Manage those electrons

I've talked at length about managing your onboard source of electricity.  To do this effectively, there is one key instrument you *need* to have - an amp-hr meter.  This device keeps track of the amount of electricity going into and coming out of your batteries - it is effectively a battery "fuel gauge".

The devices are not hard to install.  To do their work, they need to sense the battery voltage(s) and the current flow.

For current flow, all will come with a "current shunt" - a precision very low resistance resistor made up of copper plates stretched between two copper blocks.  Final calibration of these resistors is done at the factory by grinding away some of the plates, so don't be surprised to see this. The shunt is typically installed in the negative lead to the batteries, between the batteries and the first connection (multiple battery banks will require multiple shunts - often combined in a single unit).  That is, no load (including the engine starter) on the batteries can escape passing thru the shunt.  Two light gauge wires will be connected across the shunt and directed to the amp-hr meter.

Next, the amp-hr meter needs to know the battery voltage.  If you have multiple battery banks, it will need to know the voltage of each.  On the Link 2000, the negative connection at the shunt is used for the negative voltage connection; a separate light gauge wire is run to the batteries for the positive connection (yours may differ).  It is *extremely important* that the positive connection be made as directly to the batteries as possible.  Ideally, to the battery terminal itself.  If this is not possible, the connection should be made to a very heavy conductor (say at the "1,2,Both" switch).  Any current being carried in the wire to which the voltage sense lead is connected will distort the voltage reading, potentially to the point where the system becomes useless, if the current is high enough or the wire is small enough. 

But the good news is that all the sense leads need only be very light gauge.  Typically they should be twisted pairs to minimize interference.  If all your wires are going from the meter to a single area, a standard RJ45 ethernet cable is a great source of multiple twisted pair wires in a single jacket.

The Link 2000 shown above also controls our inverter/charger.  That connection is made with a standard telephone cable (if that still has any meaning in this era of cell phones...).

So, to install, choose a location for the meter display, choose a location for the shunt, and string light gauge wires.  It actually does qualify as a *small* boat project.

No chips

Today, Chuck on s/v Sea Trek demonstrates how to install a switch in a wood panel without destroying the panel in the process.  A very nice tutorial.

With the main electrical panel now replaced, there were a few small things that were unfinished and now is as good a time as any to get those done. The bilge pump switch for the secondary mid-ship bilge pump has been out for some time now. It was temporarily mounted in the forward hanging locker after the smaller secondary electrical panel was installed, but it was not convenient to get to. We did the installation for the anchor windlass some time back, but the helm switches to raise and lower the anchor from the steering location had not been done.

These are the kinds of small projects that I like to do over the winter months to have everything ready for any spring cruising we might want to do. The bilge pump switch will be mounted directly over the sub panel for the Air-Conditioning. The switch was originally mounted where the electrical panel is now, but whoever installed the switch did a really sloppy job of cutting the hole, and that was another consideration when deciding where to mount the AC panel. But I did want to keep it close to that location because it was easy to see, and I can reach the manual switch, even when standing in the front of the engine compartment. And because this is a toggle switch, it will be behind the steering wheel, so it can't get bumped accidentally.

The first thing that I did was to make a template out of a piece of cardboard so that I could get the hole exact and have everything lined up straight. With the template in place, I can trace out the area that needs to be cut out for the switch and LED light with a marker. I then tape around that area with easy release tape so that the wood is not damaged when the cuts are made. Teak plywood can be tricky to cut, and if you are not careful, the plywood will splinter and leave a ragged edge. So I first score the plywood surface with a utility knife to eliminate splitting and chipping, and drill a hole in the center of the cut out area.

The next step is to cut the hole, and my favorite tool for this, and many other small projects, is my Dremel Tool. I have the saber saw attachment that can be used directly on the Dremel or can be attached to the
flexible shaft attachment. I am always careful to make my cuts inside the area that I scored with the utility knife. This is the method I use for mounting any switches, electronic displays or gages.

Once the hole is cut I like to insert the switch to be sure there is enough clearance for the inner workings and that the switch can be aligned with everything around it. One work of caution, BEFORE drilling or cutting, check the area behind the spot to be sure you will not drill or cut any plumbing or electrical wiring. Once I am satisfied with everything, a thorough vacuuming is in order. Usually Susan is standing next to me with the vacuum running as I am cutting, sanding or drilling. But this time she was not on the boat, so I have to do a good job in the clean up.

Next step is to connect up all of the wiring. The tools are basic - a good pair of wire strippers, wire cutters, crimpers, my multi-tip screw driver, some wire ties, my favorite wire tie cutters (fingernail clippers), and a tube of silicone grease. With all of the electrical work on the boat, a good coating of silicone grease is added to both sides of every connection. We have almost never had a corrosion problem with any connections over the years using silicone grease. Just as with the larger electrical panels, before I removed the wires from the switch, I labeled them so it would be easy to put them back correctly.

I also like to be sure all of the wires are just long enough that should I have to work on the switch again, I can pull it a distance out of the hole to make working on it or rewiring easier. A bit longer length of wire allows for repairs should the need come up to cut and replace the ends with new connectors. At this point, everything is secured with wire ties to keep it neat.

The final step is to mount the entire switch. I use a small carpenters level to be sure it is aligned and mark the location of the screw holes. I then drill a small hole where the screws go to keep the wood from splitting. Everything is mounted and looking just as I planned.

The next switch is the anchor up and down switch, and the process to locate and install that is exactly the same as the bilge pump switch. This one needs to be in a location that is easy to reach while at the helm and since both of us are right handed, the right side of the helm seemed natural. We can also reach it from just outside the sliding door to the main salon, at the steering station. This one took a bit more wiring, since it needed to be run to the reversing switch for the windlass. But it was still simple and straightforward, and now two more items are off the to-do list. On to the next one.

"Overnight" shipping reprise

My frustration is gone.  And if you check with Jane, she will tell you that it was mighty frustration indeed (sorry Jane).

But now all is well.  I am now a happy Clearwire camper.

And the hardware is a surprise as well.  It is as small as a cell phone (which it probably is, under the covers).  And it runs off its own internal battery!  My biggest objection to the "ClearSpot" modem was that it ran off of 110V, something in short supply off the dock.  It turns out that it is the charger which runs off of 110V.

Insert *BIG* smiley here.

Scrounge #2: clock

Originally the clock and barometer on Eolian were not a matched set - the clock was considerably bigger than the barometer.

And then one day, by the dumpster, we found another clock.  Oh, it was a corroded mess and the mechanism didn't work.  But it was a near match in size and style to the barometer.

I snatched it up in a heartbeat.  It wasn't the best dumpster find I've ever made (that was a 15 hp outboard), but it was a good one because of its potential fit on Eolian.

So, I ran it across a buffing wheel and cleaned up the corrosion.  I gave it a few coats of a clear epoxy varnish.  And I got a new mechanism from Klockit for $5 (really!), and look at it now!

Scrounging: refrigerator door

When I moved aboard Eolian, the refrigerator was a mess.  Rebuilding it was something that was absolutely required, but definitely doesn't qualify as a small boat project.

But replacing the door on the refrigerator does.  The old door was a corroded aluminum frame with a thin piece of unfinished (and therefore mottled and dirty) teak plywood in it.  But I found the door you see above at a local chandler here in Seattle - for $10 - it was an exact replacement.  It didn't look like this then - tho it was new, the finish panel had been damaged in shipping or handling, and the retailer was just trying to get rid of it.  I bought it, and for a few dollars more had a piece of black Plexiglas cut to fit where the trim panel goes.  I think it is a perfect complement to the black glass oven/stove, don't you?

Locked in position

Today, Paul of s/v Solace shows us how he constructed an adjustable solar panel mount that locks in position.  Clever!

There are many ways of mounting solar panels. Here is one way to mount with a tidy way to raise and lower the panels.
In a storm north of New Zealand I lost a solar panel along with the temporary railing that I had it mounted on. I have since had the aft of the boat reworked with railing built so it looks like it was always there. Much stronger. Deciding that my previous attempts at methods to angle the solar panels were not that good, I have come up with the following idea for the rail mounted solar panels.


You will note the small vertical rail inserted half way along between stanchions. This was used to mount my actuator arm.

For the actuator arm, I used a stainless antenna mount and  had made a stainless tube made with a thread at one end and closed off the other. This was screwed to the antenna mount.

This attached to the small vertical rail in the middle.  The solar panel  was mounted with white rail mount clamps which I had previously used to good effect. This time around though, I had to add spacers because the railing was curved to follow the lines of the boat.


At the bottom of the "solar panel actuator" the one inch stainless leg was placed in some pressure PVC pipe bought from a hardware store and this in-turn was secured to the bottom of the solar panel with leather on both sides of the pipe and the leather secured to the solar panel. This allows free movement of the stainless piece of the solar panel actuator as the panel is raised and lowered. I used two different types of antenna mounts. One with allen key and the other with a turning lever. The one with the lever, I cut off short because you only need thumb tight and the lever would interfere with my lee cloths.

After trying both, I prefer the lever arm rather than the allen key type.

The panel raises from full down to 30 degrees off the vertical. One could, if you don't have lee cloths, build the actuator arm with a curve in it near the mounted piece so that when raised it would allow the railing to not impinge on the actuator arm. I'm happy with 30 degrees off the vertical and lee cloths.

The lee cloths had small "U" shapes cut out and bound, so that the hinges and actuator arm could function. The lee cloths were secured to the railing and toe rail with cable ties. Lee cloths not shown here.