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Adding a voltage booster

Discussion in 'Electronics' started by Bamboo, Oct 29, 2017.

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  1. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    When is your next Florida visit?
    Bring er down. We will bring you next to us on the Huckins dock. No transformers here, true & right-just power, my hair will show testament.
    Pull out the ole Simpson volt meters and show how a DVM can drive you nuts.
    Calibrate your meters and then go to another marina 1/2 mile away with the Wye transformers.
    I'll pull out the ole O scope and show you how we get 208V and still 115Vac at the slips service pole.

    I am not an electrician. Old school computer hardware engineer ( DEC-Sperry).
    I gave up mainframes (and brain surgery) and been working on boats for a while full time now.
    Back before the dinosaurs, mainframe computers were water cooled with heat ex-changers and power supplied with 3 phase electric.
    I remember some things.
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    O K, I remember this from another thread. Not on your page, sorry.
    Not been around it,,, yet.
    Other than that PIA tub that comes to town for a feetsball game once in a while (Kismet), not to much else comes in here like that.
  3. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Do you have any 98'to 165" Westport's coming into Ortega Creek? Every Westport manufactured since 2001 has a frequency converter factory installed as standard equipment. This technology isn't limited to Shads Lurssen... I like your mention of the best swing meter ever made, The Simpson 150!! Loved those VOM's and took a long while to get used to a Fluke.
  4. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    I'm not challenging your findings.
    Your meters are probably correct.
    Just saying that 1/2 of 208 V is not how it works.
    Sorry for the confusion.
  5. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Shads Tub stays downtown. To many paint ball guns in this hood.
    Draft is the problem in the Ortega River (I liked creek).
    WPB and Liquordale are just down the coast. Oh wait, they are south already. Other than da Tub, why come up here at all.
    To many ex-geeks, red-necks with paint ball guns (o k while on parole), old farts with real guns (To many witnesses when I went by this evening) but not much real high tech service or skills in here.

    I was on a WestPort years ago at Bahia-Mar. I remember it was a fine ship. Lots of things I did not recognize. I'm sure some of this Gizmo converter stuff included.
  6. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Oh, The last Gallant Lady was up here for the FL-GA game. Always good to see her.
    I started to listen to that game, knew in the first few minutes two things, the gators were going to get run over, the head coach was walking home.
  7. Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

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    I visited more than a few marinas up north that had power close to 200V and even lower in the last decade. Equipment aboard didn't work- the washing machine for one. I'm looking to protect the electronics/other equipment and be able to utilize those while still visiting places with poor voltage and not have to use the gen set at the dock. I'd also like to have a UPS installed so if there is a short duration shore power interruption I don't have to manually reset the "accept power" switches which many vessel have.

    Capt Holli- thank you for the set up post
    rcrapps- what is your suggestion?

    Cheers
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I've found the normal Charles type step up transformers help from popping shorepower breakers and burned cord ends because the various compressors use less start up amps......I know if you up the voltage 10% you get 10% less amps, but it seems breakers always pop when a big compressor (a/c etc.) starts up. Freq. drives for the compressors help a lot too, I have a few chillers with them.
  9. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    You have a great sense of humor Ralph. I don't understand why Red necks would prefer paint ball guns over paint ball cross bows though but you sell your beloved Jacksonville short on skilled labor and facilities. Huckins has a fine old school boat yard there where the smell of Dolphinite still lingers from the 50's. BAE Jacksonville across the creek from Mayport is perhaps the most technologically advanced ship / yacht repair facility south of Newport News and certainly surpasses anything found in Ft Liquordale or @ Robtherich in WPB. BAE has it going on as they say...
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2017
  10. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Our ole Bert have been way up the StJohns river and docked next to bass boats.
    Around Fl, FL keys and the islands.
    Community, city, fish camps and private docks.
    NEVER had a problem. Darn good luck.

    I know of a nice looking floating dock close by with dangerous bad electric service. The downtown Jax dock stinks also. Poor and cheap maintenance. I'll never go to these places.

    Your range north and deeper into the islands greatly expand your contact and experience with problem docks and marinas.
    Which ones have good service or not.

    Suggestion #1; don't go to docks with bad service. Let other boaters know also.
    #2; Use 100 amp service when available. Make a 100 to twin 50A adapter.
    #3; If 100 amp / 3 phase is on the dock and you stay there or commonly tie there (expensive option), make a adapter box (5 pin to 4pin, still 115-208Vac).
    #4; Start managing your ships loads, turn that water heater off.
    #5; If you have older equipment that really will not work on real 208Vac, consider upgrading that product or start saving for it's replacement.
    More docks will be using Wye transformers in our futures.
    #6; Use boost transformers with skepticism. They are heavy and give off heat (Watts).
    #7; Little UPS units need to see good electricity to be in bypass mode. They also re-charge then also.
    If the service is poor to start, the lil office UPS will fail.
    A more tolerant inverter-charger can be of help to keep the freezer cold.
    Good battery banks and the weight is back on. I am a fan of inverter systems. My boat does go slower though.
  11. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Paint ball cross bows? We may be a lil behind the evolution (or ahead) when dealing with paint ball cross bows.
    I do like the idea.
    fraking CO2 bottles just don't give enough or die when you most need it.

    I forgot about the old Atlantic Marine shop, now BAE Jax.
    Went by them yesterday, Navy tin-can in the dry dock. Super (SUPER) yacht tied up on the west side.
    Other fine projects around. Nothing around less than 300.
    Without a government contract or silk underwear, don't think this areas boat customers are getting any BAE service.
  12. Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

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    It’s not a matter of choosing the dock/avoiding marinas with lower voltage; wish I could. I need to deal with Volts coming under 210 and have a solution which involves the least amount of hassle. I don’t want portable units I have to haul out. Capt Holli has a practical solution which certainly deserves further study as to implemention in my circumstance.
  13. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    #8; Nothing if free.
    Even Captholli's converter gizmo requires a supply of current from the dock to work. It is the lack of current & volts that you are trying to patch and can not be done at the end of the dock.

    #9; Boost it up AND reduce your loads if you must stay at a sub-standard dock.
  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    #5; If you have older equipment that really will not work on real 208Vac, consider upgrading that product or start saving for it's replacement.


    Are your volt meters calibrated?
  15. Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

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    My genset when running reads in the 240 range. Not sure why you assume what you've assumed. The boat I'm speaking of is new and'm not coming close to over load and tripping breakers. Low voltage by itself is not a good thing to suffer and causes issues. Do you have a solution besides don't go to those marinas and shut stuff off?
  16. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I have assumed something? 240 range is an exact value?

    Newer equipment should work at 200Vac.
    If your 115 washing machine does not work because of low power; #1; don't go to docks with bad service.

    Sorry my friend, I do not have a solution you can fix on a bad dock.
    If you find one, please let me know.

    Did you have there issues running the Donzi?
  17. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    A voltage booster WILL FIX the low voltage issues of finnacy electrical devices that won't run on 200-208 volts. Perhaps you don't need all 50 amps of electricity but only a max of 40 amps, but some stuff does need to see 220 volts. It will fix that situation. A lot of times, you can't fix where the boat is docked.....when traveling a lot of times whatever marina you get a slip at, is your only choice.
  18. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Hang on, maybe one more idea;
    Soft Start kits for the A/C compressors. Not going to change any volt levels but reduces that big bang when the compressors try to start.
    No big dip in volts or Amp spikes.
  19. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    BTW
    As November 2016, Charles Marine is no more.
    Battery chargers and marine transformers.
    Marine support for warranty claims only.
  20. saltysenior

    saltysenior Senior Member

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    Not familiar with modern voltage boosters.....had one in the 70's made by Ward that weighed 50lbs and sat on the dock...don't they pull voltage away from other boats on the same dock ??