Where is the mystery junction of the bow light wiring?

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Steve B.
Posts: 235
Joined: Thu 02 Nov 06, 1:58
Your Country: USA, Whidbey Island WA

Where is the mystery junction of the bow light wiring?

Post by Steve B. »

I have an inoperative bicolor bow light on my DF1000.

The panel wiring is fine, and there is 12 volts on the grey wire leaving the panel which goes to the light.

The mystery is the wiring color. Leaving the panel area are a grey and black pair, but arriving at the lamp the wires are blue and brown. All wiring is original.

There must be some junction someplace, but I can't find it.
The wiring (covered with white paint or an epoxy coating) goes along the underside of the port deck through the anchor locker, goes back up in between the liner and the hull. It reappears behind the storage locker in the aft end of the saloon. I have no idea where the color change takes place.

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Steve
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

Steve -
In the 1000 the conduit runs inside the upper locker inside the forward cabin, and from there I don't know: I think it runs into the cabinet above the bathroom sink. It might continue directly aft inside the cabinets below the main cabin windows or go down inside the sink cabinet to beneath the main cabin seats. There is a bunch of wiring beneath the port seat in the main cabin, at the vey bottom (covered by a wood false floor).

In the 1000 there is an electrical butt connection beneath the floor below the bulkhead that separates the head compartment from the main cabin. I don't know what circuits it serves other than the bilge pump (maybe the shower sump). If you open the inspection hatch that provides access to the head intake seacock, and reach your hand under the floor to the bulkhead you can feel it and you should also be able to see it with an inspection mirror and flashlight. In my boat the wire butt was visible (on the aft side) but it's possible the connection is attached to the forward side of that bulkhead, and if so you may need to feel for it. It's right there -- not too hard to find if you follow the bilge pump wire with your hand. Email me and I'll give you my phone number if you want to discuss it.

(In the 1200 there is a hidden electrical junction box for the bow wiring behind the wood panel that is the rear covering to the bathroom medicine cabinet. Fortunately Quorning left it accessible by allowing the panel to be removed with screws.)

I wrote about a similar wire-tracing issue here http://www.dragonfly-trimarans.org/phpB ... racer#1442
Double Horizon wrote:
If you can't follow the wire I suggest you search the web for all these words: Cable Wire Toner Tracer Tester Generator Signal Probe.

A tool like that comes in very handy on a boat. (Be aware it will not work on wires that are still connected to the battery.)
If you clip the signal generator to the disconnected end of POSITIVE wire near the bow light you can then move the probe to follow the wire and the tone will get louder near the wire, so you can determine its route. (It will only work on the positive because the negative is still connected to the battery.)

Another alternative is to run a new wire to the panel, and abandon the old
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
Steve B.
Posts: 235
Joined: Thu 02 Nov 06, 1:58
Your Country: USA, Whidbey Island WA

I found the bad connection!

Post by Steve B. »

On my boat, the bow light wiring (grey and white) exits forward behind the storage cabinet behind the electrical panel and goes above the cove lighting. It follows this path all the way forward into the upper port storage cabinet in the V berth.

Forward of this point, it's glassed into the hull! It was apparently set into the inside of the hull and covered over with white gelcoat spray. It's hard to see, but it's there.

Next, it goes through a bulkhead into the upper rear corner of the anchor locker. With almost NO extra wire to work with (and also buried in polyester) are a couple of butt connectors. This is where my problem is. I did some digging with a screwdriver in the (still gooey!) polyester, and the light came on. It connects to a black covered 2 conductor (brown and blue) section of wire which goes to the light via the inside of the pulpit's forward port tube.

As soon as I get a day with decent temps and sun, I'll fix it.

Thanks Larry, for the encouragement .

Steve B.
Mario
Posts: 69
Joined: Sat 09 Aug 08, 21:20
Your Country: Denmark, Copenhagen

Post by Mario »

I had precisely the same problem on my 35 last year. I spent a lot of time looking for an error, and I found it: in the anchor locker! Connection of prolongation cabels (with bad soldering wraped with tape) was placed close to furlig line (se the picture). And I had also the same problem: not a cm extra of the wire made it difficult to repair it.

Image
Please click on the photo to see it enlarged!
Mario
Posts: 69
Joined: Sat 09 Aug 08, 21:20
Your Country: Denmark, Copenhagen

Post by Mario »

Ok, I can tell you the whole story: This with lights happened at the beginning of august. I thought that may be the lamps are broken, so I also demounted, opened and checked the lupolights, but here everything was ok. As described above, I found the problem, repaired it and got ready for Kattegat 2 Star Race. I sailed with my daughter Veronika and all the day was beautiful, but then it came the night. Very black night without moon or stars (excepting us…). And then Veronika asked: Dad, am I correct that we have red light on the right and green on the left, while others have it opposite?? I don’t really remember what I answered (…), but she was correct. Yes! it is possible to mount the red/green lupolight upside-down! It was too dangerous to continue sailing close to 100 other boats on the race and cargo-ships, so we went home.
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

Mario wrote:I had precisely the same problem on my 35 last year. I spent a lot of time looking for an error, and I found it: in the anchor locker! Connection of prolongation cabels (with bad soldering wraped with tape) was placed close to furlig line (se the picture). And I had also the same problem: not a cm extra of the wire made it difficult to repair it.

Image
Please click on the photo to see it enlarged!
That's a pretty funny story Mario (about mounting upside down).

When I find there is not enough wire to service it, I either use the old wire as a messenger to pull a new section of wire, or I make 2 splices to add a section of wire needed to do a proper job.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
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