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#1
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Helix 10 low voltage
Had a 997 on my console; never an issue with low voltage.
Hooked up my new Helix 10 at my console, through the fuse panel on the console. My helix 5 is at the front, wired directly to the battery with an in-line fuse. The battery is a separate gr27 deep cycle, it also powers a radio. The battery will read between 12.50 and 13 V. The helix 10 will read 10.9 V. The helix 5 upfront will read 12.2 V I keep getting a low voltage alarm on my helix 10. I bought a brand new group 27 deep cycle battery, charged it overnight, same problem. What did I do? What do I have to do? |
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#2
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Yeah that Helix 10 needs to be direct wired as well. The new units are very amperage sensitive. On Bass Boat Central it has been covered very thoroughly.
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#3
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#4
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I don't think the voltage gauges on Helix units is very accurate. I have two Helix 12's next to each other and from same power source and both read different.
Ches.
__________________
2013 Lund Pro Guide 2010,150 Vrod ,2X Helix 12's SI MG2N |
#5
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Helix
10 ga wire is all it took to get me to 12.4 volts from 10.9.
Thanks. |
#6
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A little info for us all. This is a good topic and I love how humminbird tells us to fix it. The problem we have all had to solve is voltage drop. Let's take the helix 10 the max power consumption is 1.2 amps. Humminbird ships the unit with approx 4' of 20awg wire the voltage drop over the 4' of wire is .1 volt. The problem with running the units from the fuse panels is there is a ton of parallel circuits which cause voltage drop. When you run a dedicated circuit from the battery it eliminates this but is a 10 awg wire needed, no but bigger is better right. You can use this handy calculator to help calculate the loads when you need to run wires in your boat. Just an example this is calculated at max 1.2amp load 10 awg wire 20' long voltage drop is .2 volts, 16 awg same length same load is .4 volts. Copper is not cheap.
https://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html |
#7
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Quote:
I am contemplating fixes to the problem and have started to implement. First and easiest thing to do is cut the factory power connect cable leaving only enough to make a connection. I find it is terrible these units are supplied with skimpy connector wiring. My connection is to the fuse panel. I have measured a 0.2 volt reduction between the crank battery and the fuse panel so I am skeptical that direct wiring to the battery with 10 gauge will fix my problem. I have done a load test on my battery and it is barely in the green. I am getting 10.6v during load which is marginal but ample to start the motor. A new, bigger battery with greater CCA may fix the problem. It drives me crazy that a sonar would drive battery replacement intervals. The range of voltage I experience is within the acceptable and normal range of performance in battery life. I think the best long term solution is installation of a condenser so that voltage doesn’t drop much when cranking. This would solve the problem over the range of battery performance and load typically experienced in boats. We shouldn’t have to have a perfect battery to operate a sonar, and I’ll be darn that I won’t install another battery dedicated to operate a 7” sonar. A capacitor should have been integrated internally by the manufacturer since it is so sensitive to voltage. |
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