Battery Acceptance & Link 20 / Monitor Operation

[Stu Jackson]

Craig & I had an offline discussion about this:

Craig,

I've been seen reviewing your wiring diagram.  Again, nice job.  I think
most people don't have one, and I can't understand how they run their boats
without them.

I think there's a way to run your house loads with the reserve bank if your
house bank bites the dust (for whatever reason, and we both know it won't,
right? ).

If you pop the house bank 150A breaker (lower right on your diagram), the
reserve bank power will run this way:  reserve bank through #1 and reserve
150 A breaker to bus bar, #2 to reserve bank switch, #2 to house bank 150 A
breaker, #4 original to panel on/off switch, to loads.

You may have figured this out already, but I finally spent some time to play
detective.

If you trip the house 150 A breaker, it looks like you'd disconnect the Link
wiring and maybe dump its historical information, so unless that won't
happen you may be hesitant to give this scenario a test, unless you don't
have or care about the history or you don't have it anyway.

That's a pretty elegant re-use of the #4 originals, "well done, Weldon!"

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Stu - I hadn't thought about that alternative. I might not have the drawing
exactly correct, because I think the breaker on the house bank just goes to
the panel. If I lost the house bank, it would be very easy to disconnect the
bank flip the combine switch. Obviously, I'm not too worried about it. What
the drawing doesn't show is my windlass connected to the "start" battery and
the inverter connected to the house bank. I have a 1-2-both switch going to
the inverter that lets me split the house bank and feed the inverter from
one isolated pair while the other pair feeds the panel. A previous inverter
would shut down when the alternator went into bulk mode trying to replace
the amps, so I setup a switch to split the two sets of T-105s.

My start battery is a group 24 of unknown age that's a sealed PbCa. I'll
probably replace it with an Optima when it won't crank the engine.

I'm glad I did the Visio drawing. In less than a year I was checking it to
see exactly what I'd engineered. My battery box isn't the prettiest, but I'm
not an artist or a perfectionist.

Craig

[Stu Jackson]

CHANGES TO JIM MOE'S WIRING DIAGRAM - ECHO CHARGERS

In Reply #11, Item 3, on this topic, I mentioned that Jim Moe had CHANGED his echo charger connections FROM the 1-2-B switch connections TO the bank (+) posts.  This is Jim's classic wiki article: http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Catalina_34_Electrical_System_Upgrade

This is a VERY IMPORTANT modification.  I updated the wiki accordingly.

In a discussion recently on co.com (see: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=107109) we discussed this very issue. It is an operational, not electrical design issue.  This is a copy of the pertinent ideas from that full thread.  When I learn wiki updating, I'll post this there or link the wiki page to here.  [DONE, Nov. 2009 - Stu]

Bob wrote:  "It looks to me that if that switch [reserve bank on/off switch] was off the echo charger wouldn't be doing it's job."

I replied:  As Jim's wiring diagram is set up, you are completely correct. I spoke with Jim since he published this in 2004, and he noted that based on my suggestion he has moved the echo charger from as shown to the battery (+) posts as recommended by the echo charger manufacturer.

The following is very IMPORTANT to understand: Since his operating concept is to turn the reserve bank switch ON when he gets on the boat and he doesn't leave it plugged in when he's away, what you point out, quite correctly, is not an issue for him if wired this way. Again, you're right: if the reserve bank switch was OFF, and wired this way, the echo charger would NOT charge the reserve bank. Period. If wired to the banks, it wouldn't matter and would always work.

The co.com link also explains how you can change Jim's wiring diagram with two switches to my "preferred" single 1-2-B switch design with just two simple wiring mods.  And given this link, there are way more other designs out there, too.

Here's how:  

Here's what you CAN DO  - based on Jim's diagram ONLY

1. Take the reserve on/off switch and throw it out
2. Conceptually: Run the reserve (+) DIRECTLY to the #2 post of the 1-2-B switch for power TO the switch and run a wire from the output "C" post of the switch to the starter

To do this you need to do two things:
1) Take what's shown as the "Existing #4 red" between the starter & the #2 post and MOVE it FROM the "2" post TO the "C" post of the 1-2-B switch, and leave it on the starter. This gives you power TO the starter from either bank. It also lets you parallel the banks if your echo charger fails (backup, backup, backup...)
2) Run a new wire from the (+) output of the reserve bank to the #2 post of the switch, without that pesky on/off switch. Do not run ANYTHING from the reserve bank to the starter, go only directly to the switch. (The wiring sizes are your choice.)

You're done.

Bob, what this does is make the 1-2-B switch THE controller for the output to the starter from either of the 2 battery banks (and, of course, to the DP).

It also does exactly what I've been suggesting all along - uses the simple 1-2-B switch to control everything. It changes Jim's design to mine!!!

1. The 1-2-B switch is only used for battery bank selection and output to two things; the DP and the starter (the "always on" loads can be left as shown or run directly to the house bank or other switches and fuses - your choice)

2. The alternator output goes to the house bank [nowhere near the switch!!!] with a combiner, echo charger, etc. used to supply the reserve bank.

Simple, eh?

For more thoughts on this, see: Alternator Output & Battery Switch Wiring:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4934.0.html

[Stu Jackson]

Please see this thread on Link recharging parameters:  Link Series Algorithm Operations:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html

[Stu Jackson]

Nov. 2009 - Maine Sail has just "published" a very good demonstration of this phenomenon:  http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=114054