Custom control/breaker panel

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by team karst

Really nice paint work.

240/120 is really the way to go once you exceed 30Amps.

In my case, I wanted to keep my boat as 120 30A, but I have one large 240V compressor load. So, i used that rotary switch to change the genset winding config for the compressor runs. Works well for small boats that can withstand limited 120 at times.

While normally panels get painted, these are not. They are black anodized aluminum, so the black is in the aluminum. Then, instead of engraving and filling with paint, I opted for a printed graphic instead. Think of it as an inkjet printer putting the ink straight on the panel. It is ink that is cured under UV light. To get correct colors on the black material, everything is underprinted with white ink, then after cure the full color print is put on top.

You feel the print sits proud of the panel, unlike the Blue Sea Systems panels.

The special feature of my setup was inspired with Victron recommending this to me many years ago when I started to look at upgrading the system.
This feature is to skip 120V for most of the system, doing just 240V after dropping the Neutral, using just L1 and L2. This means it’s perfectly balanced by definition (also genset windings!) and that you can use a single 240V inverter, swapping Neutral with L2. Even when you get a 120V/30A shore power connection, the isolation transformer simply converts that to the 240V.

Finally, at the breaker panel, I create a new Neutral using an auto transformer. This transformer takes care of any imbalance in the loads behind the breakers.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I can select shore or ship board invertor. The switch has l four position off, shore , ship , auto , hence I can use a small dc switch

Actually I’m doing version two over winter and replacing the rotary with push buttons , there is a manual override

Auto has Shore power priority switching over invertor

All use connon dc contactors and some auto transfer logic

The next install is a wifi ELCI , ie remotely resettable

Love to see pictures, show us! I understand you have multiple contactors with just the control switch on the panel, like I do for DC. Yes, I would say this 63A is the largest I would want to see mounted on the panel. I have used 125A switches with my company in the past and those have no place on switch panels on sailboats

[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Fine work!!!

How much would one of these panels cost with all of the breakers and switches installed?

I’m curious because I’m about to drop a boat buck on a blue sea panel.

So far you are beating the crap out of that price point. But I don’t know if it has more to do with the breakers.

Be sure to get a quote from “Paneltronics” in
Florida. Usually less than Blue Sea and fully customizable
Cheers
Neil

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Love to see pictures, show us! I understand you have multiple contactors with just the control switch on the panel, like I do for DC. Yes, I would say this 63A is the largest I would want to see mounted on the panel. I have used 125A switches with my company in the past and those have no place on switch panels on sailboats

When I’m back on the boat I’ll take some photos

Yes I have simple push buttons to a little ATTINY board that handles the logic and then mosfets to drive thd dc /ac contactors this means these contactors can be mounted elsewhere with easier cable runs.

This is version 2 in version 1 I ran a switch like yours.

[s/v Jedi]

Finished CAD for all four panels now

[goboatingnow]

Very nice

[s/v Jedi]

For those who wonder about pricing: here are all four panels uploaded in my account, with details incl. price

[goboatingnow]

Here’s a cad mock-up showing the rgb back lighting ( 5050 leds ) Green for “ on “ “ white” back lit “ orange “ for warning “ red “ for error/alert



Each panel has a led control board




And the backlit leds sit in little 3D printed light shrouds



You see how it all fits both led control and light shroud



East panel is on a LIN bus so that overall synchronised illumination etc can be achieved

The lin bus not only allows illumination synch but also allows remote systems to feed status warnings etc.

The light shroud is generic and used on many panels as the spacing is fixed. The shroud prevents interaction between Led Color’s

The presence of a micro controller means simple logic on the buttons etc is easy ( this is how the ac transfer is worked )

As discussed elsewhere most of the components are imput surge protectors. Notably these boards survived my recent lightening strike !!

[slacker]

I tried designing a 12v breaker panel once using Front Panel Express software. No fault of their software but I could not get the hole spacing quite right for the BREAKERS. Fortunately, as JEDI has shown, their pricing is good so it wasn't a great loss. Should of paid more attention in caliper school!

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by slacker

I tried designing a 12v breaker panel once using Front Panel Express software. No fault of their software but I could not get the hole spacing quite right for the BREAKERS. Fortunately, as JEDI has shown, their pricing is good so it wasn't a great loss. Should of paid more attention in caliper school!

The trick is to get the precise documentation from the manufacturer of the component. For the A-series breakers from Blue Sea Systems, which is actually manufactured by Carling, here is that info:

[slacker]

Why, thank you Nick.
Appreciate that as well as all the excellence schematics and informative post over the years.

[goboatingnow]

For design work it’s worth getting to grips with 3D cad as these days a lot of companies provide 3D cad of their products. You then then check fitting spacing etc.

Steep learning curve sure but what else have you to do with your time

[Belliure 50]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

In Europe front panel express is SCHAEFFER AG

This is awesome!!!

[s/v Jedi]

When I was in college I did the whole PCB (printed circuit board) process as well as electronics housing manufacture from aluminum… all long ago so old school by hand and pen drawings on those big tables with ruler arms etc.

Then I got lucky in university they had computer CAD systems just in time for me to learn that. This isn’t the MacBook I use today… huge stations with 3D screens consisting of multiple see-through displays put behind each other so you could see a trace behind another trace in a different layer by moving your head and looking behind the first trace. But the principles are the same and it was relatively easy for me to pick this up again. It is well worth the effort if the software is capable of providing good results.

The software from Schaeffer/FrontpanelExpress is good. Also, when you can work with 1/8” resolution, LucidChart is good. I also tried TurboCAD for Mac, which I used for Windows years ago with success, but the Mac version is unusable.

LucidChart is free to try and Frontpanel CAD is completely free. You see what this combo is capable of, I highly recommend it.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

When I was in college I did the whole PCB (printed circuit board) process as well as electronics housing manufacture from aluminum… all long ago so old school by hand and pen drawings on those big tables with ruler arms etc.



Then I got lucky in university they had computer CAD systems just in time for me to learn that. This isn’t the MacBook I use today… huge stations with 3D screens consisting of multiple see-through displays put behind each other so you could see a trace behind another trace in a different layer by moving your head and looking behind the first trace. But the principles are the same and it was relatively easy for me to pick this up again. It is well worth the effort if the software is capable of providing good results.



The software from Schaeffer/FrontpanelExpress is good. Also, when you can work with 1/8” resolution, LucidChart is good. I also tried TurboCAD for Mac, which I used for Windows years ago with success, but the Mac version is unusable.



LucidChart is free to try and Frontpanel CAD is completely free. You see what this combo is capable of, I highly recommend it.

I use autocad fusion 360