Where to buy switches and contact breakers

[Guest]

I want to build a 21-way switch panel for my boat, and I don't want to pay the kind of prices I have seen for ready made switch panels on the Web.

Can anyone recommend a supplier of switches and circuit breakers?

I have found one supplier, sales@gscontrols.com, offering switches at £1.10 and breakers from £1.20 to £1.50. He says they are suitable for marine use (he makes switch panels).


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[Guest]

Careful choice in Maplins produces good results ..... other places such as Techno Trade etc. are good also .....

You can even get 'hobby panels' as well allowing you to build circuits to supply each contact etc.

A browse through a Maplin Catalogue is alwys good .... and I believe they are online at :
www.maplin.com ?????? or something like it ...

 

[mickp]

I also want to rebuild my panel and another possible supplier is RS Components

 

[ChrisN]

Whatever you do, don't buy them from a marine chandler, that will just double the price.
Any household breaker will do the job so you can buy from any supplier of electrical bits and pieces and make up a suitable panel from exterior grade plywood.

 

[Strathglass]

NO

I am in the process of finishing the build of a yacht for myself. I have found the following most cost effective.
One panel with six circuit breakers.( low cost about 7" X 5" )
One panel with three fuses, 12v meter and cigarette lighter socket. (same size)
Six illuminated rectangular rocker switches requirinq 12mm round hole from the local car accessory dealer.
Eight way fuseholder (car knife type fuses).
Home made bussbars for common negatives, all separate bussbars for all the positive supplies.
I have four batteries in the boat.
Engine starter, normal lead acid car diesel heavy duty.
Domestic, two 100 Ah deep cycle lead acid.
One 7 Ah instrument emergency back up sealed lead acid.
I found that it was not cost effective to purchase individual circuit breakers in the UK.
I have a very strong electronic design background but was effictively thrown out of the industry ten years ago by a company currently in the news for the same thing again. Thus, I do not have easy access to trade electronic prices.
I only have hand written drawings of the electrical wiring diagram so cannot post details of how I integrated the various items at present.
One day I intend to put drawings of all the systems I have used throughout the yacht on a web site but that will be some time in the autumn.

 

[Guest]

I am looking for 12V DC switches and breakers. Surely household ones are 240V AC?

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[Guest]

Re: NO

Thanks - you want to put prices and suppliers against the items you bought?

As I said elsewhere, I managed to find switches (£1.10) and breakers (£1.20 - £1.50) from sales@gscontrols.com - how do your prices compare?

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[Strathglass]

Nikki you are correct. domestic AC breakers usually have a much higher volts drop than DC breakers, also, different contact actions are required to repeatably make and break AC and DC currents.
I will come back to you with prices and sources for the items I used.

 

[Guest]

I had the same job to do on my Centaur. It was cheaper to buy new switch panels (from a Boat Jumble) and cannibalize them rather than buy parts, even at trade, from RS or Maplin.

I am sure that Garry Sanderson in Castleford will be able to come up with someting cost effective for you.

Cheers

john Dillon

 

[ChrisN]

Nikki. Circuit breakers are rated by current NOT voltage. Any voltage rating is the breakdown voltage of the body material i.e. the voltage at which the body becomes a conductor instead of an insulator.
I work for Sunseeker as a marine electrician and we use the same breakers irrespective of whether the voltage is 12vdc, 24vdc, 125vac (US) or 240vac. These breakers are rated at 277vac/80vdc.
As I said, the only place not to buy your breakers from is a marine chandlers as they assume anyone who has anything to do with boats must be wealthy and therefore they add 50%.
Try a motor or caravan accessory shop if you want to avoid the marine mark-up.

 

[Guest]

Sorry should be [url]www.maplin.co.uk[/url]

*

 

[Strathglass]

Re: Items I used

Nikki,
I purchased the panels at boat jumbles and paid about half the currently advertised prices. If you look at www.yachtbits.co.uk then switch panels, I used the 6 way circuit breaker panel and the combination panel (cigar lighter).
The spade type fuseholder was from ASAP. It was certainly more cost effective for me to purchase premade panels. The extra switches were about the same prices as you have been quoted.
I had a look at the web site of gscontrols their made up panels look quite good.