Using empty accessory switch

[sailor55330]

So, I want to use my "empty" accessory switch for a chartplotter. I crawled under there and am totally lost by the wiring. Here's a pic of the switches that I see from the backside. I'm ok at the basics and wiring from scratch, but.... I called Cobalt they weren't much help. At first they didn't want to offer any help or advice for fear of warranty issues as they "don't advocate using any aftermarket devices". I explained my case again and he finally started to work with me a little. I then listened to to him try and read the schematic. He told me that the "daisychain" wires are for the led lights on the switches only and here's his suggestion...."you need to tie the power to the red wire on top and ground it to the yellow. Does that sound right? I would have never guessed the yellow wire was a ground. Maybe it's better to go through the ignition--not what I want to do though. Man do I hate electrical stuff,

Help.......signed "not the guy you want to cut wires"

IMG_1553.JPG

[Big Block Power]

Yes yellow is grd on a boat. Go look at your battery cables.

[Bfun220]

So, I want to use my "empty" accessory switch for a chartplotter. I crawled under there and am totally lost by the wiring. Here's a pic of the switches that I see from the backside. I'm ok at the basics and wiring from scratch, but.... I called Cobalt they weren't much help. At first they didn't want to offer any help or advice for fear of warranty issues as they "don't advocate using any aftermarket devices". I explained my case again and he finally started to work with me a little. I then listened to to him try and read the schematic. He told me that the "daisychain" wires are for the led lights on the switches only and here's his suggestion...."you need to tie the power to the red wire on top and ground it to the yellow. Does that sound right? I would have never guessed the yellow wire was a ground. Maybe it's better to go through the ignition--not what I want to do though. Man do I hate electrical stuff,

Help.......signed "not the guy you want to cut wires"

IMG_1553.JPG

Do you have a multimeter?

[sailor55330]

Yes yellow is grd on a boat. Go look at your battery cables.

Here's my battery cables BBP...I'm not good with colors, but I don't see yellow.....

IMG_1346.JPG

Yes, I do have a mulitmeter, just haven't had time to break it out for this project. I know it's simple, and this is going to sound stupid, but wiring intimidates me. Cut holes, build, design, no issues. Build and wire a stereo system--with my eyes closed...put some current through the wires and I'm lost. Back in the day of car stereos seems like yellow was the constant power (or maybe blue, but I think that was accessory), it sure wasn't ground.

It makes me wonder where the accessory switch wires terminate...seems like there should be a plug somewhere on the boat.......

[Bfun220]

Yellow is the ground. There should be a bus bar somewhere that all your yellow ground wires go to. On my boat its behind the engine on the transom.

Use multimeter to find the switched power. I'm guessing it's the blue spade with single wire in it. After you find it just leave it off. Put a spade on the end of your new wire and push it on. That's all I did for my chart plotter and leds.

[Big Block Power]

Ok my bad. Battery cables are black. All other cables are yellow for grd. This is not a mess.

[sailor55330]

Thanks Bfun-

So, to regurgitate---find the hot wire, remove that lead and replace with a spade lug connected to the power wire from the unit back onto the switch, then tap into the yellow ground with the device ground.

Why electrical screws me up so bad I don't know.

[Driller]

One of the red spades will be hot all the time when the Perko is turned on. The other will become hot when the switch is pushed. Use the multimeter to determine which is which and connect to the switched side if you wish to turn it on and off with the switch.

[sailor55330]

So I found my bus bar. It’s under the dash. Don’t ask how I found it. While I was under there I found all the pre wired plugs—evc, lt blue, trim tabs. I also found he deutsch connector for the accessory. Can I just get a duestch connector wire it and plug it in to have power via the switch? The plug is $7. Am I over simplifying it?

[Bfun220]

Double check with the multimeter, but as long as its after the switch I would thing it would work.

[sailor55330]

Double check with the multimeter, but as long as its after the switch I would thing it would work.

Had a chance to test with the multimeter and sure enough, it's 12v, switched when the switch is on, which is exactly what I wanted. My plan is to wire the chartplotter through the accessory switch, which means it will come on when power is detected through the switch. After reading the wiring diagram, I'll combine the remote power and the main power after the fuse so it always comes on when the accessory switch is activated. I'll also add the 3amp fuse as the accessory switch on the boat has a 20amp fuse (I could just change the fuse I guess). The drawback to this is I won't be able to turn off the unit from the switch on the unit, but can put it in standby from the screen--the accessory switch becomes the main power switch. The main battery switch will kill the entire thing as a backup--I never leave the main switch on, even for a single night. As for the wiring, it's a female Deustch connector, which I found the corresponding male plug with a 2-wire pigtail online for $8, so it should be a straightforward wiring job and then plug in. Now to decide--punch a hole in the dash or try to "hide the wire". I'm going to use a suction cup ram mount for now for the unit till I decide.

[DeadOn04]

Any chance someone with an older 200 series boat know where the bus bar is? I have found the grounding point in the engine compartment and the circuit breaker panel. I also found three molex connectors at the stern which aren’t being used. Tested them with the multimeter and they are powered off the interior lights. My guess is they were wired for the optional swim platform lights which my boat doesn’t have.

I’m attempting to install some underwater transom lights, I’ll document that process separately, but hoping to use the accessory switch. Would be convenient to use the molex already at the stern, but want independent operation. Was hoping for an easy win with a molex, deutsch, or amp connector already coming off the accessory switch, but haven’t had any luck yet.

[Big Block Power]

On mine you remove the helm access panel from inside the storage compartment of the bow backrest cushion. There is a positive busbar right there on the starboard side of it.