Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Basic DC Circuits What Electricity Is • Ohm's Law • Using Ohm's Law • Loads • Sources • Practice Problems 2. DC Measurements Analog Test Instruments • Digital Test Instruments • Digital vs. Analog Test Instruments • Homemade Testers • Troubleshooting 3. Batteries What Is a Battery? • A Few Messy Details • Electrical Model of Batteries • Monitoring Battery Health • Discharge Characteristics • Charging Characteristics • Charging Recommendations • Estimating Your Daily Load • Choosing a Battery Type • Optimum Depth of Discharge • Sizing the Alternator • Series vs. Parallel • Battery Boxes • ABYC Standards for Batteries 4. Alternators A Galley Alternator • A Rotary Current Machine • Rectification • Controlling the Alternator • Type-P and Type-N Alternators • Powering the Voltage Regulator • Regulator Bypass Controls • Link 2000-R Charge Controller • Charging Setups • Alternator Installation • Troubleshooting 5. Bonding What Is Bonding? • Lightning Protection • Corrosion Protection • Stray-Current Protection • To Bond or Not to Bond • Sizing the Anode(s) • Testing Your Protection • Noncathodic Corrosion • The ABYC on Cathodic Protection 6. DC Standards and Practices Wiring Diagrams • Marine Wire • ABYC DC Load Calculation • Allowable Conductor Amperage • Allowable Voltage Drop • Identification and Installation • Overcurrent Protection • Conductor Connections • Ignition Protection 7. AC Basics Alternating Current • Power Factor • AC Safety • Grounding • Conductor Identification • Transformers • AC Measurements • Troubleshooting AC Circuits • Checking Polarity 8. Inverters and Generators Why Have AC Power? • Figuring Your AC Budget • Inverters • Transfer Switching • Generators • Troubleshooting Generators 9. AC Standards and Practices Shore Power • Generator and Inverter Sources • Main Panelboard • AC Load Calculations • Overcurrent Protection • Approved Wire and Cable • Ampacity Tables • Conductor Installation • The Green Wire • Approved Shore-Power Circuits 10. Conservation for Liveaboards Costs per Kilowatt-Hour • Lighting Savings • Refrigeration Savings • Other Savings 11. Solar Power Is Solar for You? • How Photovoltaics Work • Photovoltaic Panels • Interpreting Specifications • Panel Orientation • Estimating Output • Mechanical Installation • Electrical Installation • Rules for Solar Success 12.Wind Power Is Wind Power for You? • Getting Power from the Wind • How Much Wind Is There? • Estimating Daily Output • Specifications • Electrical Installation • Mechanical Installation • Water Generators 13. Installing Electronics Antennas • Antenna Cable and Connectors • Moisture Protection • VHF Radio • GPS and SSB • Radar • Receiver/Transmitter Installation • Harnessing Electrical Noise • Electrical Filters 14. Do-it-Yourself Projects Passive Circuit Components • Active Circuit Components • Projects Appendices Other Wiring Standards • English/Metric Conversions • Temperature Conversions • Power Conversions • Resistance of Copper Wire • Losses in Coaxial Cables • Wiring Color Codes • Useful Electrical Formulas • Identifying Resistors • Identifying Capacitors • Trigonometric Tables Glossary Index

About the Author

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT, where he later worked as a research scientist. Since then his career has been explaining how things work--teaching physics at Bowdoin College, founding America’s first two do-it-yourself house-building schools (the Shelter Institute and Cornerstone), hosting a PBS series on energy conservation, and writing a dozen top-selling books on home building, home maintenance, and remodeling. Wing lived aboard a cruising sailboat for six years, during which time he wrote the first edition of this book on a solar-powered Macintosh computer. He is the author of four other IM books.