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Electrickery stuff - what is this?

Wanderer Vagabond
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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

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gallery_4454_1287_67115.jpg

 

Living in hope that someone may have an idea what this piece of electrickery is.

 

The problem that I have had is that for a period of time there has been something behind my instrument control panel that has been emitting an intermittent 'Pip' sound. Of course this is my favourite sort of problem since when you go looking for it, it disappearsunsure.png . Today I have managed to track down the noise to this little box but have absolutely no idea what it does (if anything). It is attached to the panel behind my instrument panel but there is nothing that comes out the other side so what you can see is all that there is. The opaque connector at the bottom doesn't appear to be connected to anything, as is the white connector at the top attached to the blue and white wire. I can't get close enough to hear whether the 'pip' sound is coming from the the black box on the left or the right (photo taken by reaching in with camera).

 

If it helps there is an Adverc fitted somewhere in the boat but then I wouldn't know what one of those looked like if it came up and bit me so it is possible it may be something to do with that but I have no idea, anyone else have any suggestions?

 

One further piece of info is that despite this irritating 'pip' sound there are no warning lights showing so oil, alternators and temperature are all fine (I hopeunsure.png )

Edited by Wanderer Vagabond
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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The thing on the right with numbers on like 30, 85 & 87 is without doubt a relay, and relays almost identical to this are used when wiring in an external alternator controller, so there is a good chance it relates to the Adverc, I think. Follow wires, and see if some lead to the Adverc.

 

A relay like that will issue a click as it is energised, but if it is for the Adverc, I'd not expect it to be regularly switching on and off.

 

hard to guess what the box on the left is, but undoing that knurled not should surely allow a cover off to see what it contains inside.

 

I wonder what the blue and white wire that ends above without connecting to anything relates to?

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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

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The thing on the right with numbers on like 30, 85 & 87 is without doubt a relay, and relays almost identical to this are used when wiring in an external alternator controller, so there is a good chance it relates to the Adverc, I think. Follow wires, and see if some lead to the Adverc.

 

A relay like that will issue a click as it is energised, but if it is for the Adverc, I'd not expect it to be regularly switching on and off.

 

hard to guess what the box on the left is, but undoing that knurled not should surely allow a cover off to see what it contains inside.

 

I wonder what the blue and white wire that ends above without connecting to anything relates to?

A crucial piece of info I forgot to mention is that when I had a new alternator fitted the marine electrician disconnected the Adverc as he claimed it would invalidate the warranty on the alternator(unsure.png ) so if it is related to the Adverc it shouldn't be doing anything.

 

The wires that come out of the top left of the box disappear into the loom and, being brown and red (like several others in the loom) I haven't managed to find out where they go. Since at the moment nothing seems to be broken I'm a bit reluctant to start trying to dismantle anything to find out what it all is. I'd just like to know what may be going to fail if whatever is going on in this box breaks.

Edited by Wanderer Vagabond
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Guest User Rising Star

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I can't add anything to what others have already said about the mystery wiring and relay - it'd help to trace the wiring to work out how it's connected to the rest of the boat's systems (I suspect you're already on the case with that though).

 

An Adverc battery management unit looks like this, it's about 6" wide ...

 

20120517011553_1.jpg

 

It's possibly located somewhere midway-ish between your alternator and your batteries.

 

LCx

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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A crucial piece of info I forgot to mention is that when I had a new alternator fitted the marine electrician disconnected the Adverc as he claimed it would invalidate the warranty on the alternator(unsure.png ) so if it is related to the Adverc it shouldn't be doing anything.

 

Possibly, but if he really thought the Adverc should be decommissioned, he would have been best to remove it, and any ancillaries related to it.

 

Leaving stuff like that in any way associated with the active wiring makes it very very much harder for the next person who tries to work on it to have any realistic idea of understanding it all, (IMO!).

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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

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Possibly, but if he really thought the Adverc should be decommissioned, he would have been best to remove it, and any ancillaries related to it.

 

Leaving stuff like that in any way associated with the active wiring makes it very very much harder for the next person who tries to work on it to have any realistic idea of understanding it all, (IMO!).

Yup, I'm fully with you on that. The confounding factor is that there is a green light on the control panel that was fitted when the Adverc was installed that still comes on with the ignition and goes out when the engine starts so I only have the electrician's word for it that it is disconnected.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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Adverc don't use a relay,so nothing to do with that. Also to connect the Adverc to the new alternator, the alternator would need modifying by adding a lead to the field connection. No reason why the OP shouldn't have this done next year.

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Eeyore Rising Star

Eeyore

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The most likely source of the noise is the warning buzzer on the engine panel. I have seen something very similar where the alternator light flashed (very briefly) at the same time; but was only visible because the hatch and doors were closed. It is often worth checking the alternator warning lamps with low background lighting, as some faults only cause it to glow at a low level.

Has this only occurred since the alternator was changed?

Steve (Eeyore)

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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

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It the fuse box for a eberspacher there should be a cover on top I have one just like it

The relay coil is there to run a fan type heater like the one in a car

 

 

I would say from the wiring colours, and layout, definately eberspacher control box. Have had to rebuild a few due to fuse holders dissolving when fitted in damp conditions (engine bay).

Well identified I have to saybiggrin.png . Having now followed the black loom coming out of the bottom left of the box it is indeed connected to the Eberspacher, whilst the flash photo makes it look clear in there it is actually a bit of a black hole so following the wires wasn't straightforward. Unfortunately it is now beginning to look as though I have probably mis-identified the source of the noise (I did say it was intermittent!). I cannot think of any reason why sounds such as this should be coming from an Eberspacher control box when the unit isn't in use. I'll have to wait until the next time it makes the noise and try again to identify the source.unsure.png

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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

Posted
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The most likely source of the noise is the warning buzzer on the engine panel. I have seen something very similar where the alternator light flashed (very briefly) at the same time; but was only visible because the hatch and doors were closed. It is often worth checking the alternator warning lamps with low background lighting, as some faults only cause it to glow at a low level.

Has this only occurred since the alternator was changed?

Steve (Eeyore)

That was my initial thought but I have viewed the panel in total darkness and neither of the alternator warning lamps even hint at glowing. If it was either of the alternators I would have expected the fault to have developed more by now but it is totally random. I can go for a week with nothing happening and then, for no obvious reason I'll get a few of the 'pip' sounds and it will stop again. Both of the alternators have been replaced in the past couple of years but the start of this sound doesn't really tally with the changing of either of them.

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