View Transcript

Hide Transcript

Transcript is auto-generated.

How does a nearly new Boston Wher 325 Conquest end up needing a battery upgrade only after just a few trips on the water? Stick around to see how we at Pacific Yacht Systems solved the owner's problem and got them back to enjoying their time out on the water. We have a big announcement. You can now become a YouTube member. You can join as a YouTube member right now here on screen for custom loyalty badges and emojis. Or [music] if you are looking for exclusive early access to our videos, live Q&As's, and more direct support on your project, we also launched our brand new Patreon page linked in the description below. Thank you so much for watching [music] and being part of the Pacific Yacht Systems community. Now, let's get back to the video. >> Hey everyone, it's Josh from Pacific Yacht Systems. We had the opportunity to bring you along on a real project here at PIS. This is our first job followalong and we're going to break down the entire system from the problem the owner was having to the solution we came up with. BJ will be leading this install and as we follow along, we'll show you what he's doing, why it matters, and a few things to look out for if you're thinking about upgrading the power system on your own boat. So, we're working on a newer Boston Wher 325 Conquest. From the factory, this boat had two AGM starter batteries, one for each engine, and an AGM house bank. Each engine alternator charged its own starter battery, which was connected to the house bank via ACRs. This owner found that it was not keeping up with the way he wanted to use the boat. His electronics and appliances were using the house bank faster than what the stock setup could handle. And the only real way to recharge it while he was out was to run engines, which was also noisy and was adding engine hours just idling. The solution we came up with was to replace the house bank with lithium batteries, install Orion DC/DC chargers, add a shunt, add a Victron inverter charger, and tie it all into a serbo unit for monitoring. VJ has already been busy on this one. He has removed the old batteries and has the Victron inverter charger already mounted. So, let's go check up on his progress and see what he has planned next. >> So, basically, we are renewing house battery bank over here. So, these are basically 160 ampere each. So, that's the capacity of each battery. And now we're going to put four new lithiumion batteries as a house bank over here. For charging the house bank, we'll be installing multiplus charger which I have already mounted. The very first thing I did over here was examine how the wiring is and understood how it was connected before just to make sure if there is any tag missing or any wire because we are not removing all the jumpers, all the cables. My plan is to install two batteries over here. Remaining two underneath. As these are lithium ion, I have to make sure the positive and negative cables are of same length for all the post and all the batteries. Then my negative new negative bus dedicated for the batteries will be over here. And a positive bus I'm going to mount over here. So all my positive wires will be on the on the positive bus and those will be fused. Shunt will get the wire from battery negative bus and then from the main load negative bus so that it will monitor whatever load is connected to the bank. Before we had two ACRs automatic control relays both were like doing house. So I have disconnected one ACRs. So what I did is I made a ACR for the starter banks only. Now house bank will be charged by Orion. So that's the whole idea of uh doing house bank over here and Multiplus has linked to house bank. Today's plan is to route Catsex cable for multiplus communication and then a power cable to the serbo unit serbo GX. That line needs to be fused. that serbo directly connected to the house bank that's supposed to be direct because in case of blackout or power failure you want to see what happened to your electrical system so that thing needs direct power I have seen in lots of boats like people see comfortable place to like just to connect it and and yeah we got power and and we are done that's not the way you have to get uh like bring the power cable to the house bank where you're getting direct power >> uninterrupted power. To recap, here's the original system the client had. Just a quick note that these are conceptual diagrams only meant for explanation purposes and do not show everything such as fusing or wire sizes. However, if you're looking to get a professional plan made for your own boat that shows everything, check out the links in the description below for our discovery and design service. Now to continue. The original battery system used was two AGM starter batteries with each battery dedicated to its own engine. Shore power feeds the pronotic charger which charges both the AGM starter batteries and the AGM house bank. The two starter batteries are each connected to the house bank through ACRs allowing charge sharing when the system senses the appropriate voltage such as when the engines were running. This is a simple conventional arrangement built around AGM batteries and automatic combining relays. And like the client had noticed, there were limitations to such a setup which we will talk about soon. Now, here's the layout of the new system we designed for him. The new system retains the two AGM starter batteries with one dedicated to each engine and the pronotic charger continuing to maintain those starter batteries from shore power. The two starter batteries are now linked through a single ACR that serves as a remote emergency parallel, providing a controlled backup starting solution. The former AGM house bank has been upgraded to a lithium house bank supplied by two Orion excess DC/DC chargers, one from each starter battery. A multi plus 3000 watt inverter charger is connected to the lithium house bank to support charging and to provide inverter power for AC loads. While the Serbo GX is powered from the house bank and receives communication data from both the Orion chargers, the Multiplus and the Shunt. Together, these changes provide improved lithium charging control, AC power capability, monitoring, and emergency start flexibility. In summary, by going through the system we designed, the client would get more usable house bank capacity with less weight, improved battery life through lithium technology and controlled charging, reliable AC power from the multiplus inverter, enhanced emergency start capabilities through the remote parallel of the two starter batteries, centralized system monitoring through the shunt and the servo GX. With this new design, the client can cruise confidently and enjoy extended time at anchor without constantly having to run the engines just to charge the batteries. This combination will give him the peace of mind he wants while out cruising. Now, with a clear understanding of the system, let's go back to VJ and see how he's doing wiring up that serbo. >> We are working around 110 volts and DC. So I always make sure that whenever I'm running wires I always make sure everything is isolated and that's that's the very first thing of doing any electrical work. So always make sure if it is AC definitely isolated. Respect electricity. You can consider electricity as your friend but not as your best friend. This string already routed. So now it going to be little hard because I already routed two wires. This is our cat 6 and this is the power cable for the serbo. This has to go straight back to the house bank and this will be our communication cable. This will go to multiplus. So whatever is happening on the multiplus will be displayed on the screen over here. Okay. Probably I can use this space for the sero like it is accessible because you have to do lots of connectors. I'll show you the servo and screen. That's our brain basically. It's the controller servo GX. Yes. So that's our touch screen. With this this screen will be over here somewhere. I will be mounting this unit somewhere inside over probably over here or I can go like this as well so that it is accessible and I have to put some cable ties to secure these wires then it'll be easy and accessible. It's just basic things for now like power and multiplus communication but later there will be USB cable coming from all those uh equipments. They'll be like 10 m in length connected on USB hub and then one single cable to to serbo GX. It's a good [music] practice to refer a template before making a cutout. >> [snorts] >> Here we go. Now I'll focus on the house bank so that I can bring bring them power. Good luck. cables and everything is laid down connected on the battery end. These two Orions will be connected to this uh USB hub. I have VE direct to USB converter. So these will go to the individual units. I already routed a USB cable which is going to the Serbo GX. Otherwise you'll be running like four wires from from your individual equipment to the Serbo GX. So we'll be able to see all these things on the screen. So the output of the Orion will be connected to the house bank of which is our lithium and there will be a common ground which is coming all the way to to the ground bus. I have a ground bus there but that's like dedicated to batteries only. So if you want proper monitoring of the amps and voltage, you have to bring all your equipment like load grounds to a dedicated ground bus and then pass it through the shunt and from shunt to the load bus like load negative. So to monitor like what is the actual load on my board, you have to bring all the negatives through shunt. Let's say I'm the owner of the board and I want a easy place. I know I understand positive negative. So I know oh there's a negative bus and I only have to run a short length of cable and I can connect it directly over there and positive to the positive bus. Then I'll be like I go the supply to the equipment but actually your equipment is now bypassed from the shunt and whatever load it is drawing you will never see it on the screen. So you cannot monitor like whether that equipment is drawing uh normal amps, higher amps, lower amps. So all we need to connect is that switch the main isolation switch which is [music] remaining rest ground is connected to the inverter charger. Communication cable is connected. So that's it for now and I'll see you guys next time. >> And that's all the time we have for this job shadow. We hope you guys enjoyed it, and if you did, don't forget to subscribe and like the video. We appreciate all your support. We plan on doing more of these videos as they come. So, if you have any suggestions on topics or projects you would like us to cover, be sure to comment down below. And if you're interested in getting us on your boat for a refit like this, or if you want a professionally designed electrical plan, reach out at media pis.ca CA or visit the links in the description. And as always, thanks for watching and take care.