"RB" wrote in
:

I'll be bringing one fused wire up from below the console to a two
distribution terminal blocks on top of the console. These are
shorting terminal blocks. I plan to take the 12v+ leads for the eqpt
off one block, and 12v - leads off the other.

There are blocks available that are FUSE blocks, not just screw
terminals. Fuse them at 1.5X their peak load current, right off each
nameplate. Get rid of the inline fuses the manufacturers use. Use any
spare terminals to store spare fuses you can find in a hurry. The
proper, safe, way to do that is to power this in-console block from the
main breaker panel breaker. Let's say the total load on the electronics
is 10A. So, we plan for 15-20A from this fuse block to the breaker, a 15
or 20A breaker. Use #10 wire, #8 if the run is longer than 10' between
block and breaker to hold the voltage up better. It would be nice if the
main breaker panel fuse had a pilot light so you could see it is on
below.

The wiring to each electronic load is too thin for a 15-20A breaker. The
wire will catch fire or melt before the breaker trips...fire is bad. Now
with the branch circuit fuse panel inside the console, you have a safe
fuse in each of the small loads that can blow if the item fails, without
putting the whole console in the dark just off the rocks.

I've found big motoryachts with the little loads all connected to a block
protected by a 50A breaker in the main helm panel. It's a big fiberglass
fire just waiting to happen. The little wires that would burn were all
laying against the flammable teak bottom of the overhead panel. People
were sleeping below, down the spiral ladder right under this fire hazard.

It doesn't have to be that way! Every time you need to split out a bunch
of loads at a helm or nav station or someplace, it's SO easy to install
one of these little fuse panels to make it safe to have very-low-current
branches without the fire hazard.


The question is who are good types of connectors to put on the eqpt
pigtails so I can quick connect and disconnect with each unit????



Er, ah, not on my boat, thanks. Quick Disconnect = it-comes-loose-in-
the-waves, just off those rocks. NO PUSHON CONNECTIONS....NO SPADE LUGS!
Verboten in my installations! Use only RING TERMINALS so you have to
take the whole screw out to get it loose. You'll appreciate this when
you've come in from "out there" and accidentally find one of them loose
that's been working just fine.....instead of the radar going dead-in-the-
dark when the damned spade lug fell off the loose screw. If I find
one...it's replaced! You got time at the dock to unscrew the screw to
get it loose.....

Damned RULE pump nearly sank us, once. Heavy beating waves knocked one
of RULE PUMP's goddamned pushon connections on their pump switch loose on
a boat I was helping deliver. Nuts....cheap asses. They know better!

Kindly notice the wire markers there by our breakers. Isn't it great
that wire 23 in the breaker panel is easily traced to wire 23 at the helm
station?....(c; Oh, look! That wire in the boat schematic and
documentation is marked 23, too! How nice...((c Oh, and wire 28 is
marked SPARE in that loom, too....in case 23 breaks at 3AM feeding
something important when it's rolling 30 degrees...(barf)...(d^

Don't let me catch you pulling in a new wire WITHOUT pulling in a new or
replacement PULL STRING, either! It'll be your ass at captain's mast!