First stab at the electrics

[JonoSlatter]

On my Beneteau First 26 I have an original Benteau Fused switch panel + another 4 switch fused panel which has been added. The switches on this have broken so I have started to replace it. Being a bit new to this I wondered whether someone might have a couple of suggestions for me....!

It's a horrible spagetti situation behind the panels with nothing labled and a lot of wires wound together and stuffed into chocolate box type connectors.

The original Beneteau panel is fine - I am just replacing the 4 way one with a new 6 way fused one. The old 4 way panel doesn't have a neg bus - just switches to break the positive feed. The negative returns from the appliances that these run (log, depth, gps etc) are all wound together and connected to the bus bar on the original Beneteau switch panel. So I'm intending to:

Disconnect all these negative returns and connect them to the negative terminals on the new switch panel?

Run a wire from the negative bus bar to the negative bus bar on the Beneteau switch panel to go back to the battery neg?

On the switch panel there is the positive bus bar at the top - fuse - positive connector for each switch - I'm presuming the connector below that is the negative terminal and then the negative bus bar below that.

Apologies for my ignorance!


Jono
Beneteau First 26 Poole



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[ccscott49]

Have you already bought a switch pasnel? By far the best switching arrangement is a combined switch and circuit breaker, better than fuses. Adding a bus bar is a good idea, juat connecting it in parallel with the original, is OK if the loads you are adding are small, which from what you say they are. A better option, would be to connect your nerw busbar, back to the point from which the original comes, with a heavy lead. then the positive side can be switched and fused. although there are some who say both legs, neg asnd pos should be fused, this is belt and braces. Was the original panel fused on both legs? if not I would feel safe enough just switching and fusing the pos side. Hope this helps.

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[JonoSlatter]

OK this is where I get confused.... Are the metal plates at the top and bottom of the switch panel not bus bars? Do you mean a separate bus bar on its own?
The original Beneteau panel is just fused on the positive side.

So I'm presuming the benteau swict panel neg bus bar is connected back to the negative side of the batteries via the battery selector switch? I havent followed that lead back yet.

I will change the panel I have for a circuit breaker type.

Thanks

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[ccscott49]

The index marine switch panels I have, do not have busbars, they are usually a seperate item, screwed to a close by bulkhead, just behind the panel. The negative side, normally goes directly back to the batteries, not to the main switch, as these days only the positive side is switched. all your returns fron each item switched go to the busbar, then the single larger cable takes the neg back to the batteries. The positive busbar, comes from the main switch, just take it from the same place as the original switch panel, them individual wires go to your circuit breakers and them from them to each component. Mark the wires so you know which is which. and preferably use red and black wires, proper marine grade tinned cable and crimp on connections. Clip and tie wrap everything neatly, allowing enough slack in the cables, to remove the panel and place it somewhere safe, for working on later. Just a tip, always buy and fit a panel with at least two spare circuit breakers, you will need them someday. I also carry four spare circuit breakers, they do fail eventually, but I'm not normally near a chandlers. Good luck, any further help, I will be on the forum most days for the next two weeks, during the day.

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[JonoSlatter]

OK thanks for all the tips. I'm presuming I can use the bus bars on the switch panel itself.
Do you have any tips for labelling the wires...?!

Jono

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[ccscott49]

You can get sticky on numbers and letters, from maplins to stick around the wires, then you just need to stick a lable on the back of the panel, with the code, like ES on the wires, means echo sounder, GP, gps etc. I guess you can use the busbars on the panels, I haven't seen them. But an individual feed to each switch is a better idea than a jumper wire, we wont go into that it's bad practice anyway. Maplins also do some nice gold plated busbars, for car super stereo systems, they are great onboard, no corrosion and not expensive, probably cheaper than "marine" ones.

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[Guest]

Hi Jono,

My first advice to you is to be extremely careful to who you listen to. Even within the industry there are many so called "experts" who really do not have a clue.

Books to read are Nigel Calder and John Payne's Bible.

You may be interested in one of our offerings - we supply a complete packaged electrical system - which includes batteries, DC distribution equipment, switch panel etc. This comes with an illustrated step by step installation manual and a full 5 year warranty. The "Basic System" would probably be adequate (www.merlinequipment.com).

I note you are based in Poole - we are behind Makro on Cabot Lane. Pop past for a chat if you like! James Hortop

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[Aeolus_IV]

Don't know about Nigel Calders book, but John Payne's "Bible" is an immense source of information about all aspects electrical on a boat. There is nothing I can see which which isn't covered to some level in this book.

On the other hand, if your looking for something simpler, deailing with just the basics, I found Miner Brotherton's "The 12 Volt Bible" consise and useful - dealing only with batteries, how to charge them and how to discharge them efficiently /forums/images/icons/smile.gif. However it is targetted at residents of the North American continent, so sometimes a little thought is required to convert cable sizes etc..

Regards, Jeff.

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[ongolo]

I have a tip on marking. Using numbers can be confusing.

I use different (10) colour cable ties which RS also sells or did anyway in South Africa.

First you use only on colour, the same on each end.

Then you can combine them always two colours at the timemake green groups where a base color say blue serves all Nav lights, then you combine blue with red and green for the running lights, blue and white for stern light and so on.

that way, you not only hold your cables tidy, but you can see from 2 or 3 meters away which coding a cable has.

One more thing, not all combined circuit braeker / switches are for DC. Although they work for a while, the disconnecting ark causes the contacts to fail. The French Legrand although AC devices have also a high DC rating. It is worth to study the spec sheets, something nobody ever does.

regards ongolo

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Ok have to chip in here. I am sure there are wonderful and ingenious ways people have come up with cable marking and colour coding, but surely if you are starting from scratch or have no ideas, then follow the cable marking used internationally for cables, resistors, inductors etc.

black=0
brown=1
red=2
orange=3
yellow=4
green=5
blue=6
mauve/purple=7
grey=8
white=9

This way any 'real' electrician in the world will be able to read your cables, you could use your own dedicated sub code,

10's could be sockets
20's nav lights
30's instruments

etc etc, but do try to keep to a tried and tested id system.


Using sleves from RS would also be cheap, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/browse/Module.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0430386040.1070733070@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadckdjlmgilcfngcfkmdgkldfhk.0&cacheID=uknetscape&3248186259=3248186259&catoid=-75251431> HERE </A>


<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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