TheOtherLine
Well-known member
I need a book called "Wiring for Morons".
This is an extension of the 3rd battery project post and my attempt to try and figure out what in the he%l I have going on. Here’s the setup. I have 2 batteries currently.
Batt 2 is connected to the #2 position of the battery off 1-2, both switch. Batt 2 is the Start battery. There is nothing else connected to it, other than an orange and brown wire to somewhere. However, it connects to Batt #1 via red and black cables. Batt #1 is connected to the #1 position of the batt switch.
Batt #1 has 3 black cables. One goes to the batt switch the other 2 black (-) cables run forward and connect to a set of bus bars behind the helm. The cables are labeled “main” and “aux’. There are also two smaller red cables, labeled “main” and “aux’ that connect to the bus bars as well.
Where they originate, I have no idea. They are NOT connected to either battery. There are two red cables that connect to some 40A fuse block and then seem to go to the batt switch, but I can’t trace them back to the bus bars.
So, to one set of bus bars I have black and red “main”. To the other bus bar I have black and red ‘aux”.
When I remove the + from the “main” bus bar, let’s call it bus bar A, I lose power to all switches on the accessories panel from “baitwell” and above. This includes nav lights, port and stbd wipers, BILGE, cockpit lights and something else. The switches below “baitwell”, include the freshwater pump, spreader lights, trim tabs and some other accessories, and they still work.
If I remove the + from the “aux” bus bar, let’s call it bus bar B – I lose power to all switches on the accessories panel from “baitwell” switch and below. The switches above the “baitwell” switch, work.
So apparently, some of the accessory switches are on A and some are on B.
The only connections on bus bar A are the windlass, my Furuno FF and whatever accessories are controlled by A (fresh pump, trim tabs 12v receptacles,).
Everything else, VHF, GPS power, horn, XM weather module, GSD 22 sounder module, and everything else that runs on bus bar B (baitwell, bilge, nav lights, wipers etc.,) is connected to Bus bar B.
So now, I am totally confused as to what I should do. Should I rewire so that ALL accessory switches run off bus bar B and move ALL electronics to bus bar A?
Dale had suggested that I wire “critical” low amp stuff to one circuit and the non-critical or low amp stuff, to a different circuit. Do the bus bars constitute a “circuit”?
It would appear that both bus bars are hooked up to batt #1. Is that a correct assumption?
If so, what in the h%ll is batt #2 doing?
Any SIMPLE guidance would be appreciated....
This is an extension of the 3rd battery project post and my attempt to try and figure out what in the he%l I have going on. Here’s the setup. I have 2 batteries currently.
Batt 2 is connected to the #2 position of the battery off 1-2, both switch. Batt 2 is the Start battery. There is nothing else connected to it, other than an orange and brown wire to somewhere. However, it connects to Batt #1 via red and black cables. Batt #1 is connected to the #1 position of the batt switch.
Batt #1 has 3 black cables. One goes to the batt switch the other 2 black (-) cables run forward and connect to a set of bus bars behind the helm. The cables are labeled “main” and “aux’. There are also two smaller red cables, labeled “main” and “aux’ that connect to the bus bars as well.
Where they originate, I have no idea. They are NOT connected to either battery. There are two red cables that connect to some 40A fuse block and then seem to go to the batt switch, but I can’t trace them back to the bus bars.
So, to one set of bus bars I have black and red “main”. To the other bus bar I have black and red ‘aux”.
When I remove the + from the “main” bus bar, let’s call it bus bar A, I lose power to all switches on the accessories panel from “baitwell” and above. This includes nav lights, port and stbd wipers, BILGE, cockpit lights and something else. The switches below “baitwell”, include the freshwater pump, spreader lights, trim tabs and some other accessories, and they still work.
If I remove the + from the “aux” bus bar, let’s call it bus bar B – I lose power to all switches on the accessories panel from “baitwell” switch and below. The switches above the “baitwell” switch, work.
So apparently, some of the accessory switches are on A and some are on B.
The only connections on bus bar A are the windlass, my Furuno FF and whatever accessories are controlled by A (fresh pump, trim tabs 12v receptacles,).
Everything else, VHF, GPS power, horn, XM weather module, GSD 22 sounder module, and everything else that runs on bus bar B (baitwell, bilge, nav lights, wipers etc.,) is connected to Bus bar B.
So now, I am totally confused as to what I should do. Should I rewire so that ALL accessory switches run off bus bar B and move ALL electronics to bus bar A?
Dale had suggested that I wire “critical” low amp stuff to one circuit and the non-critical or low amp stuff, to a different circuit. Do the bus bars constitute a “circuit”?
It would appear that both bus bars are hooked up to batt #1. Is that a correct assumption?
If so, what in the h%ll is batt #2 doing?
Any SIMPLE guidance would be appreciated....
