Chartplotter turning off

pvb said:
Most plotters will work down to about 10v. If the OP's plotter is turning off, there's either a big wiring problem or the batteries aren't adequate.
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Hmm. Often more like 10.5v to 10.7 (most Raymarine equipment, for example) will power down if the voltage drops below 10.7 volt +/- 0.1 to 0.2v

I'm still hoping the OP will advise whether this has always been a problem or whether it is a recently developed phenomenon. If the former, the cause is probably inadequate cabling sizes, if the latter the cause is probably tired service batteries

Either way, I would prefer the solution of fitting a separate bow thruster battery and a three way charging system to kludges such as tacking on an extra battery to boost the voltage to the instruments or using the engine start battery to power the bow thruster (I have a particular fetish about keeping the engine start battery strictly for engine starting and, via a removable key cross-link switch, emergency backup for safety critical systems).
 
pvb said:
Most plotters will work down to about 10v. If the OP's plotter is turning off, there's either a big wiring problem or the batteries aren't adequate.
Click to expand...
3x115ah battery's nearly new. I will check the wiring as I added another battery last winter and don't remember this happening before.

Martin
 
martinriches said:
3x115ah battery's nearly new. I will check the wiring as I added another battery last winter and don't remember this happening before.
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In that case I'd be having a very leery look at the battery connection cabling. It won't take much of a dodgy connection somewhere to cause a significant voltage drop when a high load like a bow thruster is applied. An iffy lug crimp, a loose terminal, a corroded cable, any one of those is all it would take
 
Erbas said:
Hmm. Often more like 10.5v to 10.7 (most Raymarine equipment, for example) will power down if the voltage drops below 10.7 volt +/- 0.1 to 0.2v
Click to expand...

Yes, Raymarine tend to quote 10.7v, but you'll find that most Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, Standard Horizon plotters quote 10v, and B&G usually quote 9v.
 
Erbas said:
In that case I'd be having a very leery look at the battery connection cabling. It won't take much of a dodgy connection somewhere to cause a significant voltage drop when a high load like a bow thruster is applied. An iffy lug crimp, a loose terminal, a corroded cable, any one of those is all it would take
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Yes I think you are right. Something wrong with the wiring someware. What I have is a 12v system, the bowthruster is 24v and takes power from two battery banks through a series parallel swich. I replaced the two battery's with three so now I have a one bank of two battery's and another of one. I have been thinking I really should have two banks of two battery's. I don't this could have anything to do with it or not. (Hope this makes sense)
Anyway thanks for convincing me I have a wiring problem I need to sort out.


Martin
 
pvb said:
Yes, Raymarine tend to quote 10.7v, but you'll find that most Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, Standard Horizon plotters quote 10v, and B&G usually quote 9v.
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Yep, quite right. But I've seen problems on both Garmin and Lowrance kit when the voltage was still (slightly) above the quoted 10v so I tend to err on the side of caution and reckon anything much below 11v is not good news
 
Erbas said:
Yep, quite right. But I've seen problems on both Garmin and Lowrance kit when the voltage was still (slightly) above the quoted 10v so I tend to err on the side of caution and reckon anything much below 11v is not good news
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I agree that if the voltage drops to 11 or less, there's an inherent problem somewhere. The OP's disclosure that he has a series/parallel switch on two unequal battery banks is intriguing!
 
pvb said:
I agree that if the voltage drops to 11 or less, there's an inherent problem somewhere. The OP's disclosure that he has a series/parallel switch on two unequal battery banks is intriguing!
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Yeah, that's got me scratching the old noggin too
 
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