Windlass motor connections

[stuffinbox]

A simple question for those in the know. On the motor for a Nillson Maxwell windlass which post is the positive and which is ground? I seem to remember the side post or "field" is positive. Old age is creeping in and the motor has been being rebuilt for the better part of a month, all thats left on re installation is power and the list is shortened yet again. many thanks.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by stuffinbox

A simple question for those in the know. On the motor for a Nillson Maxwell windlass which post is the positive and which is ground? I seem to remember the side post or "field" is positive. Old age is creeping in and the motor has been being rebuilt for the better part of a month, all thats left on re installation is power and the list is shortened yet again. many thanks.

Yo Stuff,

since it is not marked, it could be reversable. Try it.

best, andy

[Alan Wheeler]

Which model winch do you have. Is it reversing?? Reversing units have three posts. "A" is the Negative and "F1" & "F2" are the positive connections. If used as an up only, then which ever of those two makes the winch wind in the correct direction, but it shoudl normally be "F1".
If nit is a single feild winch motor, ie, it has only the two posts, then connect in direction that makes the winch turn in the direction you want.

[Mike Banks]

I would use relays to operate the windlass once you have figured out which direction to wire the motor--rigged so that when anchor is down there is no electrical connection to the windlass motor from the battery system either positive or negative. If one does not do this it is possible to lose the galvanising from the anchor chain fairly quickly--or corrode some other part of the hull, since you have made the anchor an extra earth path for any electrolysis or stray currents leaving the vessel.

[Pblais]

Mike, There is a better reason.

They don't make switches that you can mount on the deck that can handle that many amps. Using the relay is the only way to do this as the relay can use low amperage to open and close the switch. The other mistake you can make is to not replace the factory pigtails on the motor with proper sized wire. It needs to be as thick as the wires coming forward else you'll burn out the motor. You don't just splice onto the pigtails. There are tables that tell you how thick based on how far.

[GordMay]

Some typical Windlass Wiring Diagrams (Lofrans), illustrating Wheels description:

2 & 4 Wire:
http://www.seatechmarineproducts.com...re_diagram.jpg

3-Wire:
http://www.seatechmarineproducts.com...ng_Diagram.jpg

[Charlie]

I have the instruction manual from Nilsson Maxwell and will try to post it tonight.

[phiggins]

Paul Blais wrote:
The other mistake you can make is to not replace the factory pigtails on the motor with proper sized wire. It needs to be as thick as the wires coming forward else you'll burn out the motor.

Paul I find that statement hard to believe. I'm currently installing a windlass and no where in the instructions does it say to do this. It would seem to me that one should be concerned about the total resistance in the path to the motor. The length of the pigtails are so short that it would cause an insignificant voltage drop.

Paul

[Lancerbye]

If I was at my boat I'd be able to look it up in the manual. Is it a vertical with fold out cranks for manual operation and a combination chain and rope winch?

[Pblais]

Paul I find that statement hard to believe. I'm currently installing a windlass and no where in the instructions does it say to do this.

Neither did the previous owner. When they over fused the circuit the pig tails burned out before the main line could start on fire because they were sized correctly and the pigtails were not. That was a case where the mistake prevented the larger fire but it might not have worked they way in another situation. You can then run a single line from the selonoid to the windlass and not require any splice at all. I don't see the case where the pigtails are long enough very often. No splice is also a good thing too.

[Mike Banks]

The short pigtails serve as fusible links unless you remove them. Generally they are rated to carry the current recommended for the motor--but the main leads aft should be as heavy as you can get them and run in separate conduits. If you leave pigtails on and they do fuse--molten copper can start fires, even though it may prevent motor burn-out.

Make sure you use heavy relays so that the winch at idle is not part of the earthed system, or when the anchor is down the zinc will become a sacrificial anode and your galvanizing will not last very long.

[Pblais]

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']If you leave pigtails on and they do fuse--molten copper can start fires, even though it may prevent motor burn-out.[/FONT]

I can say from first hand experience they don't. The motor was as burned as the wires. It was an unusual situation primarily due to a fuse that was too high. I would agree with everything else Mike. There are a lot of details you just don't get in an installation manual. It's one of the reasons I still learn things here too.