights then they would take 12V each... if one light, or one
light and the 12V accessory attached to it take more current than the
other, the voltage will be different... am I right or am I wrong?

Thanks!

-- David Marshall - Volkswagen Enthusiast - Quesnel, BC, Canada   --
-- 78 VW Rabbit, 80 VW Iltis, 80 VW Caddy, 84 VW Westfalia        --
-- 85 VW Cabriolet, 87 Audi 5000 Quattro, 88 VW Syncro Double Cab --
-- David's Volkswagen Home Page        http://www.volkswagen.org  --
-- Fast Forward Autobahn Sport Tuning  http://www.fastforward.ca  --
-- david@volkswagen.org (pmail) or vanagon@volkswagen.org (list)  --