PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant VBA_SCRIPT - assumed 'VBA_SCRIPT' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in ..../includes/functions_navigation.php(802) : eval()'d code on line 1 Help Buzz bars verses switch panel
I want to put in a few electrical devices in my tinny. I have read the threads in the forum and have got the general jist. I am going to put in a duel battery set up with an isolation switch, I also want to limit the amount of wire in the gunnels to power the instruments up front. I would like to incorporate 6 items. A bilge pump, live bait aeraitor, sounder, gps (on cigarette lighter attachment), lights, and a map light of some sort. I want to know what would be the best options as far as voltage drop from a switch panel to the instruments vs voltage drop from the buzz bar to the insturments. Will the instrument that is set up as the bottom switch lose current if the instruments hooked up in the first switch position is already turned on. And also I have a 30hp yamaha 2 stroke electric start can I charge both batteries from the engine??????
There are guys here who will know this subject better than me but I reckon that a "bus" bar is very hard to beat. SEA DOG make the some good ones in all coinfigurations and sizes.
It's always nice to have a few spare slots for when you get more electronics later.
Occasionally with a Bus bar, your Sounder/GPS might reboot when you start the engine as they have a very high sensitivity to voltage and with the electrical surge on start up, can often perform this annoying trick.
I have always run this equipment direct to the battery(s) with a fuse in between but will probably get bonked by the guys here for doing that!
I have two pretty big 16 plate batteries and a SMART CHARGE installed that as well as isolating the batteries when not in use, also directs the shorebased 240V via the charger to the battery that needs it the most.
Some chargers just shove the charge into the first battery in the line.
I also use one of those cheap electrical timer switches that turns the chargers on for one hour every day and as a fanatic on cleaning and checking my batts, rarely if ever have a problem.
Your switch panel will work like a bus bar anyway. You connect a wire from your positive to the panel to power it & everything then feeds off it. The switch panel powers everything in parallel not series, so you won't get the voltage drop like you are thinking.
I would be only charging one battery at a time. If you flatten one battery right down, you could potentially flatten both if you have the switch on both trying to charge them at the same time.
Anything down the back of the boat will cause you to run wires up the front to power them.
I run a main feed to a positive and negative busbar under the dash from the battery, then out to a switch panel. The switch panel i use has 2 switches feeding of a single wire feed (from the busbar). I have fuses in the switch panel and solid links in the busbar (if feeding a switch) or fused if feeding a device directly from the busbar like the UHF radio (for always on).
The negatives will generally always go directly to the negative busbar
I don't like to have more then 2 wires directly on the battery terminals as they seem to always cause me problems (breaking, corroding etc) as the battery is normally down the "wet" end of the boat and if you need to change it or jump start you don’t get tangled up.
The only time you will see volt drop is if the feed wires are too small in gauge.
You will need a large gauge feed wire from you battery(s) to either a switch panel or busbar say 4 mm (14 AWG) which will carry 15 Amps (if not more depending on length of the wire) and the volt drop would be only 0.75 Volts (5m x 0.0101 ohm (resistance of the wire) x 15amps), all approx figures.
Then you would only need say 1mm from busbar to device.
As for the charging I'm not sure as I only have an 85 Suzuki which puts out about 14 V at about 4000rpm.
I also use a solar trickle charger during the week (via a 12V cigarette socket) as a top up, and carry a battery booster while on the water...... geee i sound anal
What you have said makes complete sense and I will endevour to try an emulate the fine workmanship that you have produced and hopefully it will give me trouble free years on the water. Always something about doing the job yourself.
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