Finally got to mounting a Garmin 421S on my
Lots of angst drilling holes in the stern and to mount the unit itself.
Question; How to get power to GPS. I have a 12V plug-in in the steering console. However it is wired via a 14 gauge wire. Not sure of the wiring gauge for the Garmin but the power wires are thinner. I was going to tap into these wires but not sure if:
this is a wise setup. How to actually tap into these wires.(what type of connectors?,... suitcase style?)
Is the existing circuit protected by a fuse or circuit breaker? If so I would use it. I wouldn't use suitcase connectors, they are not going to give you a reliable connection over the long term. I would cut, solder and heat shrink the connections. Or use a bus bar (connector strip) if you think you might have other needs for power in the future
You might want to consider installing a second bus in the pedestal, with its own fuses. For the time being, you will use only two, one for the 12 V outlet and one for the Garmin. But you might want to add in the future other cockpit consumers--maybe a lighted compass, and an overhead LED light, or an autopilot... 14 gauge is a little thin for too many consumers, but once you decide to upgrade your electrical system (and you will) the you could use the existing wires as a lead and pull out a heavier wire to the main bus panel. You could get a 6 bus panel with their own fuses and screw it to a piece of plywood that can get glued on the side of the pedestal, if you have room.
I wouldn't use the suitcase connectors. It's a temporary, patch-up solution, but your electrical system is very important and needs to be done right: every connection has to be soldered, crimped, and shrink-wrapped if you want peace of mind
Lots of angst drilling holes in the stern and to mount the unit itself.
When I mounted my garmin sending unit, I placed it inside a storage port, where it didn't go through the ballast tank (I hope). stuck it in place, tested it, worked fine, so puckied it in.
I , 2nd that idea and mine has worked fine for about 7 years..I used #12 awg fine strand cable for my power source, and I have plenty of power for now and the future. If you like to solder and use shrink tube go for it.. Otherwise buy a $30 ratchet crimper and use the proper size lugs... I use a lot of shrink tube but it is the adhesive version..
captronr wrote:
When I mounted my garmin sending unit, I placed it inside a storage port, where it didn't go through the ballast tank (I hope). stuck it in place, tested it, worked fine, so puckied it in. Ron
Divecoz wrote:I , 2nd that idea and mine has worked fine for about 7 years..I used #12 awg fine strand cable for my power source, and I have plenty of power for now and the future. If you like to solder and use shrink tube go for it.. Otherwise buy a $30 ratchet crimper and use the proper size lugs... I use a lot of shrink tube but it is the adhesive version..
captronr wrote:
When I mounted my garmin sending unit, I placed it inside a storage port, where it didn't go through the ballast tank (I hope). stuck it in place, tested it, worked fine, so puckied it in. Ron
Why fine strand cable rather than solid cable? Better for marine environment? Or vibration?
Divecoz wrote:I , 2nd that idea and mine has worked fine for about 7 years..I used #12 awg fine strand cable for my power source, and I have plenty of power for now and the future. If you like to solder and use shrink tube go for it.. Otherwise buy a $30 ratchet crimper and use the proper size lugs... I use a lot of shrink tube but it is the adhesive version..
captronr wrote:
When I mounted my garmin sending unit, I placed it inside a storage port, where it didn't go through the ballast tank (I hope). stuck it in place, tested it, worked fine, so puckied it in. Ron
Why fine strand cable rather than solid cable? Better for marine environment? Or vibration?
Vibration will cause fatigue and cracks. Bend a wire back and forth enough times and it breaks right? Same with vibration, only worse because it may fracture and cause resistance and/or intermittent breaks. I believe marine grade wiring has a fine braid that allows for flex as well as superior insulation. But any stranded wire is probably adequate.
Vibration will cause fatigue and cracks. Bend a wire back and forth enough times and it breaks right? Same with vibration, only worse because it may fracture and cause resistance and/or intermittent breaks.
Yes. Danger Will Robinson! Solid wire is an absolute NO NO in a marine environment.
Machine tool wire meets the requirements and qualities as an appropriate substitution for marine wire.
(IIRC, MTW might be better; it's actually heavier than its wire gauge rating states).
RussMT wrote:
Vibration will cause fatigue and cracks. Bend a wire back and forth enough times and it breaks right? Same with vibration, only worse because it may fracture and cause resistance and/or intermittent breaks. I believe marine grade wiring has a fine braid that allows for flex as well as superior insulation. But any stranded wire is probably adequate.
When I bought my the electrical mods that the dealer wired in for me, plus the original factory wiring, and nobody used braided wire, let alone marine grade. Just el cheapo solid wire. Any additional wiring that I did, I followed their use of solid wire.
Not sure that braided wire (like you see to the voice coil of a speaker element) is a requirement, but twisted filament is, Phil.
So you paid your dealer to do the installation, and he did it with solid wire? It can be hard to judge from just looking at the sheath, some of it looks like solid wire like you'd see in a house (mine does), but isn't. It will say on it, or you can look at the ends where the connections are made, if they are visible, to be sure.
I mounted a Garmin 546s on the pedestal. I removed the port side window on the pedestal. Removed 12 volt receptacle. Drilled a hole big enough to accept the wire harness. Spliced the harness to the wires for the 12 v and put it all back together. Used used 3 m 3000 silicone. Now I can remove the GPS when boat is not in use.
I have invested heavily in stranded marine grade wire. I believe what makes it cost so much is that all the wire is tinned to reduce corrosion.
If you use existing wiring, I would hard wire inside the pedestal instead of using the 12 volt accessory plug. Personally, all my instruments (radio and chartplotter) are on a single circuit. If you are not adding any circuits, I would run a wire off of your running lights to power.
