| Favorite team: | LSU  |
| Location: | Baton Rouge |
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| Number of Posts: | 7592 |
| Registered on: | 9/28/2009 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
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quote:
BEP makes the one I use it’s a cluster of two on/off switches and the VSR
Yup. Those are pretty good. EGIS offers a “cluster” type solution as well that’s nice.
quote:
the champion is still in grand isle waiting for CP3 to rewire her
I took a break for a while, I’ll get to it in a few more years :lol:
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This is the setup I was describing. Pict is rough markup I had on my phone, so not the best quality. When switch is “on” the top terminals are connected to the bottom terminals. But the left set of posts and right set of posts are separate circuits.
When in combine, the switch basically has all 4 posts tied together
Basically right side posts in picture are only used when in combine.
When in combine, the switch basically has all 4 posts tied together
Basically right side posts in picture are only used when in combine.
Ah gotcha. I mean if you want to keep it super simple, I guess you could just use regular on/off switches for each battery/load. And charge house battery using aux lead from engine or ACRs.
But for like $200 more (3 dual circuit switches), you could do it like I described and have built in “redundancy” that just requires turning a knob. If you’re replacing switches anyway, it’s not really an added cost.
But for like $200 more (3 dual circuit switches), you could do it like I described and have built in “redundancy” that just requires turning a knob. If you’re replacing switches anyway, it’s not really an added cost.
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Consult a marine electrician
He is currently doing that.
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This is just a center console. But since I have 2 starting and one house, I mentioned off shore because I wasn't sure if bass boats were wired a little more loosely as getting back to the hill is generally not as much of a major concern.
You’re not wrong. It seems most bass boats and smaller boats take a slightly different approach. Atleast from what I’ve seen from MFR.
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I'm also curious with all these new advances in battery tech, if just keeping a cheap/ small lithium for starting a motor isn't the worst idea and simplifying some of the other wiring?
Are you talking about basically using a lithium as a reserve/jump pack? Or using lithium to replace your starting batteries?
With 2 engines there isn’t really a need to have the “jump pack” setup. If one is low, just combine with other engine/battery. At most I’d just carry one of those portable jump packs instead of a built in one.
If you’re talking about replacing with lithium, that is a different situation. There was a post on here a few weeks ago about that. You can go read that to see how I feel about it :lol:
quote:
Most boats were wired by drunk thumbless idiots and are downright dangerous.
Wish I could upvote this 1000000 times lol.
OP - I’ll try to dig up one of my wiring diagrams tomorrow for a twin engine boat. I typically do them with start batteries only powering motors and house battery powering everything else. Only exception being electronic steering. That typically goes to starting batteries. One could argue to put bilge pumps on start batteries, but I’d rather not have electronics vs not being able to start engine if pump sticks on and kills battery. Definitely wire them on the battery side and not the switch side though. You want the to have 24hr power.
I use Blue Sea dual circuit On/Off/Combine switches for each battery. I Jump the “extra” circuit of each switch to the other switches, so that you can emergency combine any battery to any of the other ones (diagram will help explain this). Basically any switch in combine is jumped to any other switch in combine.
I put on board charger leads directly to battery. ACR/VSR between each start battery and house (Port-> House & Stbd -> House). Can do this either at the battery itself or at the battery side of each switch. I like to put my ACRs on the battery side so you can use a 2 bank charger and it will charge all 3 batteries. I’ve heard people argue not to do this for various reasons, but I’ve rigged nearly every boat I’ve touched this way and none of them have had issues with on board charger. Alternatively if you have a 3 bank charger just wire ACRs on the switched side. Either way will work.
If can probably answer any other questions you have :lol:
Also, if you find yourself needing any new panels or anything I can probably help you out too. I CNC all my own panels and have been getting pretty good at it. Always looking for an excuse to cut something else. Pretty sure I have some extra starboard, luxxematte, acrylic, etc laying around here somewhere as well.
This is one I made for an American Aluminum I rigged out. It’s on a hinge so you can open it to access all the wiring behind it.
re: Missing 18 year old's body found on Horn Island - and ridiculous reactions.
Posted by CP3 on 7/13/26 at 12:34 pm to Vacherie Saint
quote:
This witness is now the third person to come forward and say that this altercation had nothing to do with Nolan Wells,
Unfortunately this won’t matter. They’re just going to say he is lying to cover for the white kids and it’s part of the cover up and “doesn’t make sense”. :lol:
I would bet my house on it.
re: Missing 18 year old's body found on Horn Island - and ridiculous reactions.
Posted by CP3 on 7/12/26 at 10:48 pm to _Hurricane_
quote:
Am I the only one that thinks this is one of the most bat shite reactions to a story they’ve ever seen?
Nope.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reaction that’s as batshit insane and this one is. It’s making my brain bleed.
Maybe someone killed him, maybe he drowned. Who knows. We’ll probably have a better idea in a few weeks I’d imagine. Phone data, interviews, autopsy, other evidence will almost certainly crush these dumbass theories. Not like that will mean anything to them though, because it will just be some huge cover up.
That being said, the way people are claiming it happened would make for one hell of a Netflix documentary.
quote:
Timeline isn’t timing and it’s head scratching that these people actually believe some shite.
Yeah, I’m not seeing how that photo is ground breaking evidence of anything.
1) Has anyone actually verified when that photo was taken or even that it’s him in the picture?
2) Do people really think all 30+ people at that party are engaged in a conspiracy to commit murder? And/or the 100’s of people that were on horn island?
3) The timeline seems like it would make it physically impossible for his body to end up back on Horn island, especially since they would have had to “dump the body” AFTER reporting him missing.
Like holy shite what a stretch to make this some racially motivated execution. The craziest part to me is so many people are rushing out with random pictures and citing “someone who commented on this other post about it said” acting like it’s factual evidence :lol:
I even saw a post of the pool party picture that was so badly AI manipulated it made a white persons arm black, and it was being used as proof confirming it was him :rotflmao:
Claiming that the entire white population of Mississippi, 100’s of people at the island (including the black “best friend”), 30+ people at some pool party, and law enforcement/elected officials are ALL colluding against you is pretty wild.
re: Marine Audio
Posted by CP3 on 7/6/26 at 6:02 pm to magicman534
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CP3, Kinda off topic but have you ever considered filming videos of you rewiring boats for YouTube?
I’ve thought about it a few times. I honestly just don’t feel like doing the editing on the backend after it’s all done.
That being said, I’m going to be rigging out a 47ft Freeman a little over a year from now. It’s coming as basically a naked hull straight from Freeman. That would probably be a good one to film if I decided to start making videos :lol:
quote:
I find it extremely difficult to justify a built in system when Bluetooth speakers are so good and so cheap
This really just depends on size/type of boat.
Small boat, sure.
Larger center console or something like a wakeboard/lake boat, not so much.
quote:
Your current set up and budget will be extremely important OP.
Agreed. Existing amp? Reusing amp, or replace that too? How many speakers you replacing? Keeping headunit?
quote:
Personally unless you want absolutely high end sound I don't think you need to stress about it brand and quality
Also agree. If you just want something decent and cheap, just get Skar speakers. They are like $150 a pair for 8”, and are loud and sound good enough. The 8’s actually have pretty decent lows as well. If one goes out, they’re cheap enough to just replace every few years lol.
It really just depends on how much you want to spend and/or how good you want it to sound.
Top tier (IMO):
- Rockford Fosgate M2 series speakers
- JL M6 series speakers
Mid tier:
- Rockford Fosgate M0 series speakers
- JL M3 series speakers
- Kicker speakers
Budget:
- Skar speakers are actually pretty good for the price. I would almost put them in mid tier. Ran a pair of 8” in a system with some JL M6 speakers and they were comparable in loudness, not quite as clear but still sounded good enough and are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. They need a good bit of power though.
If you want to actually hear any of these while running you’re gonna want to power them with an amp though. I like fusion amps the most. JL and Rockford are good too. If you don’t care that much about sound quality you can probably go with cheaper options as long as you match it to power needed by speakers.
Top tier (IMO):
- Rockford Fosgate M2 series speakers
- JL M6 series speakers
Mid tier:
- Rockford Fosgate M0 series speakers
- JL M3 series speakers
- Kicker speakers
Budget:
- Skar speakers are actually pretty good for the price. I would almost put them in mid tier. Ran a pair of 8” in a system with some JL M6 speakers and they were comparable in loudness, not quite as clear but still sounded good enough and are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. They need a good bit of power though.
If you want to actually hear any of these while running you’re gonna want to power them with an amp though. I like fusion amps the most. JL and Rockford are good too. If you don’t care that much about sound quality you can probably go with cheaper options as long as you match it to power needed by speakers.
re: How many electronics can 1 lithium battery run?
Posted by CP3 on 6/23/26 at 2:37 pm to WillFerrellisking
If I remember right, livescope doesn’t really draw a ton of power. I want to say like 2-3 amps.
re: How many electronics can 1 lithium battery run?
Posted by CP3 on 6/23/26 at 1:33 pm to WillFerrellisking
I mean, it really just comes down to what your actual loads are, and how often you’re cranking motor to move to different spots, etc. Have you had issues draining battery in the past?
People have been getting by with lead acid/AGM batteries just fine prior to LiFePO4 becoming more widely available/affordable. Nothing wrong with staying with lead acid/AGM other than they are heavier/bigger than an equivalent lithium. If you stay with LA or AGM and are worried about capacity (and have enough room), you can always jump up to the next group size for the house battery (Group 27 or even 31). Or add second one paralleled, but that seems excessive for a small boat.
I (personally) like to stick with AGM for starting and house banks, and only use lithium for trolling motor.
I have several reasons for this, some are “controversial” and have been argued several times on here, so I won’t dive too deep into it. But long story short… I don’t trust lithium as cranking battery (yet).
Since I don’t use them for cranking, I stick with LA/AGM for house just to avoid having to mix battery types, install Victron, etc. I have no issue using lithium for house batteries other than that though, and there is nothing wrong with doing it that way.
Not sure any of that actually answered your question :lol:
People have been getting by with lead acid/AGM batteries just fine prior to LiFePO4 becoming more widely available/affordable. Nothing wrong with staying with lead acid/AGM other than they are heavier/bigger than an equivalent lithium. If you stay with LA or AGM and are worried about capacity (and have enough room), you can always jump up to the next group size for the house battery (Group 27 or even 31). Or add second one paralleled, but that seems excessive for a small boat.
I (personally) like to stick with AGM for starting and house banks, and only use lithium for trolling motor.
I have several reasons for this, some are “controversial” and have been argued several times on here, so I won’t dive too deep into it. But long story short… I don’t trust lithium as cranking battery (yet).
Since I don’t use them for cranking, I stick with LA/AGM for house just to avoid having to mix battery types, install Victron, etc. I have no issue using lithium for house batteries other than that though, and there is nothing wrong with doing it that way.
Not sure any of that actually answered your question :lol:
re: How many electronics can 1 lithium battery run?
Posted by CP3 on 6/23/26 at 12:21 pm to WillFerrellisking
The ACR will have to come out regardless if you are mixing lead acid and lithium.
If you want house to charge off the motor running you need to add the Victron in place of the ACR. Added bonus is with the Victron you can only hook onboard charger to start battery and it will also handle charging the lithium house.
If you are fine not having house charge while running, then you don’t need the Victron. The only thing that will ever charge lithium house batteries in this case would be onboard charger, which you would need one that can charge lithium.
I’m an EE that mainly deals with DC voltage. And have also rebuilt several boats and rewire larger center consoles every now and then on the side to fund my fishing habit :lol:
If you want house to charge off the motor running you need to add the Victron in place of the ACR. Added bonus is with the Victron you can only hook onboard charger to start battery and it will also handle charging the lithium house.
If you are fine not having house charge while running, then you don’t need the Victron. The only thing that will ever charge lithium house batteries in this case would be onboard charger, which you would need one that can charge lithium.
quote:
Just curious how the heck you know so much about this? haha I really appreciate the help bud!! Thanks
I’m an EE that mainly deals with DC voltage. And have also rebuilt several boats and rewire larger center consoles every now and then on the side to fund my fishing habit :lol:
re: How many electronics can 1 lithium battery run?
Posted by CP3 on 6/23/26 at 11:40 am to WillFerrellisking
That is an ACR. It’s essentially a relay that parallels your crank and house battery when your engine is running and crank battery is charged.
You will need to replace that with a 12V DC-DC charger if you want to keep it set up to charge your house battery off the motor while running. Or remove the ACR and lose the ability for your house bank to charge while running.
You do not want Lithium and lead acid banks paralleled with each other.
Victron makes DC-DC converters for this. I’m sure there are cheaper versions/other methods of accomplishing the same thing, but Victron is what I would use. The Orion XS 1400 is their newer model for this (and is probably what I would use), but the older Orion XS 12/12-50A should do the same thing.
Just FYI there is also some configuration required with the Victron units, but it’s not difficult at all.
Just my thoughts if you want to do it the right way.
Edit - side note… with the Victron unit, you only need to hook whatever onboard charger you have to your starting battery. The Victron unit will allow the charge to flow to the house bank once the crank battery is full (you won’t need a separate onboard charger for the lithium). The Victron is basically a “smarter” version of the ACR, and instead of simply paralleling the batteries it’s a controlled “charge” to the lithium bank since they are different chemistries and have different charge profiles, resting voltage, etc.
You will need to replace that with a 12V DC-DC charger if you want to keep it set up to charge your house battery off the motor while running. Or remove the ACR and lose the ability for your house bank to charge while running.
You do not want Lithium and lead acid banks paralleled with each other.
Victron makes DC-DC converters for this. I’m sure there are cheaper versions/other methods of accomplishing the same thing, but Victron is what I would use. The Orion XS 1400 is their newer model for this (and is probably what I would use), but the older Orion XS 12/12-50A should do the same thing.
Just FYI there is also some configuration required with the Victron units, but it’s not difficult at all.
Just my thoughts if you want to do it the right way.
Edit - side note… with the Victron unit, you only need to hook whatever onboard charger you have to your starting battery. The Victron unit will allow the charge to flow to the house bank once the crank battery is full (you won’t need a separate onboard charger for the lithium). The Victron is basically a “smarter” version of the ACR, and instead of simply paralleling the batteries it’s a controlled “charge” to the lithium bank since they are different chemistries and have different charge profiles, resting voltage, etc.
re: How many electronics can 1 lithium battery run?
Posted by CP3 on 6/23/26 at 10:37 am to WillFerrellisking
Does your existing house battery charge off your motor/crank battery while running? If so (depending on outboard) you will need an isolated DC-DC charger in between. Sounds like it is completely separate though, which would be a drop in replacement.
Assuming you had a group 24 battery before, a 100Ah Lithium would give you plenty of capacity (more than you had with lead acid).
If your onboard charger can’t charge lithium, you can always get a Noco single bank charger for it. Or replace existing with a Noco that can supply the amount of batteries you need. The Noco can select battery type for each individual bank. That being said, depending on which lithium you go with some come with a charger you could mount in boat.
Assuming you had a group 24 battery before, a 100Ah Lithium would give you plenty of capacity (more than you had with lead acid).
If your onboard charger can’t charge lithium, you can always get a Noco single bank charger for it. Or replace existing with a Noco that can supply the amount of batteries you need. The Noco can select battery type for each individual bank. That being said, depending on which lithium you go with some come with a charger you could mount in boat.
quote:
mchias1
Sounds like we are in the same field. :cheers:
I wonder what voltage these old pumps run on. I’d assume somewhere in the 4160v range. But I’m not really sure how big they are.
quote:
you ever been in a house when the AC kicks on and the lights dim?
Side note/CSB… I was in the control room at a client site not long ago when they had to throw a 10,000hp 13.8kV compressor across the line to get it started (VFD wasn’t working), and that was a pretty interesting experience. Definitely dimmed the lights :lol:
re: Remnants of Arthur - Historic Avoyelles Parish Flash Flood Emergency
Posted by CP3 on 6/18/26 at 5:12 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
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Pretty much every flight in and out of MSY today still shows on time. Im surprised they havent freaked out yet.
I fly into BTR at 10am from Dallas. Was worried last night, but thinking I’ll be ok now. Looks like NOLA is getting the worst of it
Sooo what are my chances of my flight from Dallas to BTR making it at 11am tomorrow :lol:
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