Topic: Wiring

[Rocketman783]

I have decided to wire my depth finders directly to the batteries. I have some questions. 1. What gage wire should I use?    2. Can I run both units off of one line or does each unit need its own? 3. Does it make a difference if I use spade fuses or glass ones? Thanks

[LocDown]

I think 18g wire should be fine for a single line to both fish finders. Just make sure your fuse is big enough to accommodate both. The glass or blade fuse does not matter. It's whatever you have more of just in case

[Bob B]

Many have had issues with the glass type inline fuse causing a voltage drop to their unit.  The spade type would be better.

As far as the wire size, 18gua would probably be sufficient, but bigger is better.....also pay attention to routing.  Try to keep it away from other wires to prevent interference.

[ITGEEK]

If you plan on having both of your sonars on at the same time, and you connect them to
the same battery, they may possibly get interference from each other.

If any battery that your sonar(s) are on are also connected to your main engine (with an alternator to charge the battery), or a trolling motor, you most likely will get interference.

The best scenario is to have separate batteries for each sonar with nothing else
connected to them.  This sounds crazy and expensive, but you can get small
batteries.  Sonar's draw very little current.

If you have to run sonar wires close to any other wires, run them at right angles to each other
(like a cross), to lessen the chance of interference.

Good Luck.

[stillbear]

I have decided to wire my depth finders directly to the batteries. I have some questions. 1. What gage wire should I use?    2. Can I run both units off of one line or does each unit need its own? 3. Does it make a difference if I use spade fuses or glass ones? Thanks

Depending on the run you want to use. Minimum Marine grade 14 ga.tinned wire. I reccomend 12 gauge for 18 ft runs or more because DC you have two voltage drops from battery to unit. Hope this helps.  http://tinnedmarinewire.com/wire/ Yes you want spade type 3-amp fuse blocks for each unit. If you use 12 gauge wire you can connect both units no problem. When ever you run a home run from a battery to units up font you must fuse the supply wire at the battery.Just in case something gets to that wire inside the hull,etc.This is where i get all my supplies. I always use the duplex wire   Gary

[mendota]

#18 wires are more than big enough to supply the units, but you may find that the voltage reading on the units is not very accurate because of the voltage drop that occurs.  I would recommend using at least #14 wires, and fuse them with a blade-type fuse at the battery.  The fuse's purpose is to protect the wire, not the sonar, so the fuse size should be appropriate for the AWG used.  HB recommends a 3A fuse, but a 5A or even 10A fuse will result in a more accurate voltage reading at the unit.

Running 2 separate circuits back to the battery for the 2 sonars is the way to go.  This will minimize the cross-talk between the sonars, especially if routed apart from each other.  Unfortunately, no sonar manufacturers do a good job of filtering the power draw they have, which is why you have to go through running multiple circuits.

The issue with 3AG-type glass fuses is the reliability of the connection, not voltage drop.  Glass fuse holders typically have a spring-loaded pressure connection which is not very reliable in a wet, high vibration environment.  The wiping-type blade contacts on the blade fuses are much more vibration and corrosion resistant.