July 26, 2016
Two engines means two chances to get it right. Or to screw it up… Clip the zip tie holding the coolant hose Remove the alternator belt guard Remove the lower bolt from the back side of the alternator Loosen both the front and back bolt holding the alternator Remove the alternator belt Remove the alternator cables Zip tie the alternator…
July 20, 2016
A ridiculous amount of time has been spent studying the electrical system on my boat. The lithium batteries brought a whole other level of research to ensure I didn’t create a safety hazard. I make no promises to the accuracy of this information but I am reasonable certain it is accurate. Seven days in, I typically don’t see the voltage…
July 18, 2016
In a cloudless day, with the sun directly overhead, my calculations (based on the “typical” stated outputs numbers and not the “ideal” laboratory numbers) show I have the potential to bring in around 60 amps (at 12V). It is hard to know the loss from the solar controller or the wire runs so I was excited to see what would…
July 17, 2016
UPDATE August 1, 2016!!! – I removed the InterVolt Programmable Voltage Relay, see the new post for more information: Update With the boat wiring mapped out I felt comfortable stripping out the old batteries and wires. Figuring out where to mount all of the new equipment was a game of Tetris. Ultimately I had to adjust the position of the…
July 17, 2016
Boat in San Diego, new stainless hardware acquired from Marine Exchange, MC4 crimp tool (and connectors) means I’m ready to go! Lug the panels to the top of the solar arch and slide them into position. Jump down to start threading the bolts, using the dingy as a ladder, and find that we have a problem…the outside holes don’t line…
July 14, 2016
Wow, this drawing turned into an epic project. I started with the current Seawind 1160 electrical schematic (thank you Seawind for providing the DC drawing!). My boat had a second inverter installed plus my solar upgrades and lithium batteries. Spent a good deal of time tracing wires to confirm the accuracy of my schematic drawing and even fixed a couple…
July 12, 2016
The plan had been to cruise down to Ensenada and jump right into installing the solar arch. A long lunch and a few cocktails with friends put an end to those ideas. But Alejandro was flexible and agreed to come the next morning. Which was a good thing, since it took a lot of effort to scrub the original 3M…