Perko Battery Switch indicator

[py26129]

A friend of mine with a CS30, has a Perko battery switch indicator in the cockpit of his boat that is a little worse for wear(see attached pic). These seem to have been an option as there are some CS30s that have them and others that do not.

Perko does not have anything even close in their current catalog but if anyone here has an idea where to source one of these, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Matt

 

[Benny17441]

Classy boats. That is a nifty gadget and it would not take much to retrofit a boat to have one. You could probably make a fixture like this quicker that you could find one. With today's LED lights you can get more brighteness and reliability with less power consumption. It would not even have to be wired to and installed in the cockpit just having the indicator lamps next to the switch could help tell you at a glance which battery bank may be engaged. I for one always like to verify the switch setting a few times on a trip and it is some of a PITA to bend down and feel for the little marker on the selector knob. Nice little project. Thanks for posting.

 

[Maine Sail]

Those are easy to make but what is easier is to simply use the house bank 100% of the time, then there is no guess work. If you need to charge a second bank an ACR or Echo Charger can be added. and you won't need lights...

 

[Stu Jackson]

Like this: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=137615

 

[tkanzler]

Those are easy to make but what is easier is to simply use the house bank 100% of the time, then there is no guess work. If you need to charge a second bank an ACR or Echo Charger can be added. and you won't need lights...

Is it even worth it to spend $100 on an ACR when the outboard (in my case) is only listed as outputting 10A, and that's assuming all the way up in the power range (5500-6000)?
In other words, with such a wimpy alternator, will it even develop enough voltage with the primary battery charging load to trigger the ACR and put some charge into the second battery? I don't have a fixed charger (cheap portable on board, just in case), and would rather not, as the engine alone has been able to keep one battery up all summer. The other battery was shot completely and just sat there - new one planned this spring.

 

[Maine Sail]

Is it even worth it to spend $100 on an ACR when the outboard (in my case) is only listed as outputting 10A, and that's assuming all the way up in the power range (5500-6000)?
In other words, with such a wimpy alternator, will it even develop enough voltage with the primary battery charging load to trigger the ACR and put some charge into the second battery? I don't have a fixed charger (cheap portable on board, just in case), and would rather not, as the engine alone has been able to keep one battery up all summer. The other battery was shot completely and just sat there - new one planned this spring.

If you can pull start the motor it makes no sense to even have two banks. One larger bank will see a much shallower discharge and the life of the bank will be longer.

A 10A alt will "eventually" charge the bank but it could take days to do so, not hours, depending upon the size of the bank. The ACR would eventually combine, and do just fine, but you'd still be much better off with a single bank, if of course you can pull start... Combiners combine on voltage so of you can't get your single bank to 13V than you have other issues. The Blue Sea ACR only needs about 180mA to "combine"....

 

[walmsleyc]

I invested in the Bluesea ACR, and their matching battery switch (which has a "both" position, and a "combine' position). It is one of the most worth while upgrades. I have a 2 battery house bank, and a single battery starting bank. The ACR joins the two banks for charging, and separates them when the engine is off. I NEVER touch my battery switch under normal conditions, and rarely/never worry about the starting battery, it's just always fully charged.

 

[tkanzler]

If you can pull start the motor it makes no sense to even have two banks. One larger bank will see a much shallower discharge and the life of the bank will be longer.

It's a Honda BF50, which is supposed to be pull startable, but I seriously doubt at my age and beyond-shot shoulders that I could do it. I have enough trouble with the 5 hp snow thrower. My FIL (main crew) is pushing 80, so I don't think it's a realistic option.

That's why I like the notion of a backup battery for starting, but maybe it's better to just parallel a pair and use the switch as an On/Off switch. It certainly would be cheaper. I have unlimited Tow Boat US coverage, too.

And sails, though they wouldn't do much good in the Erie Canal. :neutral:

 

[Benny17441]

Years ago I learned that the size of a battery bank responded to two main factors, the power needs and the opportunities to recharge. With the addition of a portable Honda generator I realized that with opportunities to recharge as needed my power needs were being amply met. Theorically I can operate very well with a single deep cycle batt with 100ah capacity but I choose to keep two in order to have a backup. As I alternate their use to me it is important to know which bank is in use when and that by mistake they have not been left combined. It seems that by adding two LEDs my life will become easier. Know how some folks feel about generators but down here they are a necessity and as long as I have it I do not need to carry around all that weight and loose scarce space. We rarely do more than a 40 hour passage and do have the ability to run the generator underway. That low rumble on the swim platform is hardly disturbing.