Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

hello all. i am trying to rewire a charger bass boat, and i've run into a problem. i have a 6 switch panel (made by BEP marine...i think) that has LED's that run up the right side. when i power-up the console, all LED's stay lit - red. i'm thinking that they are only supposed to light when the accessory switch is switched. there is only one wire, though, that controls the LED's. am i missing something? where would you think that one wire would tie in to. any help would be appreciated. ac.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

Any chance of you giving us the exact model number of your panel or possibly a picture of the rear of the panel?

maybe it's this one:
http://www.bepmarine.com/CSP6-Spray-Proof-Series-173.html


Edit: It doesn't look like they have an instruction manual online so a photo of the back of the panel would be the next thing!

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

The one wire you are referring to as the power wire is actually the ground wire. The hot side of each led should be fed from whatever switch it is monitoring.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

I imagine they are all tied to the same ground wire. But each would have two leads (hence the name diode), and the positive lead would have to be wired to the switch that's supposed to control it.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

thanks for the info gentleman.

pondtunes - that control panel that you linked to is nearly my exact panel. only difference is that mine doesn't have the green led in the middle...only red. i will have to post pics tomorrow evening. i can't get to it until tomorrow afternoon.

silvertip. you are exactly correct (as usual). the one wire was the black ground. there are actuall 2 sidesas you stated, there are 2 sides to each switch. one that goes to the accessory, and one that has the power. the way it is wired is this terminals 1, 3, and 5 on the red side have a fuse, and are jumped to the terminal immediately below it (terminals 2, 4, and 6). the terminals on the accesory side are wired as follows: 1. nav lights, 2. depth finder, 3. bilge, 4. aerator, 5. nothing, 6. nothing.

and then there is the ground coming off of the led's.
so...do you think that the led's are constant on (as they are now), or should only illuminate when powered.

thanks again, ac.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

A picture is worth a thousand words but here is how the panel works. The leds work just the device you want to turn on and off with the switch. Power goes into the switch. When you turn the switch on, power goes out the other terminal to the LED and to the device that switch controls. Ground from the device and the ground side of the LED goes to back to the battery via the ground buss thus completing the circuit. Yes -- the led should be on only when the switch is on. If you have a panel that had the back-light LEDs, then those would be on at all times unless controlled by a separate switch so they came on with other instrument lights.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

thanks for the clarification silvertip.

i'll try to get some pics posted this evening (supposed to get heavy rain this afternoon...). in the meantime, could you possibly take a stab at the reason all LED's are lit all the time? best guess?

thanks, ac.

Re: Need help with Splash-Proof Switch Panel - LED's

I assume you bought the panel new, and the LEDs were already wired to the switches?

When you say "power-up the console", how exactly is that accomplished?

Can you tell what the (+) side of the LEDs are connected to?

LED's won't light up if the polarity is reversed (ground wire hooked to pos battery terminal & vice versa) - this tells you that the ground wire is connected correctly, and all of them are connected in some way to the hot wire independently of the switches.