Intruments powered up before starting engine

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pkeyser's picture
pkeyser
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Joined: 5/18/13
Posts: 661
Intruments powered up before starting engine

I'm curious to get some technical input about turning power on to the elctronics prior to creating a load on the DC circuit by starting the engine. I'm assuming everything is wired correctly and and the batteries are in good shape. Is there any change of damaging the electronics/ shortening their life by activating them prior to starting the engine? 

Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B

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Chachere
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Posts: 825

Not sure this qualifies as "technical", but on our boat we have the starter on what is essentially its own electrical system when the starter is operated, so its a non-issue.   See wiring diagram at https://www.catalina36.org/comment/47354#comment-47354  .In sum, the starter is powered by its own battery, which is isolated from the rest of the DC system. Not shown my the diagram is the connection to the Blue Seas ACR's "battery isolation" terminal, which automatically disconnects the Automatic Charging Relay (which might otherwise have the house and start batteries linked for charging purposes) the moment the starter circuit is energized.
I can report that before we had this system in place, operating the starter with the instruments on would sometimes cause the chart plotter to black out.  

Another important aspect is to make sure the cable runs to the instruments have ample capacity (i.e., wire gauge ) to minimize voltage drops, since they may be more sensitive to this (I upgraded to AWG 10 a few years ago after noticing that sometimes running the autopilot and the radar at the same time would cause issues for the chartplotter; problem solved with the new wiring).

Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY

two-rocks
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Joined: 8/11/17
Posts: 74

As I understand it modern electronics handle the voltage spike associated with various motors just fine.

I have a single battery bank. Every electronic item on my boat was new last year, and power them up before starting the engine every time. Sometimes the engine starts multiple times while sailing if the wind dies, the windlass gets used if we can sail off the anchor as well. No ill effects.

 

The only asterisk would be low voltage - this can cause some electronics to malfunction and reboot.

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LeslieTroyer
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Joined: 3/13/16
Posts: 533
I do instruments before starting, But my start battery. Is isolated from the start so it shouldn’t matter.

Les & Trish Troyer
Mahalo 
Everett, WA
1983 C-36 Hull #0094
C-36 MK 1 Technical Editor. 

Commodore

 

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