Isolated and hardened DC power for electronics

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The next way to harden your electronics is fit copious TVS based surge suppressors on the dc fed in to each device and fit specialised TVS solutions on the nmea 2000 lines of in use.
That’s thd best way to harden things

Did you not see them in my diagram?

For NMEA2000, it’s power is connected to the output of the system as shown in the diagram, so it’s isolated and surge suppressed. Also, NMEA2000 data conductors have galvanic isolation at each device.

Devices like instrument displays, chart plotters, radars etc. all have suppression built in. This is why some gear sometimes survives miraculously

[PUDDLE JUMPER II]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That should work as long as the wire doesn’t make sharp turns. Make sure there’s good contact and don’t connect copper to the aluminum mast… aluminum wire would be perfect for this.

Sidebar--Is it still appropriate to run copper wire from the keel stepped mast to the grounding plate?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by PUDDLE JUMPER II

Sidebar--Is it still appropriate to run copper wire from the keel stepped mast to the grounding plate?

Same deal: the plate should be about under the mast and the wire should be a straight run down to the plate, without sharp bends.

If there are sharp bends, or if the plate is too far away, a lightning strike will not comply, ionize the air into plasma and bolt straight through the hull into the water, holing the boat, often with many small holes, sometimes one big one, completely unreliable.

[mcon12000]

My system is similar in that all my essential to navigation systems and lights are on a 12v gel bank that is serviced by two DC to DC 24/12 chargers. Under normal operation the 24v Lifepo4 bank is powering everything but in the even of a BMS failure the dumb 12v gel bank takes over.

On the alternator side of things it’s terminated to the starting battery and a 100amp Buck boost which provides a 24v charge to the Lifepo4 house bank. There is no alternator connection to the 12v gel bank rather I have a spare DC to DC charger I can activate between the start battery and the gel bank, reprogram the 614 or utilize the Balmar built in back up regulator.

As far as lightning protection goes good luck I just operate knowing most of my electronics will be lost. So I have spares of everything in handheld form which I hope will survive. This is one of the dangers of an internal BMS on expensive Lifepo4 batteries the cells will likely survive and the BMS will be toast. That said mine are internal the deal was too good to pass up and they’re the only non Victron electrical equipment on the boat. Time will tell but I’d feel a lot better carting a spare Victron BMS around with their batteries.

[Lineguy]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That should work as long as the wire doesn’t make sharp turns. Make sure there’s good contact and don’t connect copper to the aluminum mast… aluminum wire would be perfect for this.

If you must, you can connect copper conductor to aluminum as long as you use De-ox such as Penetrox, etc. Also, if you are using dissimilar (wire)conductors such as aluminum/copper, try to keep aluminum over copper to prevent oxidation.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by mcon12000

My system is similar in that all my essential to navigation systems and lights are on a 12v gel bank that is serviced by two DC to DC 24/12 chargers. Under normal operation the 24v Lifepo4 bank is powering everything but in the even of a BMS failure the dumb 12v gel bank takes over.



On the alternator side of things it’s terminated to the starting battery and a 100amp Buck boost which provides a 24v charge to the Lifepo4 house bank. There is no alternator connection to the 12v gel bank rather I have a spare DC to DC charger I can activate between the start battery and the gel bank, reprogram the 614 or utilize the Balmar built in back up regulator.



As far as lightning protection goes good luck I just operate knowing most of my electronics will be lost. So I have spares of everything in handheld form which I hope will survive. This is one of the dangers of an internal BMS on expensive Lifepo4 batteries the cells will likely survive and the BMS will be toast. That said mine are internal the deal was too good to pass up and they’re the only non Victron electrical equipment on the boat. Time will tell but I’d feel a lot better carting a spare Victron BMS around with their batteries.

Hence I would always recommend plug replaceable bms for boats no way would I have bms locked within a sealed box

Further note appropriate overrides should exist to bypasses BMS and bring power back on line if only under close supervision.

My own bms are in a ECU style enclosure outside the battery proper. It can be switched out in seconds.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Lineguy

If you must, you can connect copper conductor to aluminum as long as you use De-ox such as Penetrox, etc. Also, if you are using dissimilar (wire)conductors such as aluminum/copper, try to keep aluminum over copper to prevent oxidation.

You mean it will keep moisture away, preventing galvanic corrosion that eats the aluminum away? Sounds like a risky gamble to me. Aluminum wire sound like a winner.

Why always try to do something the hard way?

[s/v Jedi]

I have recently completed this installation but moved my content, for now, to the s/v Jedi Facebook page.

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