 | In this issue: | • | Press Release
New 120 Amp SI Automatic Charging Relay Fills Out Blue Sea Systems’ Line of ACRs | • | Press Release
Blue Sea Systems Opens Regional Office in Florida | | • | Technical Brief
Ten Deadly Conditions to Check for in Your Boat's Electrical System—Part 1 | | • | Application Brief
Three ACRs from Blue Sea Systems |
| EVENTS
IBEX 2006
International BoatBuilder's Exhibition & Conference (IBEX)
November 1-3, 2006
Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida, USA
Look for the Blue Sea Systems' booth number 637. Click here for information about IBEX 2006.
METS 2006
November 14-16, 2006
The Seven Halls of the Europa Complex at Amsterdam RAI
Look for the Blue Sea Systems' booth number 02.116. Click here for information about METS 2006.
Many of Blue Sea's products are found in electric boats made by the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company, designers and builders of the solar-assisted Loon, shown here. The Loon can travel 30+ miles per day. Its batteries are charged by a 720-watt overhead solar array. Propulsion is provided by an electric outboard motor. Says Monte Gisborne, the force behind the company: "Blue Sea Systems has a highly innovative mix of electrical components which are often unique and appeal to me as if they asked me what I required before they developed them."
For more information about the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company, click here.
Previous issues of
Issue 29
(August 29, 2006)
News and Press Release:
Blue Sea Systems' 2007 catalog is now available and better than everApplication Brief:
Installing the Dual Circuit Plus™ Battery Switch and CL-Series BatteryLink™ Automatic Charging Relay (ACR)
Issue 28
(July 26, 2006)
Press Release:
Blue Sea Systems Names Marine Aftermarket Sales Manager for the Southeast
Issue 27
(June 23, 2006)
Application Brief:
Two new circuit breaker designs provide protection from accidental switching Application Brief:
Automatic charging relay—an alternative to multiple output charging systems. Application Brief:
Using Blue Sea Systems’ battery switch AFD terminals to indicate switch position
For a complete list of past Circuit Solutions™ issues, click here.
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| Press Release
New 120 Amp SI Automatic Charging Relay Fills Out Blue Sea Systems’ Line of ACRs
Blue Sea Systems announces its new 120 Amp Starting Isolation (SI) Automatic Charging Relay (ACR). The new 120 Amp ACR supports high-output alternators up to 120 Amperes. It fills out Blue Sea Systems’ ACR product line: fitting between Blue Sea Systems’ 60 Amp BatteryLink™ ACR and heavy duty 450 Amp ACR.
Click here to download a press release (PDF file size: 112KB).
Press Release
Blue Sea Systems Opens Regional Office in Florida
Click here to download a press release (PDF file size: 75KB).
Technical Brief
- Non-product-specific technical information for improving safety, reliability, and usefulness of marine electrical systems
Ten Deadly Conditions to Check for in Your Boat's Electrical System—Part 1
Blue Sea Systems’ engineering department has identified 10 conditions that, when present in your boat’s electrical system, can cause serious problems. Five of these conditions are presented here. The second five will be presented in the October newsletter.
1. Incorrectly sized wire
There are several problems that occur when sizing wire for a boat’s electrical system using the ABYC 105°C tables:| • | Using wire with less than 105°C insulation. | | • | Bundling wires together or burying them in thermal insulation. |
However, usually wire size isn't a problem because:
| • | Most DC large loads are short term. | | • | Most DC wire is chosen for voltage drop and is therefore larger than the minimum recommendations from the ABYC tables. |
2. Running fuses continuously at full ratings
When matching circuit protection to the wire it protects, two facts contribute to the complexity of this task:| • | The amperage at which fuses actually blow, and circuit breakers actually trip, is considerably higher than their nominal ratings, the rating usually marked on the unit. | | • | Wire and circuit protection devices heat up dramatically when they carry 100% of their rated value for several minutes or more. |
3. Not using the shore power cord locking ring
The shore power cord locking ring maintains a solid connection between the power cord plug and hull receptacle. When this connection isn’t secure, motion can cause the plug to wiggle back and forth in the receptacle, compromise the electrical connection, and result in dangerous heating.
4. No “Green Wire” or poor-quality connection between DC negative and AC safety ground
Without a good connection between DC negative and AC safety ground, stray AC current may enter the DC ground system. When this happens, AC current may enter the water around a boat and injure or kill swimmers near the boat.
The green wire can be tested and indicate continuity but be unable to safely carry enough current to trip a circuit breaker during a fault. There are ways to check the quality of the connection.
5. Using ordinary plug-in AC receptacle testers to check ground integrity
Ordinary plug-in AC receptacle testers are so sensitive that they will indicate a good ground even if the only connection is through a prop shaft or thru-hull fitting to water. A better way to test for ground integrity is to connect the shore cord to the boat and bring the shore plug back to a position near the electrical panel. With all on-board AC sources turned off, use an Ohm meter to check that the ground prong is solidly connected to the boat’s safety ground system. Check to the “U” ground at each receptacle by dragging around the shore cord end and meter to test at each receptacle.
Summary
Avoiding these deadly conditions will make your boating experience far more safe and pleasurable. Take time to check your boat’s electrical system and look for these conditions. Contact your local ABYC electrician.
Click for more information.
Application Brief
- Improving marine electrical systems with Blue Sea Systems products
Three ACRs from Blue Sea SystemsBlue Sea Systems provides three automatic charging relays with a wide range of current ratings: 60A BatteryLink™ ACR, 120A SI ACR, and the 450A ACR. Each of these ACRs has unique features and specifications that make it suitable for specific applications.
Click for more information.
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Copyright ©2006 - Blue Sea Systems, Inc.
425 Sequoia Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226 USA
Phone: 360-738-8230
Fax: 360-734-4195
Website: www.bluesea.com |
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