# Wiring a Switch Panel



## tripwirenh (Mar 25, 2010)

I am an amateur at electrical, but I need some help with this simple switch. My plan was to switch nav lights, cab lights and possibly a bilge or livewell system. I will also wire my fishfinder and 12v outlets direct to battery. (with inline fuses) 

I got this switch from cabelas but can't figure out how to wire it. I assume you solder the red wire on the fuse holder and run it to your device (lights, etc.) along with the black wire, but what do I run to the battery. I was hoping to just run 1 positive and negative from the switch panel.

Any help/diagram would be great.


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## russ010 (Mar 26, 2010)

the black wires go to the positive wires on your accessories... you won't wire a negative to that switch at all. The switch is just an interrupt on the positive wire between your battery and the accessory.

I don't know what that little ring terminal is at the bottom of the fuses... looks like a ground, but I don't think it is since it looks like it takes a screw from the mounting of the switch panel. My guess is that's the main power lead going to your battery since it's first stop is the fuses, then the red wire goes to the switch. 

I think you can call Cabela's and they can help you wire that thing up. I've talked to them online a few times and they got someone on there who actually knew what they were talking about


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## dyeguy1212 (Mar 26, 2010)

russ010 said:


> the black wires go to the positive wires on your accessories... you won't wire a negative to that switch at all. The switch is just an interrupt on the positive wire between your battery and the accessory.



That's the key to understanding how a switch panel works^


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## larlarsa (Mar 26, 2010)

The ring looks like for the pos wire from your battery, and you need a bus bar to connect all neg, then one wire to battery neg.


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## Truckmechanic (Mar 26, 2010)

I think that is a negative switch panel. It looks the same as mine.


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## tripwirenh (Mar 26, 2010)

If its a negative panel, where do I bring in the wire from the battery? The one lug that attaches to a mounting screw seems like a ground. Would I wire it to the post on the fuses? 

Thanks for the quick responses.


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## KMixson (Mar 26, 2010)

Wire the positive cable from the battery directly to the accessory. The black wire on the switch side of this panel goes to the negative side of the accessory. The ring terminal on the lower left side of switch back2.JPG is a ground. I would not ground the ring terminal to the boat as it would make any chaffed hot wires cause sparks and maybe a fire since the fuse panel would be out of the loop. I would connect a wire directly from the ring terminal to the negative side of the battery. That way if you chaff a hot wire on one of your accessories it will blow the fuse for that accessory only and the boat will not be a ground for the chaffed wire anymore.


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## tripwirenh (Mar 26, 2010)

I think Russ is correct. After talking to the manufacturer and being very confused I think I got it.

What looks like a ground screw is the positive terminal that the battery will connect to. The black wires will go to the positive lead on the nav. lights. There will be no negative to the switch panel and I will send the negative from the nav. lights directly to the battery.

From what I gather the fuse needs to be in between the positive of the battery and the appliance. Otherwise, how would the fuse ever blow. In a house, the power comes in to the fuse/circuit breaker panel, then to a switch, then to the appliance. It seems like the same concept, only with 12v dc instead of 110v ac.

My only question is why did they make they wires black and red on this switch. If you only deal with the positive lead wouldn't make sense to make the wires all red?


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## KMixson (Mar 26, 2010)

You can hook it up on the positive or negative side. It doesn't matter. As long as you have it in between the battery and the accessory. The amps are going to go through the fuse no matter which side you have it on.

As for why did they have black and red wires? Who knows?


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## Truckmechanic (Mar 26, 2010)

tripwirenh said:


> I think Russ is correct. After talking to the manufacturer and being very confused I think I got it.
> 
> What looks like a ground screw is the positive terminal that the battery will connect to. The black wires will go to the positive lead on the nav. lights. There will be no negative to the switch panel and I will send the negative from the nav. lights directly to the battery.
> 
> ...



Yes Russ is right. I think that is the best way to do it, and that is the wY I am going to do mne. The instruction paper with mine said it was a negetive.


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## tripwirenh (Mar 26, 2010)

Okay, I tried it out with a 12v outlet I had and a light charger. It worked perfect. I even blew a fuse because I accidentally let + and - touch. Oops. Anyway, that let me know the system worked correctly.

So it was positive from battery to ring terminal on fuses. Then black wire to positive on 12v outlet. Then negative on 12v outlet to battery. So simple, but like I said in my initial post I am an amateur #-o . Well, got it all figured out and will hopefully have the wiring done soon.

I also have to replace the clutchdog in my '72 18hp evinrude, so I should be able to keep busy. I'm still unemployed, so I guess I might as well keep modding my boat.


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## Mojo (Mar 27, 2010)

OK here's a little Circuits 101 for you guys. I don't want to come off sounding like a jerk, but I worked advanced electronics in the Navy for 20 years fixing weapons systems and high power radars so I do know what I'm talking about here.

Trip and the Company got it right. It actually does matter where you put a fuse inline on electronics. You always want the fuse or the circuit breaker to go inline on the positive side of your connection. 

The fuse is there to keep your electronics safe. You CAN wire it with the fuse and switch on the negative side of the circuit and it will work BUT (and this is important) If you have a short inside your Trolling motor, say arcing directly from positive components inside the motor to the case of your motor and thru that to your hull and your fuse is on the neg side terminal it's not going to help you. 

The current won't be traveling anywhere near that fuse to make it do its job and blow out (breaking the circuit) you end up with your motor turning into smoked junk. 

I put up a nice little diagram below.


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## KMixson (Mar 27, 2010)

Mojo, You are correct in your diagram if you ground the negative side of the battery to your boat. That is why you don't connect the negative side to the boat. You want to be able to take your positive cable and touch the boat and not have a spark. You do not want the frame as a ground like in your car.


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## Mojo (Mar 27, 2010)

Yes... I understand you don't ground the neg side of the battery to the boat like you would ground something to the frame of your car. However the diagrams are still correct and get the point across that I was trying to make, which is place your fuse or your circuit breakers on the positive side of the circuit.. preferably as close to the battery as possible.


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## russ010 (Mar 27, 2010)

man... this post has brought back all kinds of memories from Block 9 in Electronics Principles at Lackland.... 12 years ago.


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## caveman (Mar 27, 2010)

you want the fuse as close to the battery as you can get as not only does it protect your lights/tm /ff it protects the wire that runs to it .
The fuse size is all so for the wire size......................


Sparky of 23 yrs...................


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## Texas_Camo (Apr 2, 2010)

Hey guys just reading through the thread and now I'm confused. How exactly do you ground the circuit?


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## KMixson (Apr 3, 2010)

Texas_Camo said:


> Hey guys just reading through the thread and now I'm confused. How exactly do you ground the circuit?



You have two wires going to each accessory, one black and one red. You want the black and red wires going all the way to the battery through switches, fuses, bus bars, & etc. Do not attach the negative side of the battery to the frame of the boat or it will ground the boat. If you grounded the boat and your hot hot wire manages to get cut or scuffed somehow, it will cause problems. It can cause sparks, fire or in the worst case a battery explodes. If you don't ground the boat and you cut or scuff the the hot wire you will only lose the power to that accessory. Now, if you cut or scuff the black wire it will ground the boat.


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