A-frame Nav Lights - Wiring Q ??!

[tomd]

Hello!

Anyone who might be able to assist your comments much appreciated...

I need to re-wire the Nav Lights on my A-Frame. They were not properly connected when I took ownership of the boat [think a lot was changed when the engine was replaced] so I am not just replacing old wires hence my Q below!

For ease and less wiring running about I had though of effectively using one cable. Colouring aside would this be a big mistake, effectively it would run from battery / switch to the stern of the boat then pass it through Stb / White / Grn lights and then back to the battery?

Not an electronics wizz but keen to do things myself if I can as can't imagine it is particularly tricky. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Tom

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by tomd

Hello!

Anyone who might be able to assist your comments much appreciated...

I need to re-wire the Nav Lights on my A-Frame. They were not properly connected when I took ownership of the boat [think a lot was changed when the engine was replaced] so I am not just replacing old wires hence my Q below!

For ease and less wiring running about I had though of effectively using one cable. Colouring aside would this be a big mistake, effectively it would run from battery / switch to the stern of the boat then pass it through Stb / White / Grn lights and then back to the battery?

Not an electronics wizz but keen to do things myself if I can as can't imagine it is particularly tricky. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Tom

That the same as I have done so I hope it's right.
Any joins were soldered and then wrapped in self amalgamating tape .
The a frame entry and exit holes were then sealed with sikaflex.

[Dirk Diggler]

Originally Posted by tomd

Hello!

Anyone who might be able to assist your comments much appreciated...

I need to re-wire the Nav Lights on my A-Frame. They were not properly connected when I took ownership of the boat [think a lot was changed when the engine was replaced] so I am not just replacing old wires hence my Q below!

For ease and less wiring running about I had though of effectively using one cable. Colouring aside would this be a big mistake, effectively it would run from battery / switch to the stern of the boat then pass it through Stb / White / Grn lights and then back to the battery?

Not an electronics wizz but keen to do things myself if I can as can't imagine it is particularly tricky. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Tom

That sounds like you intend to wire the lights in series, when you need to wire them in parallel .

[Erin]

As Dirk says, you need to make sure they are in parallel. It doesn't require any more wire, just make sure all the nav light positives are conected to one wire (normally red) and the negatives connected to the other wire (black). The other end of the black is connected to the neg terminal of the battery and the red the is connected to a switch and then onwards to the pos of the battery.

This ensures each bulb gets 12 volts. In series, each would have received approx 4 volts, so they'd be very dim.

[Jizm]

Earth the A frame, then earth each light to the A frame via it's mounting screw (can be hidden inside the light), then run a single positive cable inside the a frame to each light. So 2 lights ill have 2 positve wires in the terminals but the last one just the 1 wire in the positive terminal.

Hope this helps.

[tomd]

Ok, many thanks for the below guys. Makes sense I think:

So positive from power / switch through the first two lights +ve terminal and to the last light. Then negative back from the last light through the other two lights -ve terminal and back to the battery?

Easy suggestions for earthing the A Frame?

[SDGANDER]

I used 7 core trailer wire for mine - gives you the ability to switch nav /decklights separtely.

Took a bit of planning with wire lengths and only awkward part was running the earth in and out of all the fittings. But meant no connections in the loom to fail.

SDG

[TonyC]

The only downside to wiring all the nav lights to one switch is that you can't have just your all round white on if your at anchor and it's dark/limited visability.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by tomd

Ok, many thanks for the below guys. Makes sense I think:

So positive from power / switch through the first two lights +ve terminal and to the last light. Then negative back from the last light through the other two lights -ve terminal and back to the battery?

Easy suggestions for earthing the A Frame?

I think you'll need to draw a picture that sounds like it could still be in series?

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by tomd

Easy suggestions for earthing the A Frame?

Yes: Don't.

Better to have dedicated pos and neg wires to the lights, back to either your distribution panel/fuse board and a dedicated ground buss.

a) If you have problems down the road, troubleshooting will be much easier than trying to figure out where you're losing the conductivity through mechanical connections.

b) With large structural parts in an electrical circuit, you need to be really careful about electrolysis eating metal bits from your boat (granted, though, the arch shouldn't be in the water.)

My $.02;

jky

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by tomd

Ok, many thanks for the below guys. Makes sense I think:

So positive from power / switch through the first two lights +ve terminal and to the last light. Then negative back from the last light through the other two lights -ve terminal and back to the battery?

Easy suggestions for earthing the A Frame?

No ,
the positive bit is right but just earth the frame to the battery and each light individually to the frame.
Make sense?

[9D280]

Originally Posted by tomd

Easy suggestions for earthing the A Frame?

Barge pole!!!!!! As a prime example, look at the taillights of any >10YO
Ford Escort, Rover anything, the list goes on. That lack of a good connection between the light cluster & the body results in all sorts of strange things like the flashing of the tail lamps, except for when the brakes are applied when the indicator lights up..... Beofre the tech police jump in, no, you won't get that on the nav lights, but it illustrates a point well!

-> Use a dedicated wire! :thumbs)


Parallel wiring: One red from battery to fuse, then to switch, then to First Nav. Light. Meanwhile, Black wire form battery straight to Nav. light. Then take another red & another balck, connect the two reds to one side of the fitting, the two bblacks to the other, & lead your new red & black to the next light. Repeat for as many lights on that circuit as you need!


I have used trailer cable to my frame, terminated in an IP rated box, onto which my anchor light sits http://rib.net/forum/attachment.php?...7&d=1256821601. (Note this pic taken in it's "MK1 Guise", I was also showing R/G at that point and not doing >7Knots with only a white....)

I decided to have a separate white so that if the main engine dies, I can run at reduced battery consumption (LED lamp for the anchor / sub 7Knt lamp) and the "full boona" wired as above for when I got the main engine to keep the battery charged. I used a 2- way centre off switch so only one set of lights will show at any time.

[Jizm]

so tomd, all done? successful?
or more assistance required, if you need a drawing just ask...

[wookie 1]

I know this is an old thread, but trying to avoid unnecessarily create new ones. I get parallel vs series, but not sure how best to wire the a frame to achieve this with port and starboard. I will then keep the white on a separate circuit/switch as suggested.

Also, how best to feed wire through a frame/pull out at the relevant points?

[Iron Dials]

If there are old wires in the A-frame just use some twine on the end of each one and draw it back out from where it enters the frame. Sounds easy, needs a bit of push/pull as it works back through the obstacles inside the frame.

I lost one of the twine runs when it chaffed on a screw tip inside the frame. Stiff single core earth wire was all I could find to use as a fish wire to push through the frame (Sunday evening). Use each hole in the frame as a goal to catch your fish wire. Make a hook from the end of some copper wire to fish it out at each screw hole in A-frame if you need to.
If there are holes on each side and top of frame for the lights then you have several short runs you can join. Fishing a wire short distances is easier than trying to get one long run in.
Lots of pushing/pulling. In the end some silicone lubricant helped the wire to run much more easily.

Being a pessimist and the runs being relatively short I avoided any joints out in the open (or stuffed inside the base of the A-frame). Each light has own run of cable from light fitting to inside of console, where red and green supplies are on one switch. White light has own circuit and switch. The extra few metres of cable cost less than £10 and no joints are exposed to the elements.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by wookie 1

I know this is an old thread, but trying to avoid unnecessarily create new ones. I get parallel vs series, but not sure how best to wire the a frame to achieve this with port and starboard. I will then keep the white on a separate circuit/switch as suggested.

Also, how best to feed wire through a frame/pull out at the relevant points?

Welcome to Ribnet

It's realistically far easier if you've got the room in the A-frame to run pos and neg wires up for each nav light

Try feeding a thin lazy line through the a-frame from each hole. A hoover helped me do mine

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by SDGANDER

Took a bit of planning with wire lengths and only awkward part was running the earth in and out of all the fittings. But meant no connections in the loom to fail.

SDG

As Jism says, save yourself this hassle. Ground the "A" frame and ground the lights via the fixing screws. that way it's only one wire for each light and these can be "daisy chained". I wouldn't silkaflex up the holes because it'll be a bu@@er when you want to add other things to the frame. eg aerials, GPS puck, work lights....

[SDGANDER]

Why?! Introducing part of the boat into the equation is asking for trouble with corrosion and interacting metals.

My (old) way of doing it kept the electrics in one cable.

If you 'daisy chain' make sure it's not in series or the lights won't operate at full power.

Don't try to wire a boat like a car!

SDG

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by SDGANDER

Why?! Introducing part of the boat into the equation is asking for trouble with corrosion and interacting metals.

My (old) way of doing it kept the electrics in one cable.

Don't try to wire a boat like a car!

SDG

+1[emoji106]

[Last Tango]

Don't try to wire a boat like a house, That's not is how it's done in your outboard. Why double the cable length when you're still going to have to join it somewhere.