Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Nasty Electrical problem plagues Joy T Brew . . .

We had problems in the past with the Lawrance HDS 8 going black-out and it was a surprise when it happened on the water.  Usually the unit can be powered on and runs OK, but this time, it was again the isolated battery that had a low charge.  The HDS shuts down about 11 volts! :(  So, on the water, I pulled the panel and changed the power lead to the reserve start battery.  That worked!  Back in business, but really heavy pound in heavy seas still shut the unit down.  A loose connection somewhere in the HDS, the battery leads, etc.?  My HDS is no longer serviced and to fix it, it must be replaced with a Gen 2 or later at a cost of about $800 to $1500 depending on the display size I would choose.

Bill has his HDS powered by his start battery and it shuts off each time he cranks his outboard.  Have to find a way to keep the low voltage from shutting the HDS off.

Checked the isolated battery during the fishing trip with a load tester and it tested fine.  Not so for one of the two start batteries.  A replacement will be needed soon.  A huge job due to the added installations I made in the hatch.

Yet, my health seems to be worsening and I'm not sure about hobby activities of the future.  God willing, I'll have a few more years to enjoy.

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