Applicable Standards
l
American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) Standards and
recommended Practices for Small Crafts sections: E-8, Alternating
Current Electrical Systems on Boats.
l
United States Coast Guard Code of Federal Regulations 33, Part
183, Subpart I, Electrical Systems on Boats.
Related Products from Blue Sea Systems
l
High Amperage Fuses and Circuit Breakers for positive feed wires
l
High Amperage Battery Switches
l
Terminal Blocks and Common Bus Connectors
l
AC Distribution Panels
l
DC Distribution Panels
l
AC and DC Digital and Analog Voltmeters and Ammeters
Useful Reference Books
Calder, Nigel, 1996:
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual
, 2nd
edition, Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books, Inc.
Wing, Charlie, 1993:
Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring
, Blue
Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books, Inc.
4.
Install feed circuit wires
5.
Installation of Backlight System
6.
Apply circuit labels and mount panel
Apply a label for each source from the 10 basic labels provided.
Remove the blank labels installed in the panel before installing your
branch circuit labels. Apply a label for each of the branch circuits from
the 30 basic labels provided. If the appropriate label is not included,
Individual labels are available from Blue Sea Systems for specific
Applications. Refer to the label order form for a complete listing of
individual labels.
Fasten the panel to the mounting surface using the panel mounting
screws supplied with the panel.
7.
Testing
]
Using a multimeter where the power source is connected to the
panel verify:
PN 8478 / PN 3478 / PN 8479 / PN 3479-120 Volt AC
a.
120 volts between hot and neutral
(nominal, this may vary depending on source voltage)
b.
120 volts between hot and ground.
c.
0 volts between neutral and ground.
PN 8578 / PN 3578 / PN 8579 / PN 3579-230 Volt AC
a.
230 volts between hot and neutral
(nominal, this may vary depending on source voltage)
b.
230 volts between hot and ground.
c.
0 volts between neutral and ground.
]
Turn on each branch circuit to verify power to each circuit.
Note
This Blue Sea Systems electrical distribution panels is furnished with 15
amp or 8 amp circuit breakers for branch circuits. 15 amp circuit breakers
are used in all 120 volt panels and 8 amp circuit breakers are used in all
230 volt panels. These ratings were selected to minimize the need for
removing the panel’s circuit breakers and reinstalling different size circuit
breakers. It is very rare to have more than this amount of current flowing
in any one circuit. Therefore, these circuit breakers will satisfy the vast
majority of marine circuit protection situations.
The Purpose of a Panel
There are five purposes of a marine electrical panel:
l
Power distribution
l
Circuit (wire) protection
l
Circuit ON/OFF switching
l
Metering of voltage and amperage (In panels with meters)
l
Condition Indication (circuit energized)
Install the feed wires from from the AC main circuit breaker panel or
other AC source, referring to the wire sizing chart to select the correct
wire size. Connect the black AC hot, white AC neutral and green AC
safety ground as shown in the illustration.
Optional Branch LED’s
This Panel is supplied with LED’s pre-installed in all optional branch
positions. For future expansion of the panel remove the hot leg of the
LED from the AC Neutral Bus and connect it to the Load side of the
branch circuit breaker.
The backlight board is a DC device. When installing it in an AC panel
both wire leads must be connected to an appropriate DC source and
ground.
Connect the yellow negative wire to a DC ground. Connect the red
positive wire to any DC positive supply, usually a switch that controls
the vessel’s other nighttime illumination.
Installation
(continued)
AC NEUTRAL
BUS
AC SAFETY
GROUND BUS
TO DC
NEGATIVE
FROM DC
POSITIVE
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
TO DEVICE
HOT
LOAD
LINE
AC HOT BUS
15A
15A
15A
15A
15A
15A
15A
FUSE HOLDER
w/ 0.5 AMP
AGC FUSE
BRANCH
CIRCUIT
AC
VOLTMETER
DC BACKLIGHT
BOARD
FUSE
1.0 TO 2.0A
FROM DEVICE
SAFETY GROUND
FROM DEVICE
NEUTRAL
TO AC
SAFETY
GROUND
SOURCE
FROM
AC HOT
SOURCE
SHORE
POWER
INLET
FROM AC
NEUTRAL
SOURCE
Wiring Diagram
AC Power Distribution
Panel with AC Voltmeter
(Part Number 8478 / 3478 shown for reference)
