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Friends-
I am in the process of upgrading (grading?) Axe's DC breaker panel and house wiring. At present the wiring runs directly from the breakers or ground bus on the distribution panel to the item (running lights, blowers, ignition, etc.). I have looked in wide wonder at the professional wiring jobs on custom yachts and the work many of you have done.
What is the purpose or utility of the terminal blocks like those on the left in the picture below?

Thank you,
Stephan

My opinion, terminal blocks allow for a multiple of functions. I also have a rybovitch in which every device is connected to a terminal block,never a butt connector to connect the device to the load/line voltage. This makes for easy testing/diagnosing problems with a multimeter in the future ! Secondly, it allows for the fabrication of premiered sub wire looms to be built. All the wiring on my flybridge , which is primarily switching for my boat, was done this way and wired into a circuit breaker panel on the bridge. In addition to engine , electronics, lites,firebuoy system, I connected thru the terminal blocks down the side panels to bilge pumps, audible high water alarms, DC supply ,etc sometimes to another buss bar in the cabin headliner, and in the bilge. I have another wire loom in the engine compartment high aft of the Strb engine in which all 3pilge pumps, high water switches, 12 VDC for deep drop/kite reels,live bait well,etc which all devices connect to buss bars then to the circuit breaker panel as described . I also used this idea in the cabin for listing, electric head/lectrascan,macerator, electro hydraulic riggers. I used wire numbers for all D.C. wireing used over 200 numbers, I created wiring diagrams as well as flow charts to simplify what each number wire does, size color destination, switching, circuit protection location and lots of images. When u need to replace a bite pump, it's easily diagnosed and replaced with buss bars

What he said - but also when you paint by numbers with wiring diagrams it's easier to build. It's easier to test and it's a better connection. It allows the connection to be made with ring terminals and not butt splices - notorious for failure.

That photo btw is a super clean install. Custom and nice. Top of the line. You will wont see a home or business wired in such a workman like manner much anymore. Time is money and that takes a ton of time. It takes a little planning too.

Edit

I will tell you what I don't like about that tho. I have worked on many a control cabinet built like that and it makes life difficult when you need to fix/replace wires in the loom. That dude put a zip tie at every location on the terminal block. Pita if you ask me.

Terminal strips are usually the junction between the breaker and the load.
It aids in allowing the builder to pre wire a panel with a pigtail built in a shop, then install on the boat and connect to loads that have had their feeds pre run to panel location.

Couple more comments, I have 3 circuit breaker panels( sub panels I guess) fly bridge, head below the sink, aft of strb engine for the reason as that is where those devices are located that I want access to easily if a repair/ emergency happens, I don't have to fly off the bridge to reset a running lite breaker . I feed each of these sub panels with cabling that is calculated for the load plus some and put and ANL fuse for each sub panel within 7" of the house battery, wire tie every 4" ,creates a more stable loom . I also apply liquid tape too all terminal screws heads total encapsulating the metal on the buss. I mentioned wiring diagrams, numerous flow charts for different groups devices.for instance, I have a simple flow chart for all the bilge pump wiring( pump,ultra switch, audible alarm, circuit breaker, manual over ride switch) and each wire/device has its own number. I created a narrative for the entire D.C. System starting with the number 1 which allows me to know exactly the function and location of any particular wire on the boat. It's all recorded in an excel spread sheet which lets me sort by wire , location, device, invaluable. I recently bought a 62 spencer and there wasn't any documentation on anything in the 12/24 VDC system. This boat will live in the Bahamas away from access to electrical technicians. Have spent the last month identifying every device ,wire ,cable on the boat. When the captain calls ,now we each have these documents available to diagnose the problem. I had a 67' F & S before that which had no factory wiring documentation and was a constant nightmare to keep fully functional. I make the diagrams simple and specific to a group of devices /area. The flybridge has its own 24 position circuit breaker panel with a load cable supplying power as well as a backup. 5 months ago we knew none of this stuff existed. A simple diagram for the bridge as well as narratives hopefully will allow the Capt to better understand the issue . I have learned all this the hard way!

It does make a more stable loom. It also allows for heat to build up. I wouldn't worry about that tho. If the circuit is designed properly and not overloaded then all is well.

I couldn't imagine taking delivery of something like a big Spencer and not having a wiring diagram. Wow.

Gentlemen-
Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed answers.
For my application (13 breakers all on one 12v DC panel) I am wondering if it might be better to bundle and wire directly to the breakers. I'm not trying to cut corners just thinking that I do not need the ease of production and it would eliminate two crimps and some labeling.
Marlin, I am cataloging as I go and plan to have a diagram when I am done. Could you share the documents from one of your projects that I might use as a template?
Thanks again,
Stephan

I have to locate the file,haven't used the boat in 3 years,kinda know where they might be

Unfortunaly im challenged in sending pic, so I'll describe the spreadsheet
Wire #, device description,conductor gauge, # of colors, buss location,device location,switch location, circuit breaker location,circuit breaker /fuse size, type circuit breakers( anl,atc , panel breaker switch, comments. Sometimes the response is n/a to the columns. The Comments columns is more notes( I.e. # 10 wire connects to # 86 wire in engine compartment) .
I'm now adding columns as to preventative maintenance/routine. On my latest boat that will live in fish following program thru the winter in the bahamas ,every hydro, hydra, electrical,mechanical thing on the boat has been photographed, a narrative describing the function and type of service and prove functionality , a pm schedule ,all in individual sortable column s by hour, day, trip, week, month, quarter, semi annual ,annual.
There items are grouped by some common denominator, engine compartment, fly bridge, a/c units, grey water, fresh water, black water, bilge pumps circuit breakers, electronics,etc. the captains each have an iPad and a wire less printer aboard and sort by column and print off a few copies. For instance the #4 column is monthly and there may be 175 devices to check. The printed report has a date column when completed and a signature column. This becomes part of the ships log as well as its scanned and sent to my office , scanned , reviewed, stored electronically. Discrpancies ,notataions are reviewed with whatever captain. If parts are needed, this transparency lets all know what's happening and fixes necessary. I learned this again the hard way as well as learning more about how my pilot is required to keep records and repairs to comply with the FAA,FYI

Marlin-
Thanks very much for this. I'm on my way.
Stephan

Marlin,
Are you sure you have not gone to the moon with the Apollo program at some point, lol?

Engineer mentality

Marlin wrote:Engineer mentality

Glad I don't work for you. My father in-law was an engineer pain in the @#$ whenever he needed help around the house he would drive my brother in law and me crazy. He is the only person I know that had to have perfectly smooth garage walls that he was putting pegboard over. Luckily my brother in law got that job. Lol

Tony,
Funny and you have no idea.

My dad was an engineer for Philco then Ford and ran their advanced development lab. Member of SAE, IEEE, had 92 patents, 27 technical papers.
Here's one of his more well known co patents. http://www.google.com.na/patents/US2769855


Actually what Marlin is doing is more productive which reduces incidents and down time. Intelligent thinking we call it now a days.

Bruce-
Very cool. I owe thanks to him for many hours a week of my childhood.

-Actually maybe that's where it went wrong...

Amazing how hard it can be to take time to do something right rather than the time consumed by redoing it over and over.


Thank you all...
S

No one has accused me of being intelligent

Bruce

Funny , I will say when my father in law built something it was more than right. It was just that some things well were taken to the extreme.

I have no problem with Marlins wiring. Actually I envy him.

One more thing, as said by that famous sage from down south, ""the enemy of good is better."
"

Marlin wrote:No one has accused me of being intelligent

With all the boats you have... very few will.




LOL, sorry had t go there.

Serious note, labels on each wire with a schematic make troubleshooting so much easier. My boat is nothing like that, sorry to say...but my machines are. Need to ohm out a motor, check a circuit, see whats on a line, trace a wire, pick up power or a ground, so much easier.
Dads lil' Hatteras had a large harness of color coded wires running to the bridge. While very nice they color coded the wires, I think the choice of making every wire Red was not the most brilliant if ideas.

that wiring is a beautiful work of art
and I thought mine looked good wow

Stephen- I T stripped off all the main functional areas on mine. From breaker panel, each engine,bridge...ect
My feeling is that it allows you to break your wireing system into modules, and makes assembly, reassembly much easier.

Br
Giff

Thanks Giff. That helps with my thinking on the other ends of the system as well.
Stephan