Question on wiring up a tiller pilot
We have had a Raymarine ST1000 for a while. Just getting to installing it. Electrical is not my day job. Plan on using using 14AWG wire, as per the manual for cable up to 13 ft distance. My question is on where to take the power from? I could wire it direct to the battery with ring connectors and an inline fuse. I don't think there would be a problem with that, as when the tiller pilot is not plugged in, there is no draw. Correct? The electrical panel has no open spaces, but I could take a feed from an existing position couldn't I? I was thinking of something like the "Accessory" which is the 12V lighter socket. Other positions on the panel are Cabin Lights, Nav Lights, Steaming and Deck Light, Stereo, Depth, VHF. I could possibly have any or all of the last 3 operating at the same time as the tiller pilot. Much less likely with the various lighting circuits, as we aren't underway at night (so far). Any suggestions on this aspect of the installation? Thanks. Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 #622
Hi Bill....since you have an inline fuse I would just connect it to the battery. It draws ZERO current when unplugged. Fair winds, Bob www.montgomeryboats.com
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 11:19:09 -0400 From: billwick@gmail.com To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Question on wiring up a tiller pilot
We have had a Raymarine ST1000 for a while. Just getting to installing it. Electrical is not my day job. Plan on using using 14AWG wire, as per the manual for cable up to 13 ft distance.
My question is on where to take the power from? I could wire it direct to the battery with ring connectors and an inline fuse. I don't think there would be a problem with that, as when the tiller pilot is not plugged in, there is no draw. Correct?
The electrical panel has no open spaces, but I could take a feed from an existing position couldn't I? I was thinking of something like the "Accessory" which is the 12V lighter socket.
Other positions on the panel are Cabin Lights, Nav Lights, Steaming and Deck Light, Stereo, Depth, VHF. I could possibly have any or all of the last 3 operating at the same time as the tiller pilot. Much less likely with the various lighting circuits, as we aren't underway at night (so far).
Any suggestions on this aspect of the installation? Thanks.
Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 #622 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
Bob, Thanks for the confirming what I was thinking. Bill On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:32 AM, Bob Eeg <montgomeryboats@hotmail.com>wrote:
Hi Bill....since you have an inline fuse I would just connect it to the battery. It draws ZERO current when unplugged.
Fair winds, Bob www.montgomeryboats.com
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 11:19:09 -0400 From: billwick@gmail.com To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Question on wiring up a tiller pilot
We have had a Raymarine ST1000 for a while. Just getting to installing it. Electrical is not my day job. Plan on using using 14AWG wire, as per the manual for cable up to 13 ft distance.
My question is on where to take the power from? I could wire it direct to the battery with ring connectors and an inline fuse. I don't think there would be a problem with that, as when the tiller pilot is not plugged in, there is no draw. Correct?
The electrical panel has no open spaces, but I could take a feed from an existing position couldn't I? I was thinking of something like the "Accessory" which is the 12V lighter socket.
Other positions on the panel are Cabin Lights, Nav Lights, Steaming and Deck Light, Stereo, Depth, VHF. I could possibly have any or all of the last 3 operating at the same time as the tiller pilot. Much less likely with the various lighting circuits, as we aren't underway at night (so far).
Any suggestions on this aspect of the installation? Thanks.
Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 #622 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
Hi Bill, My background is electronics so maybe I can help. I've not installed a tiller pilot so other who have may want to add/clarify. I know Bones works with electronics and batteries and may want to chime in. I agree that following the manual for wire size is a good way to go. 14 AWG can handle a lot of current and would be rugged to handle bends, twists, turns and kinks. I am guessing the 14 AWG wire size is not so much needed for the it's current capacity but rather to minimize the voltage drop in the wire (larger wire has less resistance and less voltage drop). As an electronics tech if I was to wire-in your ST1000 I would pull power from your existing electrical panel. That makes sense and would be a clean install. I would use quality crimp connectors and/or solder each connection. In thinking about your install I would give careful attention to your connections more so than other concerns. Poor connections are likely to give you more trouble down the road than these other concerns. When combining devices on an electrical panel you would want to size the fuse accordingly. Most of the time fuses blow from a flat-out short circuit, which would blow any size fuse. But it takes a few seconds for most fuses to blow and during that time the wire can get really hot. I'm guessing your electrical panel is also wired with 14 AWG, or maybe 16 AWG. Most devices are fused at 2 times their normal working or maximum current. If you had an amp meter handy you could more intelligently look at what current is being drawn and decide where to add your ST1000. I would not add it to an existing circuit that has a larger capacity fuse than the ST1000. Your "Accessory" spot is a good choice, just be sure the fuse for it is not larger than the fuse for the ST1000. Wire itself does not draw any current. So if when you disconnect your ST1000 all that is left in the circuit is wire then you are correct in that no current will be consumed and there is no draw on the battery. Long-story-short, pay careful attention to your connections, make your install clean and serviceable, and make an educated guess as to which circuit is best for adding in the ST1000. When combining devices on a circuit; If you connect your ST1000 and the fuse blows almost immediately then you likely have a short-circuit. If your using the ST1000 for a while and then the fuse blows but all else seems OK, then your fuse is likely undersized for the combined load. Randy G. M17 #410 On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 8:19 AM, Bill Wickett <billwick@gmail.com> wrote:
We have had a Raymarine ST1000 for a while. Just getting to installing it. Electrical is not my day job. Plan on using using 14AWG wire, as per the manual for cable up to 13 ft distance.
My question is on where to take the power from? I could wire it direct to the battery with ring connectors and an inline fuse. I don't think there would be a problem with that, as when the tiller pilot is not plugged in, there is no draw. Correct?
The electrical panel has no open spaces, but I could take a feed from an existing position couldn't I? I was thinking of something like the "Accessory" which is the 12V lighter socket.
Other positions on the panel are Cabin Lights, Nav Lights, Steaming and Deck Light, Stereo, Depth, VHF. I could possibly have any or all of the last 3 operating at the same time as the tiller pilot. Much less likely with the various lighting circuits, as we aren't underway at night (so far).
Any suggestions on this aspect of the installation? Thanks.
Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 #622 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
Thanks Randy. Very clear explanation. Bill On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:59 AM, Randy Graves <rkgraves@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Bill,
My background is electronics so maybe I can help. I've not installed a tiller pilot so other who have may want to add/clarify. I know Bones works with electronics and batteries and may want to chime in. I agree that following the manual for wire size is a good way to go. 14 AWG can handle a lot of current and would be rugged to handle bends, twists, turns and kinks. I am guessing the 14 AWG wire size is not so much needed for the it's current capacity but rather to minimize the voltage drop in the wire (larger wire has less resistance and less voltage drop).
As an electronics tech if I was to wire-in your ST1000 I would pull power from your existing electrical panel. That makes sense and would be a clean install. I would use quality crimp connectors and/or solder each connection. In thinking about your install I would give careful attention to your connections more so than other concerns. Poor connections are likely to give you more trouble down the road than these other concerns.
When combining devices on an electrical panel you would want to size the fuse accordingly. Most of the time fuses blow from a flat-out short circuit, which would blow any size fuse. But it takes a few seconds for most fuses to blow and during that time the wire can get really hot. I'm guessing your electrical panel is also wired with 14 AWG, or maybe 16 AWG. Most devices are fused at 2 times their normal working or maximum current. If you had an amp meter handy you could more intelligently look at what current is being drawn and decide where to add your ST1000. I would not add it to an existing circuit that has a larger capacity fuse than the ST1000. Your "Accessory" spot is a good choice, just be sure the fuse for it is not larger than the fuse for the ST1000.
Wire itself does not draw any current. So if when you disconnect your ST1000 all that is left in the circuit is wire then you are correct in that no current will be consumed and there is no draw on the battery.
Long-story-short, pay careful attention to your connections, make your install clean and serviceable, and make an educated guess as to which circuit is best for adding in the ST1000. When combining devices on a circuit; If you connect your ST1000 and the fuse blows almost immediately then you likely have a short-circuit. If your using the ST1000 for a while and then the fuse blows but all else seems OK, then your fuse is likely undersized for the combined load.
Randy G. M17 #410
On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 8:19 AM, Bill Wickett <billwick@gmail.com> wrote:
We have had a Raymarine ST1000 for a while. Just getting to installing it. Electrical is not my day job. Plan on using using 14AWG wire, as per the manual for cable up to 13 ft distance.
My question is on where to take the power from? I could wire it direct to the battery with ring connectors and an inline fuse. I don't think there would be a problem with that, as when the tiller pilot is not plugged in, there is no draw. Correct?
The electrical panel has no open spaces, but I could take a feed from an existing position couldn't I? I was thinking of something like the "Accessory" which is the 12V lighter socket.
Other positions on the panel are Cabin Lights, Nav Lights, Steaming and Deck Light, Stereo, Depth, VHF. I could possibly have any or all of the last 3 operating at the same time as the tiller pilot. Much less likely with the various lighting circuits, as we aren't underway at night (so far).
Any suggestions on this aspect of the installation? Thanks.
Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 #622 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
When posting, remember that there is no privacy on the Internet!
participants (3)
-
Bill Wickett -
Bob Eeg -
Randy Graves