Safest way to hook up electronics

[Gradywhite3535]

What is the safest(the right way) to hook up wires to battery or fuse panel from start to finish ie: turn off battery, shut off battery switch........

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

A little more detail on what it is you are attempting to do might be helpful. If you have the battery disconnected there isn't much that can go wrong -- at least until you are done wiring and connect it again.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

What is the safest(the right way) to hook up wires to battery

With a fuse.

Disconnect the battery,
Run wiring from the battery with a fuse to your device, or from an empty fuse slot to your device.
Hook up the battery.
Turn the device on (smoke test).

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

if you can turn off/on the battery using a switch like a perko then do that. if you can not then disconnect the ground cable first and connect the ground cable last from the battery.

any time you connect a load to a system there will be a small spark/surge/voltage drop as the connection is being made. some parts like perko switchs have contacts that are designed to be able to deal with this problem where parts like battery terminals are not. most modern electrical items are able to deal with the surge but it is not a good idea to connect a stereo to a live circuit.

 

[Gradywhite3535]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

Thanks guy

 

[Gradywhite3535]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

I do have a battery switch. I Just got the boat recently and have never worked on one before. For some reason my interior lights come on when when I turn the switch to ON. But the battery switch is turned off. I know that the wires from the lights goto the switch panel but not sure where it goes from there. Shouldn't the lights not work when the battery switch is turned off if wired correctly? What do you think could be wrong?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

They are getting 12 volts from somewhere. Follow it with a voltmeter. There are so many WRONG ways to wire a boat it is hard to say whats wrong. Do they turn off with the NAV/ANC switch.

 

[Gradywhite3535]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

It is the switch for two spot lights. Iam going to goto the boat later today to see whats going on.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

You said INTERIOR lights in a prior post -- now it is SPOTLIGHTS so which is it? If you have some interior reading lights that you are calling spot lights, then it might make sense to have those wired directly to the battery. You then disable everything else by turning off the battery switch but you can still have interior lights. Sort of a dumb way to wire things since you can then leave the boat with a light on. See what I mean about how many wrong ways there are to do things. You also said you wanted to re-wire the boat. Why? This task is often undertaken by a novice only to end up with more problems than you had in the first place. Why not just correct what doesn't work and clean up what you think is just sloppy work.

 

[Gradywhite3535]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

It is 2 spot lights if you can read! I appreciate it pam thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

Yes -- I can read quite well. Did you not say this in your second post???
Quote: [For some reason my interior lights come on when when I turn the switch to ON. But the battery switch is turned off.]
And then did you not say this?
Quote: [It is the switch for two spot lights.]
And then you still didn't answer the "Spot Light" question. Are these true spot lights or interior reading/spot lights if that's what you wish to call them? I repeat -- wiring for them will be different. But at this point it doesn't matter as i'm done here. Good luck finding the issue.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

silvertips was asking which switch and which lights. think of it this way

when i open my car door the interior lights come on yet the ignition is off. this is a good idea as it helps me get in the car. Now if the fog lights turned on when i opened my car door that could be a wiring problem or it was wired that way for a reason that only the owner before you thought was a good idea.

so we need to know what it does and what you would like it to do and you have to keep it real stupied simple as we can not see so we have to imagine whats happening

p.s every time you say the word switch in a post where more than one switch is used you have to say what the switch is or it makes no sense to the person reading it. same goes for lights. (this is real important on a bassboat or boats with dual controls where there are more than one switch for most items).

 

[Gradywhite3535]

Re: Safest way to hook up electronics

I see I see that was a good way of explaining it. I didn't mean silver tip no harm, he seems very smart and knowledgeable about boats. Thanks guy