before our launch tonight:
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I installed the batteries, set temporary screws in so the wouldn't bounce or move, and tightened down the wires. I did notice one good thing I did and one error. I installed (2) volt meters. One for the start battery and one for the house, both batteries are the same make and model group 27 AGM marine Northstars. They are 8-10 year batteries if maintained properly, a big upfront cost which made me throw up a bit but the down the road cost is way less than standard lead acid and a higher safety level at least I believe so. The onboard charger I purchased was the mini add a battery plus by blueseas which worked as advertised tonight because while we were running it was charging both batteries, and while the engine was off in the yard I could see some voltage drop on the house battery over the course of several hours while playing with lights and electronics.
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terrible pic but the bottom is my start and top is the house battery voltage after our run, I had the house down to 12.3 or so before we started our first splash. Back to my hookups of the batteries to the volt meters, I hooked up the positive lead of the house battery after the switch and the start battery before. In other words there is a draw on the start battery all the time just because of the meter. So I need to change the location of that lead to the motor feed side of the main switch. In other words, when the main switch is off, so should the meter be off. I will need to disconnect & pull out the batteries anyways to get the transducer wire pulled and connected, so I'll do that all at the same time, and hopefully secure and connect my ethernet cable from the radar to the chartplotter in one shot.