J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment DC Electrical Panel Replacement

Thanks for the intro Bill - Our panel model 2206 is a slick panel giving you 12 circuit breaker positions (you choose the amperages), a main, a meter and a switch that can be wired to perform a number of actions. We have sucessfully designed an AC Digital Multimeter but are only in design stages of a DC Digital Multimeter which would've been ideal for this panel and application. I would like to see the pictures and actual measurements of the Lorco panel to see what we are working with and get the J/30 owners an accurate drop-in panel replacement. Please pass this information along at your convenience.

@nemonaute - Assuming that the BlueSea meter you mention is DC then it is very similar to what we are designing now. If you've already made the purchase no worries, we have produced panels with breakers only and a cutout for the meter of choice so you can install it in our panel. If this option is of interest please let me know. The J30 logo would look pretty sharp, unfortunately without the express written consent of J/Boats we cannot put the logo on our panels. Cheers!

William - once there is a standard replacement panel agreed to, the J/30 Class will work with J/Boats to obtain permission to have the J/30 logo on the panel. We have obtained similar permission from J/Boats, and can work this issue directly with them.

For those of you considering LED cabin lights, here's what I installed. While they're not as bright as the original halogen, they provide plenty of light and the price was right...about $25 per light as I recall. It's a nice feeling knowing that you can have your lights on as long as you want and you're not drawing down your battery.

That panel is nice! It is perfect for my needs I think.

I would like a multimeter though so I can monitor current.

@NaturalHigh - The DC meters available to use on the 2206 panel are as follows:

Digital:
DC Voltmeter (P/N: 570-001B ; 0-50VDC)
DC Ammeter (P/N: 570-002B ; 0-100DCA)
DC Ammeter (P/N: 570-006B ; 0-500DCA)

Analog:
DC Voltmeter (P/N: 289-001 ; 8-16VDC)
DC Voltmeter (P/N: 289-017 ; 16-32VDC)
DC Voltmeter (P/N: 289-025 ; 0-50 VDC)
DC Ammeter (P/N: 289-002 ; 0-50DCA)
DC Ammeter (P/N: 289-005 ; 0-80DCA)
DC Ammeter (P/N: 289-014 ; 0-100DCA)

Any of the DC Ammeters would suffice your current monitoring requirement.

So OK ... if you are wondering if there is a problem in your electric system, something to look for is a lower voltage reading on the GPS voltage window ... than at the panel or at the battery direct.
And also if your new radio is dropping from 25W transmit to 1W and calling out low voltage, when you have reasonably new batteries.

I'm thinking there may have been at least three different panels installed.

This one is from #526 and is different from the one installed in #505.

It is ~6-3/8 in. by 10 in.

The other stuff is related to the AC and Stove/Oven control ...



note although there is a anchor light noted ... don't think any were ever factory installed. Note dozen fuses and generic J Boat logo.

The right column fuses were Radio, GPS, something I forget and Aux 1,2 and 3.

The Vee Jays have "Night" which turns on 5w red night lights at the top of the stairs and under the head sink ... Always good to have some red stuff going at night.

Also boat came equipped with 2 water tanks, water heater, water pressure pump etc. was basically cruising version.

Below are pictures of the original DC power panel on Rhapsody. It is interesting to note this is different than Vic has on the two Vee Jays. Note that the AC breaker and 110V outlet were added by me. I also added a battery charger that is not visible in the photo.

Picture 1 shows the panel before I taped custom labels on. The panel is 8.5" wide by 8" tall. The screw holes are 7-7/8" between centers across and 7-3/8" between centers vertical. The panel is 3/32" thick.


Picture 2 is the panel with some custom labels I've taped on.


Picture 3 is a view of the panel back.


Picture 4 is a view of the area cutout of the wood. The cutout is 7" wide by 7" tall.

1. If you have ever been confused when going aboard another J/30 and asked to turn one of the switches on ... and that switch not doing what it was supposed to do --

look at the order differences between the two left side banks of 6 switches ... And I thought it may have been because i had had one too many blue cans.

2. Bill ... you have bilge pump connected through the master panel ... but don't you shut off the master switch when you leave the boat ... we have bilge connected directly to Battery 2, which in our case is the aft battery.

Vic - I wanted to be able to easily isolate all the circuits, so used a spare switch on the panel that was designated for Water Pressure. Since there was no water pump, I relabeled it, and installed a 3 position toggle switch for the bilge pump.