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FInished the Electrical Panel

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/07/2005 : 09:45:47

I'll post a longer version with pictures tonight but I had to get it off my chest.

With the admiral and supreme commander out of town, I spent all Saturday getting the panel and cabinet ready at home and 9 hours Sunday on the boat installing it all.

More Later...

Nadi ex-C25
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/enka
http://building-spindrift11s.blogspot.com/

Edited by - on

SJ
Navigator

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USA
198 Posts

Response Posted - 03/07/2005 : 13:25:37

Looking forward to see the pics and read the tale.....I am undertaking the same project this year as well, and would like to see all the stuff you got!

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2005 : 09:30:44

I finally managed to post some [url="http://mattcj.dyndns.org/~ilnadi/gallery/album21"]pictures[/url]. I am still working on a story in the blog but here were the steps I followed:
<ul><li>Make cardboard templates to fit between the port shelf and the overhang above it.</li><li>Build plywood box to fit there and finish in 2 coats of varnish</li><li>Cut holes in starboard front and install switches</li><li>Lay out terminal blocks and strips and the front panel on a table and run all internal wiring. Remove the blade connectors from the front panel (I labeled all wires with writeable heat-shrink tubing)</li><li>Take everything to the boat

</li><li>Install box on the shelf (it is mounted to the shelf with self-tapping screws and the ceiling overhang with t-nuts)</li><li>Find out the box does not go into place (it probably would have fit but did not GO in), cut some pieces off (annoying that a few places now do not have varnish)</li><li>Pull wires and cables into box, terminate and attach to treminal strips</li><li>Attach front with the hinge</li><li>Connect the blade connectors</li><li>Connect the batteries</li></ul>
Somewhere I have schematics and a spreadsheet I used to calculate wire and fuse sizes. I'll add them to the pictures or the blog somehow. And yes, I'll send it to tech tips when I have it all together.

Edited by - ilnadi on 06/14/2005 09:58:15

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2005 : 11:34:47

Very nice. I like the Port position.

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pjeffarch
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USA
135 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2005 : 23:48:10

Do you need an electrical engineering degree to pull that off? That is one great project.

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 08:54:04

Very nice job, Nadi! The terminal strips to connect your new panel to the wiring harness in the rest of the boat is a well thought out feature. What is that black material you mounted the switch and fuse panels in?

-- Leon Sisson

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ilnadi
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452 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2005 : 09:18:03

Actually yes, I am an electrical engineer. That only helped in understanding the existing wiring and doing the wiring calculation. Otherwise the boat electrics books I have cover enough how-to's to do it yourself. Being a tinkerer since teenager was a bigger help. My biggest hurdle was the (rather simplistic) cabinet and not letting that get out of hand.

The black material is starboard. The reason I used that instead of a thinner/stronger material is to avoid cabinetry work like the examples in the tech sections (that would have dragged the project out and probbly leave it 90% finished). It does take up some thickness but it's very convenient.

The terminal blocks probably doubled the cost of the panel (in blocks, terminals, tools, etc) but it makes the installation and modifications much simpler. I can re-wire the panel fairly easily. Two cases in point:
1. I had left a circuit and switch for GPS power. Insead we wired the GPS to the cigarette lighter so we can move it to the car. Instead I will use that circuit either for instrument lighting or more likely leave it as a spare.
2. I had planned to hand the wires from the instruments and cables under the galley shelf. I cannot put hangers under the shelf because it it impossible to drill or screw vertically and I sure am not going to drill out into the hull. So now I am going to pull the wires out and run them under the galley sink.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.