Programming a Balmar External Voltage Regulator
Preface This article contains three separate videos that show how to physically program Balmar regulators. The videos are meant to be [...]
Installation & Orientation of Flooded Batteries on Boats
Port to Starboard Orientation In this photo I am simulating a sailboat heeling with flooded batteries. For years I’ve wanted to [...]
Fusing & Termination Voltage Drop
5A Fuse - 5A Load As boaters looking for optimal charging performance we need to keep in mind that the path [...]
How Fast Can an AGM Battery be Charged?
Baseline Discharge 49.3% SOC PREFACE: This article looks at the *charging times & achieved state of charge of an AGM battery in multiple scenarios. 1- 50% SOC [...]
Winter Battery Storage & Self Discharge Characteristics
December 11, 2012 After having a discussion with one of my customers, about leaving his battery charger running on-board all winter, [...]
Under-Load Battery Voltage vs. SOC
Battery After 20 Hour Capacity Test = 95.69Ah Capacity For this test I wanted to: Show the relationship of loaded voltage [...]
Automotive Alternators vs. Deep Cycle Batteries
A Deep Cycle Battery Assassin The alternator pictured here helped to destroy a very expensive bank of TPPL AGM batteries in [...]
Installing Solar MC4 Terminals
Solar MC4 Connectors These are solar *MC4 connectors the FEMALE in on the bottom and the MALE plug is on top. [...]
Installing an Autopilot Rudder Position Sensor
Rudder Position Sensor - Radial Drive Close Up In this picture you can see the steering systems radial drive and the [...]
Anode Installation – Best Practices
Anode Installation I recently came from a customer’s boat after doing a winterizing and while there I noticed the anode (zinc [...]
Battery Melt Down Narrowly Averted
Note The Melting of The Battery Case The connections to your batteries matter. How you make them, how you torque them [...]
Universal Diesel Engine – Wiring Harness Upgrade
Engine Panel With Ammeter = Dangerous If your Universal engine panel looks like this, and has an ammeter, you are due [...]
External Regulation Conversion – Leece-Neville 8MR Alternator
The Stock Alternator Many boats, both power and sailboats, come equipped with, or have have used, the 5" small-case Motorola/Prestolite/Leece-Neville style [...]
Rebuilding & Inspecting a Westerbeke Alternator
Remove The Pulley This article takes a look inside a typical Mitsibishi/Westerbeke 50A alternator. These are tiny little work horses that [...]
Making Your Own Battery Cables
Pick Your Crimp Tool I own both the Ancor hammer crimper and the FTZ 94284. The FTZ 94284 makes a beautiful 360 degree [...]
Easy VHF Terminations
If You Don't Know How to Solder..... If you really don't know how to solder a VHF PL259 connector there are other options as you'll see below. This one is laughable, except that when this owner needed his VHF it was no joke or laughing matter that it failed to transmit. The previous owner or perhaps even a boat yard employee decided that solder on the shield for the VHF cable was optional. It worked for a short while, rather weakly, and then failed all together. Those holes are where the solder would go to contact the shield or braided portion of the coax cable.