[Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems

[Lowe, Rob]

Graham,
Yes, that is what I meant.  You connect the negative side of your instruments to the negative pole of the battery.  If there is also a grounding screw on the transducer itself (equipment ground) I would also connect that to the negative pole of your battery.  In this case you are connecting your ground circuit to your negative circuit, which is acceptable.  What we are doing on our boats is creating our own electrical network that is isolated from other networks.  If that all you have going, you should be fine.  If you are hooked up to shore power at any any point (external network), you would need to make sure your boat ground is connected to the shore power ground (earth ground) but your shore power connector should do that for you if all is in working order.  Things get much more complicated if you have an AC genset on board and have bonding and grounding and stray currents involved.   In this case I would definitely agree with Hank and seek a copy of Don Casey's book on sailboat electrical systems.   - Rob



________________________________
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of Hank <hnw555 at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 12:07 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems

Graham,

Grounding to the battery means that the negative of each of your circuits
terminate at the negative battery bus, which is connected to the negative
pole of your battery switch if you have one.  I highly recommend you get
Don Casey's book on Sailboat electrical as it will really help.

I've replaced the entire panel on my Islander 36, which was a lot more
complex than the Rhodes 22.  It's really not that difficult once you
understand the concepts.

Hank

On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 11:19 PM Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca> wrote:

> Rob:
> Sorry for being so dim witted, but I don't want to do something stupid and
> when it comes to electrical matters that is more than a remote possibility.
>
> When you say that you have your electrical equipment 'grounded' at the
> battery  that that mean that you connect the ground screw on the transducer
> to the negative pole on the battery?
>
> Thanks
>
> Graham Stewart
> Agile, Rodes 22, 1976
> Kingston Ontario
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf
> Of
> Lowe, Rob
> Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2020 11:07 AM
> To: 'The Rhodes 22 Email List'
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems
>
> Graham,
> To summarize what Roger said, just because you have enough voltage doesn't
> mean you have enough current.  Your draining battery example shows that.
>
> I've got all my electrical equipment 'grounded' at the battery.  But that
> is
> battery ground and not earth ground.  We could get into a very long
> discussion about the merits and advantages of each system, but that's a
> topic for another day.  Unless you are hooked up to shore power, having a
> true earth ground may not be necessary.  - rob
>
> ________________________________
> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
> Graham
> Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2020 10:53 AM
> To: 'The Rhodes 22 Email List' <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems
>
> Thanks to all for your help. I don't think the battery is the problem as it
> is brand new and my battery monitor reads a steady 12.6 volts. I replaced
> it
> this year because I found last year that if the voltage dropped below 10.5
> volts the display turned off completely. The battery would quickly drain to
> below what was required.
>
> I assumed that if the display comes on the power would not be the issue but
> poor connections are a real possibility. I will check out those and the
> current reaching the display as suggested.
>
> The unit was never actually grounded in the past and that didn't seem to
> cause any difficulties. What do others do to "ground" their electronics?
> Would a bronze thru hull fitting not be sufficient?
>
> Graham Stewart
> Agile, Rodes 22, 1976
> Kingston Ontario
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf
> Of
> Lowe, Rob
> Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2020 9:37 AM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems
>
> I'm with Michael.  Just because you have power to the unit doesn't mean you
> have a good connection.  I'd examine every connection, especially those for
> the transducer cables.  Having a bad ground can also effect the instrument
> readings. - rob
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of Mike
> Riter <mike at traildesign.com>
> Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 9:29 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Network Quad problems
>
> Since the problem is affecting all four sensors, it seems suspiciously like
> a loose or corroded connection. I would start at the instrument panel and
> work my way back towards the transducer checking each connection point.
>
> Michael Riter
> SV Emma B
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 6, 2020 at 7:49 PM Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca> wrote:
>
> > I have always been surprised at the answers that are posted here to some
> of
> > the most difficult questions so I am posting this question as a last
> > desperate attempt to get help.
> > I have been using my B&G Network Quad (speed knots, depth and water temp)
> > instrument for probably more than 20 years and it has worked without
> fail.
> > This year when I launched the boat it worked perfectly for the first day
> > but
> > thereafter the speed reads 0.00 continuously and the depth and
> temperature
> > show erratic numbers.
> > I checked the paddlewheel for obstructions and it was fine. Spinning the
> > wheel manually makes no difference to the display. The fact that the
> > display
> > comes on tells me that power is not a problem. It seems unlikely that
> both
> > the speed and the depth transducers would fail at the same time. The
> wiring
> > hasn't changed. The common element in the wiring is the connection to the
> > "sea ground" which  I don't have but has never been a problem.
> Nevertheless
> > I connected the ground to a brass thru hull and that made no difference.
> > I can't help feel that some tweak would fix the unit but I am now at the
> > point where I am completely stuck with no idea what to try. So, if anyone
> > on
> > da list has a clue what I might do to diagnose the problem I would be
> most
> > grateful.
> >
> > Graham Stewart
> > Agile, Rodes 22, 1976
> > Kingston Ontario
> >
> >
> >
>
>