The best analogy for DC power I learned in 9th grade electronics class. And that was to compare it to the flow of water. Volts is like PSI. Amps is like GPM. My favorite line my teacher Mr. Wallace used was if he sprayed you with 500 psi from a little garden hose it might sting you a bit. If he hit you with a 12" water main at 500 psi it would turn you inside out! LOL.
Curious, Actually, the book Trace picked up, "The 12 Volt Bible for Boats" is probably the best read out there. It's written very well, and pretty much goes on the premise that the reader is not entirely familiar with the concepts of 12V electricity and how it works.The easiest way to describe the 12V concept is to imagine a circle, with a battery at the top of the circle, a device (light, pump, GPS unit, whatever) at the bottom of the circle. 12V flows to the device on the positive side of the circle, and flows back to the battery from the device on the negative side of the circle. Interrupt any portion of the circle and you have no power. That interruption is most commonly seen in the form of a switch. When the switch is off, the contacts inside the switch do not make contact with each other, so the circuit is interrupted (open). Turn the switch on, and the contacts touch each other, the interruption is gone (the circuit is closed), and viola, you have power.The biggest problem facing boat owners is that when you turn on the switch, you have no power. Unless the device has simply failed (burnt out bulb, burnt up pump motor, etc.), the fact that you have no power means that there is an interruption in the circuit somewhere else, an interruption that wasn't intended (a switch is intended). So obviously, the trouble-shooting key is to find that unintended interruption and repair it.There, easy isn't it?
Got it! So that rats nest of wires under every boat console I've ever seen is actually a big circle, right?
.but a circle. Circle is a relative term...
Quote from: "seabob4".but a circle. Circle is a relative term... Thought i heard my name
Buy the book, and read it all you want guys, follow the pictures too and your wiring still will not be close to as pretty, last as long or be as functional as a Seabob job, Less money in materials too if you pay someone who does it day in day out to do it right the first time. Think of it like a cook book, 20 people can make the same recipe and not one will taste as good or look as good as the chef who makes it everyday, its all in the little details and technique!Capt Matt
Bob what do you recommend to put on battery terminals to fight corrosion.
Quote from: "Capt Matt"Buy the book, and read it all you want guys, follow the pictures too and your wiring still will not be close to as pretty, last as long or be as functional as a Seabob job, Less money in materials too if you pay someone who does it day in day out to do it right the first time. Think of it like a cook book, 20 people can make the same recipe and not one will taste as good or look as good as the chef who makes it everyday, its all in the little details and technique!Capt MattCapt. Matt is pretty much spot on. But I can give you a guide, some real basics, as well as a bit of insight into my "technique". My technique is not the only one out there, but it's the method I use, I'm comfortable with it, it allows me to adapt to changes should they occur, and it works...And, fortunately for me, I enjoy it. I'll come up with something...
