helm wiring, should be simple, i'm not too bright.

[alldodge]

Don't know if your fuse box also has a ground bus on it or not, but in this example I am assuming it does. If it does not have a ground buss then need to pick up ground somewhere else, like the Bat or main ground buss

 

[redneck joe]

OK we are closer and I've had a couple calming beverages, here is my fuse block. I've ran a 10 GA from the battery to the 'input' terminals

 

[redneck joe]

 

[Grub54891]

Add a ground buss back by the battery area. That makes a cleaner installation and ABYC standard is no more than four wires on any stud. If you use the block itself with a lot of wires you run the risk of yet another place to find issues.
Edit, I didn’t see your picture of the fuse block. You already have a place for the grounds.

 

[alldodge]

 

[redneck joe]

I promise I'm not as stupid as I'm showing here, just electricity ain't my thing. I can't see it like tearing apart a boat or building furniture or tearing out a wall in my house or plumbing...


Got power to it, reads correctly on main terminals but drops to about 10 when i test the other terminals?


So the bus bar, I know what it is but what goes to it? Up to the switch and the same terminal back to the thingy that needs power?

 

[redneck joe]

Don't know if your fuse box also has a ground bus on it or not, but in this example I am assuming it does. If it does not have a ground buss then need to pick up ground somewhere else, like the Bat or main ground buss

View attachment 408868

So disregard you separate buss?

 

[redneck joe]

Wait I think it just clicked, the swtich gets two red connections and the thingie that needs power black just to buss, not up to switch. let me go out at daylight and play with it.

 

[04fxdwgi25]

I promise I'm not as stupid as I'm showing here, just electricity ain't my thing. I can't see it like tearing apart a boat or building furniture or tearing out a wall in my house or plumbing...


Got power to it, reads correctly on main terminals but drops to about 10 when i test the other terminals?


So the bus bar, I know what it is but what goes to it? Up to the switch and the same terminal back to the thingy that needs power?

Did you put fuses in the slots? Sounds like you are just reading through the fuse blown indicator diode.

 

[04fxdwgi25]

Wait I think it just clicked, the swtich gets two red connections and the thingie that needs power black just to buss, not up to switch. let me go out at daylight and play with it.

Revert back to post #9 or get a friend (or someone qualified) that understands basic marine / automotive wiring to help.

Mistakes can be costly by allowing the magic smoke to escape and turning you project into a cinder.

 

[redneck joe]

Post 21 hit me, other than the separate buss which confused me at first. I have a good friend who is an auto mechanic coming to help Monday if i can't figure it out but I think can, he just lauged at me (via text, he's camping with the family this weekend). And didn't think about not having a fuse in when testing the reading.

What i was trying to do in my head was bring both colors to switch instead of just red. When looking at it this morning I remembered to the way back days of cable and vcrs being new and explaining to my customers about how to think of it as a water hose when they were hooking up to the tv.

 

[dingbat]

A switch is typically a pass-thru. Power goes thru the switch, ground is run directly to the load

 

[redneck joe]

Great diagram and thinking that the fuse block is just a type of battery connection aka power source in a remote location.

 

[alldodge]

Wait I think it just clicked, the swtich gets two red connections and the thingie that needs power black just to buss, not up to switch. let me go out at daylight and play with it.

Great diagram and thinking that the fuse block is just a type of battery connection aka power source in a remote location.

Yes

 

[redneck joe]

OK, (not so fun) update, at least for me. Turns out that in fact the bilge pump had indeed seized up. So my initial connection would have in fact worked. God looks out for the fools and the idiots so running the new 10 ga wire was him telling me to beef it up a bit.

New question. It only works when I have the original negative is hooked to the battery I'm assuming on how they did the original wire harness.

I think the following is correct:
I will cap off old positive wire at both battery and helm and we are good (will label under helm)
It is all feeding off new 10 ga positive and that is ok even when I add new stuff
It will be ok if I have both grounds hooked up
The three original circuits will use the old wire to ground
Anything new hooked up (radio and horn and USB ports) will use the new 10 ga wire for ground.

 

[redneck joe]

Or what if i hooked up both positives, would that effectively increase my positive to like an 8 ga or something?

 

[alldodge]

I'm at the point that I'm real hesitant to provide any more info, because info your providing doesn't add up. I'm unable to visualize just how things are wired.

 

[redneck joe]

Yeah I'm sure I'm not explaining correctly so try this...

Is it ok to use two positives and two grounds to the fuse panel? From one battery. Either way a fuse is in there.

 

[alldodge]

Yes, IF they are in fact going to/from same battery and are actually Pos and Neg and no one has put the wrong color wire on the wrong terminal at the Bat

 

[redneck joe]

Yeah all that's good. To my earlier water analogy it would be like having two Water hoses filling a pool and two hose emptying at same time. That said, I just realized that things are 'working' but I have not hooked anything up to the new fuse panel buss bar. I'll get some pics after I hit the pool for a bit. It's getting hot....