Battery specs

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

Thought there would be a couple of questions about switching the negatives. As we are starting afresh there is no specific reason to go either way really, I know it is convention to switch the positives however I figured and read eslewhere that it makes no difference to switch the negatives, plus where the switches and things will be it would be easier to switch the negatives.

If it is an important issue then it wouldn't be hard to switch the positives I suppose.

The 50 AMP line is part of the auxiliary charging circuit and copied straight from the diagram in one of the links above.

The only thing correct about your statement above is that it is convention to switch the positive. I have done the NMEA course and have been wiring cars and boats for quite a while and there is no reason or benefit to switching the negative that I have ever seen. Some really old wiring was done this way, and there have even been whole systems been wired "back to front" with a positive earth but they are really very old indeed and didn't involve modern electronics and would result in galvanic chaos.

Listen to Jezza!

ps the 50 amp fuse is irrelevant - ditch it and fuse all of the components individually!

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Cookee

ps the 50 amp fuse is irrelevant - ditch it and fuse all of the components individually!

I think the 50A fuse is to protect the Aux charging circuit at the engine end. AFAIK it's part of the aux charging harness.

You're bang on about switching the negs Not best practice

[Erin]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

The only NMEA0183 is going to be the existing AIS

0183? That's so last season

[gotchiguy]

Yes from the etec installation manual it suggests that the 50AMP fuse is part of the aux charging cable (which I now need to go and buy)

Thanks for your feedback, switching the positives looks like the right thing to do. I'll draw up a revised diagram tonight.

Any suggestions for fuse boxes?

Also, we are keen to independently switch all the electronics however it was not set up like this before and I believe the reason was that the two switches installed were not all the same type. I am wondering if within a single panel like these it is possible to have one for the nav lights with three positions as opposed to two

[Cookee]

My suggestion would be something like an all in one, it can even come with a three position nav light switch and it's fused and splash proof.

[martini]

Originally Posted by Cookee

My suggestion would be something like an all in one, it can even come with a three position nav light switch and it's fused and splash proof.

Spray proof? Mmm...

I always use Bluesea components, it's all top quality. Their contura switch panel uses the switches that gotchi linked to but I don't advise individually switching all your electronics, it's just more work and expensive. They've all got their own power button and if you did need to isolate one then just pull the fuse out.

I recommend these fuse blocks:
http://bluesea.com/category/81/21/productline/126
6 or 12 circuits and feature a single live feed in and neg bus bar so the whole job becomes neat and tidy with minimum amount of wiring.

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by martini

I recommend these fuse blocks:
ST Blade Fuse Blocks - PN - Blue Sea Systems
6 or 12 circuits and feature a single live feed in and neg bus bar so the whole job becomes neat and tidy with minimum amount of wiring.

That looks just the ticket thanks a lot!

I have been thinking and I think just adding individual switches in the same series our existing ones is going to be the best call. So we would have: trim tabs, nav lights, NMEA 2000 power, AIS silent mode, bilge pump, and as martini says, just use the power buttons for everything else

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by martini

Spray proof? Mmm...

I always use Bluesea components, it's all top quality. Their contura switch panel uses the switches that gotchi linked to but I don't advise individually switching all your electronics, it's just more work and expensive. They've all got their own power button and if you did need to isolate one then just pull the fuse out.

I recommend these fuse blocks:
ST Blade Fuse Blocks - PN - Blue Sea Systems
6 or 12 circuits and feature a single live feed in and neg bus bar so the whole job becomes neat and tidy with minimum amount of wiring.

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

That's what I've use

Also use there blue sea ACR and isolator 1&2 or both switch so everything is isolated with minimum switches, would save running a second cable through the underdeck trunking
The ACR has a safety circuit so if your house battery is below a 9.5 volts it won't try to charge it and risk the starter battery. Don't ask how I know.

Add-a-Battery*—*Blue Sea Systems

Jim

[martini]

I bought a complete panel as first port of call for my battery power:
Triple Battery Bank Management Panels - PN - Blue Sea Systems

You can see in the 1st 2 pics I glassed in a recessed panel in order to mount the panel inside the console and get a waterproof hatch over the front of the panel (even though it's waterproof anyway).

Then I glassed in an Index Marine box round the back to house the rest of it. Slightly OTT I know

Third pic shows it wired in and last pic shows a pair of ACR's and neg busbar.

ps this is a triple battery bank set up

[gotchiguy]

Thanks to the auxiliary charging harness there is no need to fit an ACR.

Final question pretty much:

Can the off/1/both switch be rigged to turn on the house electronics too? If so...how..

Or would it not just be easier to fit a separate isolator for them (master electronics switch on diagram)

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

... Can the off/1/both switch be rigged to turn on the house electronics too? If so...how..

Yes, just take your power for the auxiliaries from the output terminal of the 1, 2, both switch rather than directly off a battery. That way the 1, 2, both switch isolates battery power from everything - which is exactly what I thought is its purpose. The only exception would be a bilge pump supply. Also, if it were me, I'd drive a relay, through a diode, from your engine ignition to energise when the ignition is turned on, and connect your auxiliaries to the relay contacts so everything comes to life when you switch on the ignition. If you feel you may want to run the auxiliaries without the ignition on at some point then you could switch the relay via an override switch from a convenient positive supply, the diode previously mentioned will prevent you back feeding the engine ignition circuit. However, this will reallocate your batteries, one will be a main for engine starting and auxiliary power and the other will become a fully charged always ready backup battery should you ever need it for starting. Of course, this will also have the benefit should you ever have a major main battery failure, of the secondary battery also supplying your auxiliaries too since their power comes from the 1, 2, both switch along with the engine power.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

That looks just the ticket thanks a lot!

I have been thinking and I think just adding individual switches in the same series our existing ones is going to be the best call. So we would have: trim tabs, nav lights, NMEA 2000 power, AIS silent mode, bilge pump, and as martini says, just use the power buttons for everything else

Do you need to hard wire the ais silent mode? I just use the soft option from the plotter.

[Chris]

On TB I had a 6 switch panel (Blue Sea) with the following

Nav lights (port and starboard lights)
Anchor light ((all round white)
Electronics (VHF & GPS)
Deck light (flood on A frame)
Bilge
One spare (AIS perhaps)

Then I got the Evinrude multi engine NMEA Power lead which lets you have up to 4 power inputs to run the NMEA network. I used two... One from the ignition so the network came on when the ignition was on. The other so the network cam on when the "Electronics" switch was on. This meant if I had the GPS running with engine off the GPS aerial on the network was still powered (as were the gauges)

[Erin]

Blue sea fuse panel and BEP switch cluster with VSR for auto charging of secondary bank. Not the neatest installation (and not on a rib either) but simple and easy to understand. You wouldn't need the VSR with your aux charging circuit, but three separate switches are better IMHO than a 1,2,off switch. One battery is dedicated for engine starting and nothing else, but house can be paralleled in case of failure.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Erin

but three separate switches are better IMHO than a 1,2,off switch. One battery is dedicated for engine starting and nothing else, but house can be paralleled in case of failure.

I've been telling the lad that since page 1 That overcomes the electronics switching dilemma, K.I.S.S!! I've just blown an EMM on one of my engines, the first thing BRP asked was "do you have a 1-2-both battery sw" apparently they cause many blown EMMs on Etecs.

[gotchiguy]

OK - so three master switches and forget the NMEA 2000 one..

I'll draw it up tomorrow

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Do you need to hard wire the ais silent mode? I just use the soft option from the plotter.

It is a digital yacht AIS not Garmin so that wouldn't work. Also Channel Ribs told me () that the E80 soft option has no impact on even Raymarine AIS units...

Thanks to the very generous people at Garmin we have come away with a free AIS300 however this is only a reciever but begs the question that it may be worth selling it and the AIT1000 and going for an AIS600 so there is no 0183 whatsoever..

[Erin]

I think you'll find that the soft option on the Garmin AIS600 has never been activated in the software even though the original manuals said you could. Martini knows better from his first hand experience.

[martini]

Yes, garmin got a bit carried away there!

Just ordered a digital yacht AIT2000 with N2k for the mother ship

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

[Pikey Dave]

[QUOTE=gotchiguy;490181] Also Channel Ribs told me () that the E80 soft option has no impact on even Raymarine AIS units...
QUOTE]

It does now New firmware for the E80 sorts out many AIS issues.