Wiring Question

[commanderpete]

Help me out here. I'm installing a new electrical panel.

Take a look at how this Blue Sea panel is wired. There's a diagram on the second page of this PDF

Note how the positive wire for each device (light or accessory) runs from the panel directly to the device.

http://resources.myeporia.com/company_57/9113.pdf

Thats not how the original panel on the boat is wired.

Instead, the positive wire from each device runs to a terminal strip. Wires then run from the terminal strip to the panel.
 
(There's a diagram on pg. 176 of the Manual)

Any reason I can't set it up the same way?

Otherwise, how would you attach 3 wires (like the running lights) to one switch in the panel?

The panel I have is powered by two 10 AWG wires. I would run those wires to one screw on the terminal strip. The positive feed from the battery would run to the corresponding screw on the terminal strip.

I'm thinking of getting a terminal strip like this

http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=30185&d_Id=7465&l1=7465&l2=

And a negative bus like this

http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=29975&d_Id=7465&l1=7465&l2=

[commanderpete]

Check out this photo of mrgnstrn's Ariel #3

Nice

http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=2657

I think he's got more going on than I do

I'm really only going to have

cabin lights
running lights
steaming light
VHF
depthsounder

also wired to battery:
bilge pump
small solar charger
DC meter

Might also add a 12V cigarette lighter type receptacle

[Tony G]

I don't know what you need help with.  It appears as though you have the situation well at hand.  You could surely use jumper wires on a terminal strip to 'gang' circuits together with the one caveat just label everything.  ABYC approved?  Beats me!  

Light 'er up dude!

[mrgnstrn]

I'm really only going to have

cabin lights
running lights
steaming light
VHF
depthsounder

also wired to battery:
bilge pump
small solar charger
DC meter

Might also add a 12V cigarette lighter type receptacle

C-pete, your list is pretty much my same stuff.  Remember that you will likely have two sets of cabin lights (port/stbd), same with running lights.
You haven't listed it here, but you might also have a masthead light of some sort.  And I dont have a solar charger.

At some point I will post a labeled picture describing what each of the components are.

[commanderpete]

Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I'm curious about your small panel on the upper left.

Should the boat have a fuse on the positive feed from the battery? If so, what size?

Also, my battery terminals are getting a bit crowded. Maybe I can run the bilge pump and DC meter to the terminal strip instead.


Anthony posted a picture of the tidy arrangement on his Commander

http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=3031&stc=1

[mrgnstrn]

OK, the following is to the best of my recollection:

I didn't install a fuse for the system as a whole.  That kind of fuse would have to be like 200+ amps to take starting/cranking current (depending on how cranky my outboard was acting).

Part A is a small terminal strip with fuses for the really vital equipment like Depthsounder and VHF.  That circuit is switched, and instead of having a fuse for the whole load, I chose to do it individually.  That way if the VHF goes nuts, I don't lose Depth as well (which would happen if they were all on the same fuse.)

Part B is a Blue-Seas terminal strip that takes each positive lead from the main fuse panel (six switches and fuses) and distributes it to the loads.  For example, the blue wire near the top carries the load for all cabin lights from a single switch/fuse in the fuse box (mounted on the aft cabin bulkhead like usual) to the distribution buss.  I split it into two (one each for port and stbd) at the terminal strip.  Blue seas sells these cute little jumpers to connect adjacent leads.  Websites:
http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=30179&d_Id=7465&l1=7465&l2=

Part C is the negative terminal strip for all things 12VDC.  Note the big-honkin' black battery cable on the right side of it...it goes to the negative of the battery.   It is like the following: http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=30009&d_Id=7465&l1=7465&l2=

Part D is my way of getting around having 40million things attached directly to the battery lead.  The big red wire coming from the bottom left is coming from the main battery disconnect switch, barely visable in the picture in the bottom-left.  That switch is left ON all the time, but if sh:t starts hittin the fan, it kills all power to everything (really, everything).  The part marked "D" is a called a "PowerPost".  Big bolt for the big power cables (main power, outboard starting, main distribution box) and smaller screws surrounding for the smaller loads, like bilge pump, etc.  You can't see it in this picture, but trust me, the bilge pump connects there.
Obligatory link: http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=30137&d_Id=7465&l1=7465&l2=


Can you tell that I dig Blue-Seas stuff?

I am really starting to eye the following:
http://www.bluesea.com/product.asp?Product_Id=174086&d_Id=7458&l1=7458&l2=

cheers,

[commanderpete]

Excellent. Its all becoming clearer now.

Happily, these parts are cheap -- about $10-15

[mbd]

There's a recent thread on the Classic Plastics forum (How to replace electrical wires in boat...) with some nice pics and tips too...

[mbd]

...don't forget Tim's extremely helpful sites:

Triton Daysailor: Electrical System

Glissando: Electrical System

[commanderpete]

I ripped out all the old electrical.

Everything had been mounted on that 8" pad

[commanderpete]

I casually glassed in another pad next to it and added the hardware.

Upper left is a Blue Sea Power Post # 2102

Below that is a Cole Hersee fuse block

Top right is a terminal strip (# 2512)

Bottom right is the busbar (Maxibus # 2105)

Cover is # 2711

[commanderpete]

Basically, power comes from the battery to the power post. Two wires that supply the switch panel come down from the power post to the fuse block.

They run from the fuse block to the bottom of the terminal strip. Then from the top of the terminal strip to the switch panel.

Six white wires come down from the switch panel to the terminal strip. On the other side of the terminal strip are all the positive wires for the various lights, etc.. Some of the cicuits are connected by jumpers.

All the black negative wires come back to the busbar and then to the battery.

[commanderpete]

I really didn't see the value in using color coded wire. It would have been difficult to figure out how much of each color was nedded. I would have ended up with too much or too little.

Instead, I wired the whole boat with duplex boat cable. I figured the plastic jacket would better protect the wires against chafe and abuse.

Around the corner is the switch panel, DC meter and DC adapter

[commanderpete]

The new radio is mounted on a piece of starboard and hung off a screw so it swivels.

This way I'm hoping it won't get broken if somebody bashes it.

I also want to be able to hear it from the cockpit.

My favorite brand of radio --70% off

[commanderpete]

You'll notice the back of a compass there. I was never happy that the compass was right next to the electrical panel. So, I decided to install another compass on the other side of the boat.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have put the radio there.

This job turned out to be time-consuming. But, I got tired of fixing things piecemeal.

The electrical books don't really explain how to do all of this. Let me know if anything looks questionable.

I have a solar panel that used to be connected to the battery. Now I attached the positive to the power post and the negative to the busbar. I'm assuming it will charge the battery this way unless somebody tells me different.