I have been slowly replacing and repairing various components of the electrical system on my CD330, the only aspect of the boat where I believe CD fell short. I have reached a point where a more comprehensive upgrade and overhaul will be the next phase. I have been trying to find a comprehensive reference manual which would help me design the optimal, cost efficient, system for my needs. Has anyone found such a publication? I am trying to understand the benefits of all the various components, if my usage would justify the costs, and how best to implement the upgrades over time so I do not loose out on any sailing time.
I am specifically trying to understand:
Various alternators (single or dual output, necessary Amp rating)
External Regulators (single or multi stage, Alt temp sensor, Battery temp sensor)
Rectifiers
Isolators
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
chris.reinke@sac.com
Understanding Electrical Systems - Reference Materials?
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Ken Coit
Reference Material on Electrical Systems
Chris,
I use three books as references and they all have their shortcomings:
Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring by Charlie Wing
Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
"Simplified" is just that, but it might be just the book for a primer on diagnosis. It actually has diagrams comparing water flow to electrical curren flow.
Calder provides over 200 pages of fine print that might be right up your alley with lots of descriptive material on various system options.
Charlie Wing provides more on ABYC standards for AC and DC wiring than Calder. I think of it as more a detailed guide on how to wire rather than what systems to select.
I am sure we will all be interested in what you select and why. Let us know.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
I use three books as references and they all have their shortcomings:
Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring by Charlie Wing
Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
"Simplified" is just that, but it might be just the book for a primer on diagnosis. It actually has diagrams comparing water flow to electrical curren flow.
Calder provides over 200 pages of fine print that might be right up your alley with lots of descriptive material on various system options.
Charlie Wing provides more on ABYC standards for AC and DC wiring than Calder. I think of it as more a detailed guide on how to wire rather than what systems to select.
I am sure we will all be interested in what you select and why. Let us know.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
Chris wrote: I have been slowly replacing and repairing various components of the electrical system on my CD330, the only aspect of the boat where I believe CD fell short. I have reached a point where a more comprehensive upgrade and overhaul will be the next phase. I have been trying to find a comprehensive reference manual which would help me design the optimal, cost efficient, system for my needs. Has anyone found such a publication? I am trying to understand the benefits of all the various components, if my usage would justify the costs, and how best to implement the upgrades over time so I do not loose out on any sailing time.
I am specifically trying to understand:
Various alternators (single or dual output, necessary Amp rating)
External Regulators (single or multi stage, Alt temp sensor, Battery temp sensor)
Rectifiers
Isolators
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com
-
Chris
Re: Reference Material on Electrical Systems
Ken - I had trouble sending to your e-mail, but just wanted to say thanks for all the material on wiring!
I have upgraded my breaker panel and batteries to keep pace with the radar and refrigeration I added, but do not think my charging and management systems are up to the task. I rarely use the radar without the motor running other than as a cockpit mounted display for my GPS, and the refrigeration is limited to dock use or use with the motor. For some reason I still am experiencing limited run times for my basic cockpit instruments and running lights (max 6 hours) even with 2 large group 31 cells. The recharge time is also more than I would like it taking - as long as 30 minutes to reach full capacity if I draw the cells from 12v down to 9v.
I appreciate your comments and will look for these publications.
Chris Reinke
CD330
I have upgraded my breaker panel and batteries to keep pace with the radar and refrigeration I added, but do not think my charging and management systems are up to the task. I rarely use the radar without the motor running other than as a cockpit mounted display for my GPS, and the refrigeration is limited to dock use or use with the motor. For some reason I still am experiencing limited run times for my basic cockpit instruments and running lights (max 6 hours) even with 2 large group 31 cells. The recharge time is also more than I would like it taking - as long as 30 minutes to reach full capacity if I draw the cells from 12v down to 9v.
I appreciate your comments and will look for these publications.
Chris Reinke
CD330
Ken Coit wrote: Chris,
I use three books as references and they all have their shortcomings:
Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring by Charlie Wing
Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
"Simplified" is just that, but it might be just the book for a primer on diagnosis. It actually has diagrams comparing water flow to electrical curren flow.
Calder provides over 200 pages of fine print that might be right up your alley with lots of descriptive material on various system options.
Charlie Wing provides more on ABYC standards for AC and DC wiring than Calder. I think of it as more a detailed guide on how to wire rather than what systems to select.
I am sure we will all be interested in what you select and why. Let us know.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
Chris wrote: I have been slowly replacing and repairing various components of the electrical system on my CD330, the only aspect of the boat where I believe CD fell short. I have reached a point where a more comprehensive upgrade and overhaul will be the next phase. I have been trying to find a comprehensive reference manual which would help me design the optimal, cost efficient, system for my needs. Has anyone found such a publication? I am trying to understand the benefits of all the various components, if my usage would justify the costs, and how best to implement the upgrades over time so I do not loose out on any sailing time.
I am specifically trying to understand:
Various alternators (single or dual output, necessary Amp rating)
External Regulators (single or multi stage, Alt temp sensor, Battery temp sensor)
Rectifiers
Isolators
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
-
Larry DeMers
Re: Reference Material on Electrical Systems
Chris,
Never, Ever, Ever draw your banks down past 11.0 voltsDC! A 9v draw down has damaged your batteries and that is one reason why you are noticing the increased charge times/decreased discharge times.
10.0v is considered a dead battery from a use perspective..that is, you want to keep your discharge above 50% of capacity.
This topic is fairly complex compared to normal boat maintenance, so it requires a bit of knowledge or experience to get thru it..or someone who can help you out.
I am more than willing to help you setup your system if you would like me to help you, but I will do so only thru private e-mail as I wish to avoid the controversy and nitpicking that seems to follow most of my recent publications.
You should know that I am an E.E. with 35 years experience, have completely rewired my CD30 to meet my reefer and electronics requirements in the past two years, and understand combiners, chargers etc. and how they relate onboard.
Contact me if you would like to talk.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
demers@sgi.com
Never, Ever, Ever draw your banks down past 11.0 voltsDC! A 9v draw down has damaged your batteries and that is one reason why you are noticing the increased charge times/decreased discharge times.
10.0v is considered a dead battery from a use perspective..that is, you want to keep your discharge above 50% of capacity.
This topic is fairly complex compared to normal boat maintenance, so it requires a bit of knowledge or experience to get thru it..or someone who can help you out.
I am more than willing to help you setup your system if you would like me to help you, but I will do so only thru private e-mail as I wish to avoid the controversy and nitpicking that seems to follow most of my recent publications.
You should know that I am an E.E. with 35 years experience, have completely rewired my CD30 to meet my reefer and electronics requirements in the past two years, and understand combiners, chargers etc. and how they relate onboard.
Contact me if you would like to talk.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior
Chris wrote: Ken - I had trouble sending to your e-mail, but just wanted to say thanks for all the material on wiring!
I have upgraded my breaker panel and batteries to keep pace with the radar and refrigeration I added, but do not think my charging and management systems are up to the task. I rarely use the radar without the motor running other than as a cockpit mounted display for my GPS, and the refrigeration is limited to dock use or use with the motor. For some reason I still am experiencing limited run times for my basic cockpit instruments and running lights (max 6 hours) even with 2 large group 31 cells. The recharge time is also more than I would like it taking - as long as 30 minutes to reach full capacity if I draw the cells from 12v down to 9v.
I appreciate your comments and will look for these publications.
Chris Reinke
CD330
Ken Coit wrote: Chris,
I use three books as references and they all have their shortcomings:
Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring by Charlie Wing
Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
"Simplified" is just that, but it might be just the book for a primer on diagnosis. It actually has diagrams comparing water flow to electrical curren flow.
Calder provides over 200 pages of fine print that might be right up your alley with lots of descriptive material on various system options.
Charlie Wing provides more on ABYC standards for AC and DC wiring than Calder. I think of it as more a detailed guide on how to wire rather than what systems to select.
I am sure we will all be interested in what you select and why. Let us know.
Keep on sailing,
Ken Coit
CD/14 #538
CD/36 #84 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC
Chris wrote: I have been slowly replacing and repairing various components of the electrical system on my CD330, the only aspect of the boat where I believe CD fell short. I have reached a point where a more comprehensive upgrade and overhaul will be the next phase. I have been trying to find a comprehensive reference manual which would help me design the optimal, cost efficient, system for my needs. Has anyone found such a publication? I am trying to understand the benefits of all the various components, if my usage would justify the costs, and how best to implement the upgrades over time so I do not loose out on any sailing time.
I am specifically trying to understand:
Various alternators (single or dual output, necessary Amp rating)
External Regulators (single or multi stage, Alt temp sensor, Battery temp sensor)
Rectifiers
Isolators
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
demers@sgi.com