2021/2022 Updates on 48v for main system bus

[mako]

coding, I had checked on 48 volt LED bulbs and they are available in standard household bulb bases. Sorta expensive though.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by mako

coding, I had checked on 48 volt LED bulbs and they are available in standard household bulb bases. Sorta expensive though.

Is it really worth it to switch stuff like LEDs? There is so much stuff that needs to be 12V (or at least 12/24V) that a 48V only boat is hard to justify (and currently impossible).

As long as all the heavy loads can be 48V (or AC) I see nothing wrong with keeping all the low power stuff at 12V. It will be decades (if ever) before radios, insturments, chartplotters, and whole NMEA2K network is running at 48v just due to legacy concerns.

48V windlass, bow thruster, and winches would be nice though. Aircon/refrigeration being either 48V or AC would be nice too. 12V becomes relegated to low current devices which makes powering it by DC to DC converter a lot easier/cheaper.

[resistor]

Originally Posted by Statistical

Is it really worth it to switch stuff like LEDs? There is so much stuff that needs to be 12V (or at least 12/24V) that a 48V only boat is hard to justify (and currently impossible).

As long as all the heavy loads can be 48V (or AC) I see nothing wrong with keeping all the low power stuff at 12V. It will be decades (if ever) before radios, insturments, chartplotters, and whole NMEA2K network is running at 48v just due to legacy concerns.

48V windlass, bow thruster, and winches would be nice though.

I'm also looking at upgrading my water maker to 48v. CruiseRO makes a high-capacity 48v DC water maker.

[codingparadox]

I just bought a new Spectra watermaker, but in 12V. Unfortunately I didn't find anything in the automated space that was 48V, just manual ones. So I'm like a year too early on that one. I even tried contacting Spectra but they're not willing to yet. Oh well. We're going to be on the hook enough that I just want to press a button from the electrical panel and fill up, not manually turn knobs and such all the time from down in the hold.

Yeah, LED bulbs to 48V would be the last thing to go. But that's what I mean -- as long as there's not a complete conversion of everything 12V available, it's not worth moving the little things. If I could look at the /majority/ of circuits on the boat and find 12V options for it, and just leave a tiny portion of 12V somewhere, it'd be more compelling. But we're not there yet. Hell I just replaced the propane solenoid and there were only 12/24V options there.

Aircon we're gonna go with a chiller system that's gonna be 230VAC, but still easily runnable overnight on the 48V bank when on anchor. I think there are already some smaller units in 48VDC, but for like 50+k BTU, people like me with 8kW of inverter capacity are rare enough that they assume you're running it off shore power or a generator and it's all 230VAC.

[resistor]

I'm replacing a Spectra manual water maker with a CruiseRO manual one, so no regression there at least. I think I'll be able to locate the manual panel for the CruiseRO in a more convenient location even.

[mako]

A quick search shows more and more 48vdc driven water makers out there. I like this one as being dead nuts simple (I prefer a more manual solution rather than automated, especially utilizing standardized components):

https://www.echotecwatermaker.com/dc...ers-for-yachts

[ArranP]

Any sight of 48v for the macerator toilet yet ?

[alaskanviking]

Originally Posted by codingparadox

The Maxwell windlasses come in 48v on a few different sizes, for example:

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=7157234

I picked up an RC12-10 since I wanted to be safely overpowered on a 100 lb anchor and 300 ft of 3/8s chain.

Its been too early in this phase, to look into windlasses. But that is my windlass, a 24v version. That's pretty exciting actually, I just need to order a new motor and done. The defender page shows they come with a 12 or 24v solonoid so it's just a simple motor swap.

The windlass was a prime target for a 48v bank. That and the inverter/charger is the biggest DC consumers.

[alaskanviking]

Originally Posted by mako

48vdc motors are widely available, just not in the typical West Marine realm yet. Check out electric bikes and other small vehicles. Goto Made-In-China or Alibaba and order as many motors as you'd like. The key is having to custom make an (eg.) water pump with a 48v motor direct driving a centrifugal pump. There you go, a 48v bilge pump! Just not a Rule brand. Heck, if that pump has a draw head of a few feet then you can remotely locate the pump up in your engine space, with a remote pickup down low. That would solve the problems of a lot of sore backs and yucky bilgy junk piling up on the pump.

They still make the 12v/24v diaphragm pumps, the belt drive ones. They have a can motor with a simple shaft. Gear is held on with a set screw. I didn't think about the electric bike and scooter motors. Seems it would be pretty simple to convert it.

[alaskanviking]

A quick search and I found several 48v bike conversation kits with can motors. They came with the motor controller. Would be easy to convert one to a belt driven water pump.

Just realized that these are meant for a throttle device. Essentially that would make a variable flow pump if you combined it with the right electronics.aybe some run dry protection like in well pumps.

I may be accidentally increasing the demand in these pumps so I think I may pop over and order a few before the prices spike

[alaskanviking]

I found a 48v 5hp motor for an EZ GO, golf cart. It needs a motor controller but it looks exactly what is needed for a scuba compressor motor swap, my other big consumer.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by mako

As a 2022 aside, you can see that 48VDC mains (house banks) are at a tipping point of acceptance in the recreational boating industry. It's great to see so many people pushing the systems. Funny how the bulk of the effort is here in the sailboat realm, not the power trawlers which are generally more power-hungry. I guess the trawler crowd is just more conservative.

The trawler crowd as a rule have 1800 rpm auxiliary gensets and run them as needed for their electric galley, air conditioning, etc. They see large solar arrays and LiFePO4 banks as unnecessary expense and complexity that addresses a problem that is already solved. Generally they have over ten times the diesel tankage of sailboats, have sufficient space for a large auxiliary generator with good service access and good sound insulation, and have an approach to being on the water that embraces the burning of diesel fuel and expenditure of engine hours to a greater degree that sailors.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by alaskanviking

I found a 48v 5hp motor for an EZ GO, golf cart. It needs a motor controller but it looks exactly what is needed for a scuba compressor motor swap, my other big consumer.

It has to be continuous duty. Leeson makes 2hp DC motors in 24v and 48v. They come in a NEMA 56C frame that makes them a drop-in replacement for most smaller scuba compressors built around a 3hp electric motor (Bauer, Coltri, etc). No motor controller is required, just a DC contactor or switch.

[mako]

@alaskaviking, try to find a TEFC motor (totally enclosed fan cooled) or similar which is sealed.

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by codingparadox

The maxwell I got actually still uses 12V for the relays, it’s just 48 for the main motor. So I still will have to run a small amount of 12V up to that spot.

Alternatively, you could run only 48V to your windlass and use a dedicated 48V/12V DC-DC converter proximate to your windlass.