Transom lights.

ttmott said:

The red and black need to be of a gauge to carry the anticipated current which should be 25 amps (the circuit breaker size).
The orange is a low current switch leg and can be 16 Gauge routed to the on and off switch. The switch leg would probably use a 5 amp circuit breaker or whatever suitable for the wire gauge and length.

Click to expand...

The plan is to follow SKybolt’s instruction. First is 10 gauge from battery to buss.
Positive side will be battery to breaker to buss. Negative side will be battery to buss also with 10 gauge. The pigtails from the lights will be extended as necessary with 14 gauge to buss. All inside a waterproof box. Properly wiring the orange to the switch is my next mental roadblock.

LClifton said:

The plan is to follow skybox’s instruction. First is 10 gauge from battery to buss.
Positive side will be battery to breaker to buss. Negative side will be battery to buss also with 10 gauge. The pigtails from the lights will be extended as necessary with 14 gauge to buss. All inside a waterproof box. Properly wiring the orange to the switch is my next mental roadblock.

Click to expand...

Hi @LClifton, It's Skybolt not Skybox, Skybolt is a 1/4 scale bi-plane I use to fly.

That is almost a direct quote from my email, so yes that is correct. The Orange wire and only the Orange wire goes to an accessory switch that already has power. If none exist's one needs to be added. You could add a switch by your transom door or such place with a 12v lead from the light box powering the switch and the fore mentioned Orange wire.

I don't know what to say about wiring the Orange wire to a switch being a roadblock, except the switch needs to have 12v supplied to one side and the Orange wire connected to the other side of the switch. Again, you need to find an unused accessory switch at your helm or add one in another location as mentioned above.

SKybolt,
I’ve gone in and corrected my errors with your name. My apologies.
My goal with this is to learn. I have roadblocks mentally to be sure. I’m posting from your emails in the hopes that this thread may help someone else later.
I really can’t wait to get back to the boat and wrap this up and share some more detail.
Last, this is our second boat in just one year. (Long story). We’ve only been boat owners for one year and prior to that I’ve never been in a bilge prior. Frankly the first time someone mentioned bilge— I asked what that was.
I’m a handy person around the house with lots of woodworking skills and tools for that— when it come to electrical, well I’m just starting that learning curve.
I learned to drive these boats from taking instruction from a person that was willing to take me out and teach me. I can park it now...and I'm still learning how she reacts. Anyway,
I did some interior lights on our first boat (a 1987 Carver) but those were plug and play. Replaced ceiling fans in all of our homes over the years but the same thing there...pretty much plug and play. I don't want to make a mistake on these so I ask, a lot. I've learned to tie up my boat and how to tie various knots and I didn't get some right on the first try. I'm not making that mistake with wiring.
Anyone wanna know what I see regarding the Lumitec diagram? I can post it and all can get a chuckle...but to a novice it's what I see. Basic, simple, easy, don't apply to me just yet. I'm a good student and not afraid of hard work.
All the credit to getting thru this is the time taken by SKybolt to respond to my e-mails, texts, and here on the forum. I appreciate everyone here and recognize that I'm in some elite company. Thank you.

Here is the picture from Lumitec.

The way this appears to me is:
A single wire (pick either Red or Black) runs the length of the run.
The light furthest from the battery is wired in at the end of that single wire run. Red-red, black to black.
But,,,
When you arrive at the next light in the series (the 2nd one in from the right) it appears by the drawing that the wires are spliced into that single run of wire. Like a "T". This was saying to me that when you arrive at the buss that you'd only have one red and one black attachment. This caused confusion for me. Just sayin'.

Here's what (based on my interpretation of what SKybolt shared with me) I plan to do;
There will be 6 wires total. (I only have 3 lights compared to the Lumitec diagram which shows 4).
Each wire will run from the light to the respective buss.
Like this--- 6 wires.

Then I will run a separate switch for the lights via use of the orange wire per SKybolt's recommendation. Otherwise the breaker is the switch, inside the bilge.

I'd like to ask something else,
I recently had a new Garmin 93SV installed. Out came the Raymarine E80. Now I don't have a speedometer gauge that functions. I realize this is probably not a big deal because the Garmin can show speed. Is there a way to set the speed odometer gauge up to work again?

LClifton said:

... Then I will run a separate switch for the lights via use of the orange wire per SKybolt's recommendation. Otherwise the breaker is the switch, inside the bilge.

Click to expand...

I truly can not explain it any better then I have, emails, phone call(s), text(s), diagrams and this forum. ...

Please re-read the things I have posted and sent. Three wires, red to 12v positive through the breaker, black to 12v negative and orange to a switch. The breaker is not a switch and should not be used as one. A switch is a device that is meant to turn (switch) power on/off for a given device. If you switch the breaker on/off you are switching 15-20 amps and that is not correct. The orange wire needs to be connected to a 12v switch. According to Lumitec's diagram (sepec's) it only draws ~100 mili-amps - 1/10 of an amp.

Sorry, that is the best I can do explaining it multiple ways. I don't know how to explain this any better then I have a number of times.

Personally I would pay someone to install this the way it should be. I believe this is over your head as it stands right now. No offense intended. Sometimes it is what it is. , good luck.

SKybolt said:

I truly can not explain it any better then I have, emails, phone call(s), text(s), diagrams and this forum. ...

Please re-read the things I have posted and sent. Three wires, red to 12v positive through the breaker, black to 12v negative and orange to a switch. The breaker is not a switch and should not be used as one. A switch is a device that is meant to turn (switch) power on/off for a given device. If you switch the breaker on/off you are switching 15-20 amps and that is not correct. The orange wire needs to be connected to a 12v switch. According to Lumitec's diagram (sepec's) it only draws ~100 mili-amps - 1/10 of an amp.

Sorry, that is the best I can do explaining it multiple ways. I don't know how to explain this any better then I have a number of times.

Personally I would pay someone to install this the way it should be. I believe this is over your head as it stands right now. No offense intended. Sometimes it is what it is. , good luck.

View attachment 112604

Click to expand...

I'm not sure why posting a picture of Lumitec's diagram indicates that I'm not grasping something.
Where's the buss in that diagram?
It's not there. So I drew one.
The breaker will not be used as a switch. Got it. Thank you. Another poor choice of words on my part.

Minus the orange wire integration the only mechanism to turn on or off the lights would be the breaker. And that's not how it should be.... until I had a handle on the orange wire and how specifically to wire a switch I thought I'd post my specific questions regarding the buss.

I indicated to you on our first phone call that this project would be joint venture with a new technician.
I would not be doing this solo.
So to state that I should pay someone as this is over my head is a perfect / obvious conclusion.

Does anyone else see the "T" connection nature of the single wire ran in the picture I posted and that was reposted by SKybolt? The question is, "Is this a "T" type of connection to each pigtail with single run of wire to a buss or does it get 6 wires ran like my drawing? Anyone?
The person at Lumitec couldn't answer either although they saw the single wire with a T type connection to the light.
Is the diagram a problem then? I'm not the only one to see this I'm sure.

I don't know how to ask this differently.

Here is the final result.
I ended up wiring in a relay.
From there;
one leg goes to the switch at the helm (86 leg on the relay)
one "leg" of the relay went to the breaker (which in turn went to the battery) (30 leg) with the recommended 25 amp breaker. (SKybolt)
one leg went to the ground buss (85 leg) (already on the boat) and
one to the lights (87 leg)

Smaller gauge wire (14 AWG (ancor brand) to the switch, larger gauge to the breaker (10 Gauge) and then to battery, 14 Gauge to the lights themselves.

The lights work perfectly.

No "warm" wiring. No popping breaker. Bright Lumitec LED transom lights, full function with Timed Toggle Protocol operating as intended.

All that said,
There's now a much better understanding of why some of the questions were asked. Other than the obvious (which it wasn't to me at the time) "How many amps are the lights?" "How long is the run?" "What other items are on that circuit?" This whole process has given me a true appreciation for the minds of those familiar with electrical items.

Thank you all !

Views of the lights. Love these things, they really glow.