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 watched in [...]
Installation & Orientation of Flooded Batteries on Boats
Port to Starboard Orientation This photo is simulating a sailboat heeling with flooded batteries. For years I’ve wanted to write this article, but [...]
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?
TEST EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS ARTICLE BUY MHT RECOMMENDED TEST EQUIPMENT - AMAZON Baseline Discharge 49.3% SOC PREFACE: This article looks at the *charging times & [...]
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, a practice [...]
Under-Load Battery Voltage vs. SoC
After 20 Hour Capacity Test = 95.69 Ah Capacity For this test I wanted to: Show the relationship of loaded voltage to SoC [...]
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 under two [...]
Installing Solar MC4 Terminals
Solar MC4 Connectors These are solar *MC4 connectors, the FEMALE is on the bottom, and the MALE plug is on top. Today, more [...]
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 (originally published July 2012) The connections to your batteries matter. How you make them, how you [...]
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
A Stock Leece-Neville 8MR Alternator Many boats, both power and sail, 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 FTZ 94284 & Ancor Hammer Crimper TEMCO TH0005 & FTZ Bench Mount BUY FTZ 94284 CRIMP TOOL - [...]
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.