Custom control/breaker panel

[CaptTom]

Nice!! I've had some panels done by Front Panel and love them.

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The power monitors are very cheap, from Amazon. I paid $20 each and they measure voltage, frequency, power factor, amperage and they count kWh, so you can check the marina bill.

Can you narrow down the search terms I'd need to find these? I didn't know such a thing existed. Seems perfect for a boat.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I use autocad fusion 360

Can you export to the CAD from FrontpanelExpress? I think the free personal use version is restricted in export file formats.

I still use the free version of Sketchup for 3D work.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Can you export to the CAD from FrontpanelExpress? I think the free personal use version is restricted in export file formats.



I still use the free version of Sketchup for 3D work.

No not from the free version.

[SV Spectra]

Sorry if o am posting in the wrong forum, this is my first question. Does anybody know how to change the indicator leds on a BEP MARINE-900-ACM6W 110 Volt ?
Any schemes or pictures will help a lot, not to mention a short movie.
Thanks a lot
Marcelo
S/V Spectra
Paraty/Brasil

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

These double pole breakers are $33 each on Amazon. I buy when at sale but that was still $30 each.

Just a heads up. One should be VERY careful about where one sources electronics. One of the larger marine electronics suppliers has several employees that ONLY track down counterfeits. And they appear on household name websites. Just... buyer beware.

[s/v Jedi]

Today I did the final install. Well, I screwed them in, now Ineed to do lots of wiring

[Ryban]

Lovely job on those panels Jedi! Providing lots of inspiration.

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

These double pole breakers are $33 each on Amazon. I buy when at sale but that was still $30 each. Some, like the 16A value are hard to find, ordered on eBay for a couple $ more.

The big rotary switch is a 63A switch… those are sold at very high prices,but I ordered from China and paid much less… think $40 instead of $300. I must say that this is only a 2-pole switch because I only do L1 and L2… no Neutral. A 3-pole switch would be more. But many boats have this switch in their cockpit somewhere so you can just relocate it.

The power monitors are very cheap, from Amazon. I paid $20 each and they measure voltage, frequency, power factor, amperage and they count kWh, so you can check the marina bill.

The big deal is the quality of the panel. The expensive Blue Sea panels are plain aluminium, painted with polyurethane. Not this… this is a 3mm black galvanized panel, so the black you see is galvanize. The print is done with UV cured ink… first with white ink an underprint, then full color over that. It is said to be very durable.

I think I’m mostly done with the CAD work of the other 3 panels so I’m about to send those in. Do not underestimate the time I spent behind the computer designing this. It is a steep learning curve. I used their CAD software for all the machining and I used LucidChart for the print. You export the artwork to a PDF which you then import into the CAD program and center on the panel. Works great, you can do any font, any color.

I am doing the countersinking myself. This lowers the price per drilled hole from $2.44 to $0.63 per hole. Now you know why I knew those details about countersinking haha there areboth metric and imperial fasteners, each needing their own countersink bit.

I have a drill press with accurate depth stop. I wouldn’t want to do this by hand.

they make adjustable countersinks for use with aviation rivets. they allow high precision of countersink depth with perfect repeatability. can be used by hand or on a press. we use them at work and every countersink is perfect.

https://www.northerntool.com/product...l-65001-301113

This is not the one we use but similar.

[s/v Jedi]

Wow, reading back I see I was talking about galvanized panels… it’s anodized of course, I must have been sleeping when I wrote that.

For the countersink: yes, adjustable is nice, but having the correct angle fixed ones is nice too as you get the correct angle for sure, without adjusting anything.

With the drill press and good bits it was done in minutes. Easy to earn some of the investment in the machinery back.

[BAD ORCA]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Wow, reading back I see I was talking about galvanized panels… it’s anodized of course, I must have been sleeping when I wrote that.

For the countersink: yes, adjustable is nice, but having the correct angle fixed ones is nice too as you get the correct angle for sure, without adjusting anything.

With the drill press and good bits it was done in minutes. Easy to earn some of the investment in the machinery back.

you can change the countersinks in the adjustable ones to whatever angle you want. they use removable threaded countersinks. McMaster sells them, they are of much better quality and produce superior countersinks although i have to admit your came out great. nice work.

be careful with solvents with the UV cure ink. we have one of these printers at work. strong solvents will dissolve the ink although im sure you wont be wiping your panels with acetone to clean them

also, corel draw is a great program for creating printer artwork, as is something like adobe illustrator. very easy and intuitive to use and corel has free 30 day trials. i use it to create the artwork then save it off as a .pdf and it loads into the printer with no hassles.

[Mal Reynolds]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Today I did the final install. Well, I screwed them in, now Ineed to do lots of wiring

My memory is your boat is aluminum?

You went with single pole breakers for the 24/12v distribution breakers. Why not double pole to help track down stray current to the hull? Panel space? Cost?

I've got an aluminum boat and looking at a big rewiring job.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Mal Reynolds

My memory is your boat is aluminum?

You went with single pole breakers for the 24/12v distribution breakers. Why not double pole to help track down stray current to the hull? Panel space? Cost?

I've got an aluminum boat and looking at a big rewiring job.

We’re fiberglass so no issue for us. Yes, I recommend double pole breakers for an aluminum hull

[Mal Reynolds]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

We’re fiberglass so no issue for us. Yes, I recommend double pole breakers for an aluminum hull

Ah, my mistake. Yes, thanks.