Electronics Wiring Questions

[David Anderson]

Interesting. my Ranger has 4 series 31 AGM's, 3 for the 36V i5 and one for the starting, electronics. Until last year everything worked great as I run 1 HDS 12 and 2 HDS 9, a 3D structure scan, and a Sonic Hub. The boat came with a battery selector switch, it is a lifesaver. Essentially you can turn the battery power off, on, or select another battery, which has come in real handy for the times my main battery just doesn't have enough juice, with the rotation of the switch you can basically switch one of the other batteries to become your start battery. I am working out some issues with my battery charger however I have never had a serious issue with my starting/electronic battery. I would definitely do the selector switch and it's built for those currents. As far as on board charging, I would always have 1 charger for each battery. After I am done fishing for a day, I am not going to get up at midnight to switch chargers to make sure everything is ready for the morning. Just remember that a 60A breaker is just for a catastrophic failure and stops whatever is causing the problem so your wires don't start on fire. Also, here is a guide for wire size vs amperage vs distance. I rewired my main voltage distribution using a Blue Sea fuse panel and wired #8 ga from my battery to the fuse block, maybe 14 feet total. It was overkill but I had the wire so why not! Good luck.

[Albertan]

Thanks for the chart Dave. It may come in handy as I clean up/rewire my starting battery.

I don't have much on the electronics battery. Of the 54A in fuses in the Blue Sea Fuse Panel at the moment, 15A is for the MAV and 15A is for the SonicHub...I rarely use the MAV since most of our lakes up here are quite murky, and when I use the SonicHub it's not terribly loud. I'm pretty sure I have 8 gauge wired from the battery to the fuse panel as well (about a seven foot run), so I should be safe there.

I could run a battery selector switch instead of a simple on/off switch when I rewire my starting battery, allowing me to use the electronics battery to start the boat. I was going to carry a set of jumper cables anyways. A 15' run of 4 gauge or whatever your chart indicates under the port gunnel is probably a cleaner way to go.

So much to do before Spring...

[Albertan]

All done with the electronics setup under the console, other than a few little odds and ends. I wound up rewiring from the battery to the fuse panel with 6 gauge wire. I used the 60 amp breaker and a Blue Sea Systems disconnect. It's overkill, but its all wired properly for 60 amp service right to the fuse panel. I have one spot left in the panel for the LiveSight module (I have Carbons) when it's released this Fall. Overall, I'm really happy with how it came out.

Now on to the mess in the stern...

[Hot Runr Guy]

Originally Posted by Albertan

All done with the electronics setup under the console, other than a few little odds and ends. I wound up rewiring from the battery to the fuse panel with 6 gauge wire. I used the 60 amp breaker and a Blue Sea Systems disconnect. It's overkill, but its all wired properly for 60 amp service right to the fuse panel. I have one spot left in the panel for the LiveSight module (I have Carbons) when it's released this Fall. Overall, I'm really happy with how it came out.

Now on to the mess in the stern...

Nice work sir.

HRG

[Albertan]

Wait til you see the next project at the back. lol.

Thanks a ton for your help BTW HRG.