A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

[STeveZ]

I’m trying to get power to my new GPS and the only person who can fit under the helm of my B28 is my daughter. <br />Fortunately she is pretty bright and patient (with her father and the job at hand) After four tries we got the GPS running but it’s still not “right”.<br /><br />Step One – connect new black and red to the old black and red wires. GPS would not start.<br /><br />Step Two – connect black and red to a pair of these screws (below). <br />Nothing, this is apparantly just a terminal block.<br /><br />

<br /><br />Step Three – connect to each side of one of these fuses. Result nothing.<br /><br />

<br /><br />After step three I began to wonder, “Is my brand new GPS broken?”. <br />So I unplugged my VHF radio and stuck the GPS leads in for a test. Started right up.<br /><br />Step Four – piggy back the red and black on the radio’s red and black. Result: GPS started up!<br />Until I turn on the radio, at which point the GPS turned off.<br /><br />This is very frustrating. Especially when you can’t see what’s going on. <br />It seems odd that the black and red wires from the radio and the old GPS connect to screws a foot or more apart. <br />With DC can you just connect the red hot line and just ground the black line any old place? <br />Also curious that despite turning off all breaker in both AC and DC panels the instruments still had power. Is that normal or would I need to shut off the battery switches to de-power the helm.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

With all due respect, its a wonder anything works. 1) the terminal block has a ground buss yet nothing is grounded there. 2) I see bad crimps, 3) I see at least one improperly sized ring terminal (the screw head is smaller than the hole in the ring terminal 4) every fuse in the panel is corroded and 5) the wires in the left half of the panel have the positive connection accomplished by a wire stuck under the fuse when it should be connected to a screw (like those in the right half). All black (negative wires should be connected to the ground buss which has one larger wire running to the negative battery terminal via the engine harness. The positive buss should be fed from the positive battery terminal via the engine harness. Fix the panel and the GPS will work.

 

[STeveZ]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Thanks for your observations. A couple follow up questions if I could, pertaining to my doctored up photo:<br /><br />

<br /><br />A. I see a heavy red wire running to the panel, it's pretty safe to assume that's the positive DC line, right?<br /><br />B. The corresponding terminal below should be grounded somewhere right?<br /><br />C. If A & B were in place I could connect most DC accesories as indicated by the heavy circles, right? Assuming a fuse was in place. Essentially directly opposite to the way it's wired now!<br /><br />D. The fact that the black lines from the old GPS and the radio did not attach to this board indicates that they must be grounded elsewhere.<br /><br />E. To properly wire this panel I'm going to need to find the ground wires for everything currently attached to this panel, right?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Originally posted by STeveZ:<br /> Thanks for your observations. A couple follow up questions if I could, pertaining to my doctored up photo:<br /><br />

<br /><br />A. I see a heavy red wire running to the panel, it's pretty safe to assume that's the positive DC line, right?<br /><br />Probably, but don't assume, test it with a volt meter for battery voltage. There should also be a mater fuse or curcuit breaker at the battery end.<br /><br />B. The corresponding terminal below should be grounded somewhere right?<br /><br />Yes, as UIS said, a large black wire to the battery. Obviously the ground buss is not being used, need to find out why - how - where the ground wires are at.<br /><br />C. If A & B were in place I could connect most DC accesories as indicated by the heavy circles, right? Assuming a fuse was in place. Essentially directly opposite to the way it's wired now!<br /><br />NO!!! You can't connect a ground to one end of a fuse and a hot to the other end. A fused curcuit is for battery or ignition hot to one end and accessory positive to the other end. Generally speaking, ground wires are not fused.<br /><br />D. The fact that the black lines from the old GPS and the radio did not attach to this board indicates that they must be grounded elsewhere.<br /><br />Yes.<br /><br />E. To properly wire this panel I'm going to need to find the ground wires for everything currently attached to this panel, right?<br /><br />Yes, and tidy up the connections.<br /><br />Aldo<br /><br />

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Your marked up photo is correct. The large red wire is the main 12V feed from the battery. This wires feeds +12V to all of the top of all fuses. Current passes through each individual fuse to whatever accessory is connected to the other end. Don't change the existing + connections as these are ok (although you might want to clip the terminals off at attach new ones of proper size. Nothing should be connected to the positive buss except that big red wire. The fuses essentially branch that 12V feed to each accessory which connects at the screw at the other end of the fuse. Some of those screws are missing which is why the wires are simply tucked under the fuse. You also need to get grounding issues fixed, clean the fuse contacts, and install new fuses. The ground buss is at the bottom as you've marked and that should also work its way back to the negative battery terminal. No switches or fuses in this line (or any ground wire for that matter). All accessory ground wires should connect to that buss. Doesn't matter which terminal as they are all common.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Originally posted by STeveZ:<br /> C. If A & B were in place I could connect most DC accesories as indicated by the heavy circles, right? Assuming a fuse was in place. Essentially directly opposite to the way it's wired now!<br />

Upinsmoke, look at the picture again, the way it is marked he has a positive and a negative (heavy red & black circles) connected to either end of a fuse. You're saying that this is correct? <br /><br />Aldo

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Connect the "+" lead from the GPS to the thick black circle in your picture above. <br /><br />Connect the "-" lead from the GPS to the bus bar at the very bottom of the photo. Make sure that there is a thicker black wire going from that bar to the negative battery terminal.<br /><br />That's it.

 

[STeveZ]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Corrected picture (?):<br /><br />

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Dunaruna -- The ground buss bar is the indeed the bar at the very bottom of the panel. The lower end of the fuses are not connected to that bar. The lower end of each fuse terminates at individual screws that you can't see because they are missing on the left four fuses. Scroll all the way to the right and you'll see two unused fuse positions. The screws are very visible there. Those screws are missing on the left four positions and thats why the leads to each accessory are stuck under the end of the fuse. All of the positive wiring is ok as shown -- just needs to be cleaned up. Its the ground buss bar that's not being used.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

Originally posted by Upinsmoke:<br /> Dunaruna -- The ground buss bar is the indeed the bar at the very bottom of the panel. The lower end of the fuses are not connected to that bar. The lower end of each fuse terminates at individual screws that you can't see because they are missing on the left four fuses. Scroll all the way to the right and you'll see two unused fuse positions. The screws are very visible there. Those screws are missing on the left four positions and thats why the leads to each accessory are stuck under the end of the fuse. All of the positive wiring is ok as shown -- just needs to be cleaned up. Its the ground buss bar that's not being used.

I agree, I saw exactly what you describe but in the original (non corrected picture) the thick black circle was around the lower fuse screw, not the buss bar screw. A thick black circle would indicate a negative wire, I was simply pointing out that it was not correct.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[tengals123]

Re: A twelve year old is wiring my boat.

stevez, your updated picture is correct.<br />cheers