SO 36.2 Electrics

[grumpybear100]

I am planning to fit s Sterling alternator regulator. The engine is a MD2030B and the electrical system is as built. I readily confess to being an electrical numpty, and the way the wires are run in closed conduits etcmakes it difficult to trace them.

The owners manual that came with the boat is a scruffy photocopy, which may well have been scanned into the Jeanneau IT system as the manual on their website is identical, even to the dog eared pages. The electrical wiring diagram in the manual shows a device which I understand to be a relay which connects the domestic battery to the alternator output B+ terminal, presumably when the engine start battery voltage rises far enough, as the sensing lead is connected to the alternator D+ terminal.

I would be most grateful for some simply expressed advice and information! My questions are:

What exactly is this device?

Where is it physically fitted in the boat? After some time spent crawling over it, I can find no trace of anything other than wires and terminals.

Does anyone have a picture of the device?

Also, it appears that the charging lead from the alternator to the engine start battery goes via the starter motor; the lead from the motor to the output terminal of the battery + isolator doubles as the starting current feed. Is this right?

PS the lead from the domestic battery isolator to the voltmeter on the distribution panel includes a 5 amp blade fuse which does not appear to feed anything else. Is this usual? When I switch between batteries at the voltmeter the engine battery voltage reads immediately, but the other task two or three seconds to come up???

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Giles

[ChrisH]

I've fitted two Sterling AR's but both times to Yanmars. As far as I know you should not have to touch anything apart from the alternator as all you are doing is fooling the alternator into delivering a higher stepped voltage over time. The AR requires one wire to the battery, the others to the alternator. For this you need to remove and split the alternator to do the wiring required on the inside which is very simple BUT if you are not electrically / mechanically minded, give it to an auto electrician to do. It is all detailed in the instructions. An other thing is that Mr Sterling is always very helpful on the phone with technical help.


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[grumpybear100]

Thanks for that. I understand what has to be done to the alternator itself, but given the physical layout and the device against extending the battery sensor wire as far as possible, I want to find this relay (or whatever) and connect the sense wire to the appropriate terminal on it.

[pbunning]

I had an Adverc regulator fitted to my last boat (SO34.2) and guess general principle of operation is the same. The relay is intended to close once the engine has started and the alternator is providing 12v or more. The alternator on a Yanmar engine for example has 'BAT' used to charge the batteries and 'L' used for the internal regulator and charge lamp (fitted between 'L' and 'R' - causing lamp to extinguish when 12v established at 'L'). On SO34.2 'L' also used to operate the relay, which then connects engine and boat batteries.

I had the Adverc regulator fitted professionally and the voltage sense wire was connected to the engine battery isolator switch. It would have been connected to the boat battery if the system had used diode splitter as opposed to the relay.

I believe it is usual for the charging lead to connect via the starter when a relay is used - this would not be the case if diode splitter is used.