I got down to the boat yesterday and found someone had shut off
the AC circuit on the dock... no big deal, I don't like it, but it
happens, so I switched it on. Later, when I returned that night, I was
reading, and noticed that the cabin lights seemed to be getting more
and more dim. That was strange... and then I noticed that the familiar
hum (it was an old unit was no longer there. Started checking... AC
was fine. The DC panel appeared to be dead... no VHF, no manual bilge
override, no panel lights, nada.

The volt meter showed less than 5v from the batteries (2, start and
deep cycle). Not much I could do at night, so I turned off all DC
stuff, and figured I'd sort it out in the morning.

Woke up and discovered that I seem to at least have minimal DC
volts... no where near what it used to be on the volt meter, maybe 9v
with stuff working. Still no familiar hum. The longer I had a cabin
light on, the more dim it got.

I'm wondering if someone popped it by cycling the AC dock switch on
and off... I'd imagine there would be some sort of surge. I know they
were doing maintenance on the dock... AC power cords were sitting
around not connected to anything, and it wasn't like that when I was
there last.

Comments?
--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

* Jonathan Ganz wrote, On 4/25/2007 2:27 PM:
....
I'm wondering if someone popped it by cycling the AC dock switch on
and off... I'd imagine there would be some sort of surge. I know they
were doing maintenance on the dock... AC power cords were sitting
around not connected to anything, and it wasn't like that when I was
there last.

I once killed a new xantrex charger by plugging into an unlabeled 220
Volt socket. (It was a home brew setup for a hoist that looked just
like 110V dock power!)

The support guy told me there was an undocumented tiny fuse on an
internal board, and sure enough, it had popped.

In article ,
Jeff wrote:
* Jonathan Ganz wrote, On 4/25/2007 2:27 PM:
...
I'm wondering if someone popped it by cycling the AC dock switch on
and off... I'd imagine there would be some sort of surge. I know they
were doing maintenance on the dock... AC power cords were sitting
around not connected to anything, and it wasn't like that when I was
there last.

I once killed a new xantrex charger by plugging into an unlabeled 220
Volt socket. (It was a home brew setup for a hoist that looked just
like 110V dock power!)

The support guy told me there was an undocumented tiny fuse on an
internal board, and sure enough, it had popped.

Yeah, don't doubt it, but this was connected to a real 110v.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

lid (Jonathan Ganz) wrote in news:f0o9ki$dj7$1
@shell2.bayarea.net:

Yeah, don't doubt it, but this was connected to a real 110v.



Have we put our AC voltmeter across the terminals of the charger's AC
input?

The charger's breaker could have corroded contacts or have just failed.

If it's got AC, unplug the boat from the dock and open up the charger so
you can see its hidden little fuse that probably blew.

If the charger had shorted out, you wouldn't have had any problems
smelling it when you opened that hatch...

Your batteries are toast, being left in this deep discharged condition
long enough for you to read this. You should have rushed to Walmart and
bought an automatic battery charger to recharge them LONG before now.



Larry
--

In article ,
Larry wrote:
(Jonathan Ganz) wrote in news:f0o9ki$dj7$1
:

Yeah, don't doubt it, but this was connected to a real 110v.

Have we put our AC voltmeter across the terminals of the charger's AC
input?

The charger, when I finally was able to remove it so I could get to
the terminals was toast. It smelled big time, and even after having
been off for a day, was still fairly warm. Glad it didn't cause a
fire. Well, it was turns out, put on the boat in 1991. I guess it's
time came. The DC Amp meter on it was brown. :-}

And, the batts are toast also... they were also pretty old, so it's
not a big deal.

The charger's breaker could have corroded contacts or have just failed.

If it's got AC, unplug the boat from the dock and open up the charger so
you can see its hidden little fuse that probably blew.

If the charger had shorted out, you wouldn't have had any problems
smelling it when you opened that hatch...

Your batteries are toast, being left in this deep discharged condition
long enough for you to read this. You should have rushed to Walmart and
bought an automatic battery charger to recharge them LONG before now.

I got a new charger ... Protechi 1220i. I'll be picking up new batts
in the next couple of days.

It's only money... :-}
--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

lid (Jonathan Ganz) wrote in news:f0pdpe$b9h$1
@shell2.bayarea.net:

It's only money... :-}
--
Capt. JG @@


Isn't that the reason we buy boats?.....getting rid of money before it
spoils??

Larry
--

Larry wrote:

lid (Jonathan Ganz) wrote in news:f0pdpe$b9h$1
@shell2.bayarea.net:


It's only money... :-}
--
Capt. JG @@



Isn't that the reason we buy boats?.....getting rid of money before it
spoils??

Larry

I thought the reason we bought boats was we are
incurable optimists who haven't come to grips with
the realities of owning large complicated pieces
of equipment yet... ;-)

Don W.

Don W wrote in news:Ho4Yh.1053
:

I thought the reason we bought boats was we are
incurable optimists who haven't come to grips with
the realities of owning large complicated pieces
of equipment yet... ;-)

Don W.



I've always found it odd that the simplest of boats, say a 14' fiberglass
runabout with a 2-cylinder, 2-stroke outboard motor and the simplest of
steering consoles, is priced EXACTLY like a small car that has 4
independently-suspended wheels/tires/disc brakes/complex ABS computer-
controlled braking, a complex, turbocharged 4-cycle 4 cylinder engine
with dual overhead cams, a 4-speed automatic transmission that,
disassembled on a workbench, looks more complex than the space shuttle.
It has power windows, the boat has no windows, no top except this little
rag drawn tight over a tubular aluminum lawn chair frame so flimsy you
can't lean against it. It has 4 doors with locking latches that can
withstand a fairly good side impact without opening, not present on the
boat's simple plastic hull made by spraying a chopper gun into a mold in
20 minutes. It has a trunk the boat doesn't have, with electric locking
lid and remote control. It comes with air conditioning they want an
extra $3000 for on a boat much larger than our example which is open to
the weather.

But, alas, googly-eyed buyers don't ask why......It's crazy!

Why does a simple fishing motor cost the same as a brand new Honda
Nighthawk 250cc, 4-stroke, dual overhead cam motorcycle with 4-speed
transmission, hydraulic suspended tires (tyres) on beautiful rims of
polished chrome or aluminum with custom graphics? The damned fishing
motor is just PAINTED!...NOT EVEN PRIMED! It's made of pot metal! Why??


Larry
--
The Honda has no prop??

In article , Larry wrote:

I've always found it odd that the simplest of boats, say a 14' fiberglass
runabout with a 2-cylinder, 2-stroke outboard motor and the simplest of
steering consoles, is priced EXACTLY like a small car that has 4

[snip]

Why does a simple fishing motor cost the same as a brand new Honda
Nighthawk 250cc, 4-stroke, dual overhead cam motorcycle with 4-speed
transmission, hydraulic suspended tires (tyres) on beautiful rims of
polished chrome or aluminum with custom graphics? The damned fishing
motor is just PAINTED!...NOT EVEN PRIMED! It's made of pot metal! Why??

Economies of scale? High volume/low margin?

Honda can produce $deity knows how many thousand cars a week. If they
make $500 on each one, that's still a lot of money. If a boat firm makes
one boat a week, that's not enough profit to pay everyone, plus
overheads.

Justin.

--
Justin C, by the sea.