H356 Heart Inverter & Link 2000

Installation

After receiving Java In November 2003, Joan and I realized that to completely enjoy cruising around the Chesapeake Bay, we would need to have some A/C electricity on board. We typically leave the dock and don't come back until forced to return to work. I believe the hardest part was trying to figure out where to mount the Link 2000 shunt and run the cables. Hunter's manual only gives a vague idea what is possible. You need to crawl and open every nook and cranny to determine where things can go. Speaking to a few sages, all agreed that the inverter and shunt should be inside the salon and not in one of the outside lockers. Mostly due to moisture.

So begins the saga
Pictures link to larger images

First thing is to trash the interior of your boat. Make it look like your garage!

One of the more interesting things is figuring out how the wiring works. For the Link 2000 to properly monitor the health of your batteries, the main negative ground had to be routed to the shunt block.

To be able to run the inverter, I needed to increase the capacity of the house bank. I used four Trojan T-105 6V in series and parallel to achieve 450 AHrs. The original batteries are seen to the left of this picture and are the engine batteries in parallel. Ripping up the original battery box was an ordeal, Hunter glues it with something (not 3M5200). I destroyed it getting it out. The main electrical feeds are on the bulkhead to the right, I added a ground bus bar along with the two positive bus bars. Re-aligned the cables to make Line #1 the house and Line #2 engine. You need to keep both grounds from the batteries separate to ensure good readings from the Link 2000. This required running a new ground cable from here to the shunt block.

Picture under the Nav table. There is a angled access panel and you are seeing the main cables from the battery compartment running to the electrical panel.

This is the Link 2000 shunt block. On the left is a new ground bus bar, everything that ran to the DC panel is now routed to this. I'm missing a picture that show the completed circuits, will added picture later. The stick below the block is only there until the 3M 5200 dries.

Showing the control cable installation that comes from the Link 2000 control head over the nav table.

Access panel under the bed, port side.

Looking down access hole. White hose is the line from toilet to holding tank. Black line is the new ground cable from bus bar that will go to shunt block. The hole in upper left goes through to the battery area and was original from factory. There is a couple of access holes to the right of this picture that continue thru to the bilge.

Middle bilge, cable has been brought forward from stern via the access pipes. From this point the cable turns to the port side going under the nav table floor. In the cabinet below the nav table is a access port that allows you to bring the cable to the shunt block and electrical panels.

Picture of the port side settee where the inverter will be placed. I need more pictures of this.

Pictures of the electrical panel opened and to the left the panel over the nav table removed. In the left background is the terminal block for the Link 2000 wiring that continues on to the shunt block, also visible the coil of wire that goes from Link 2000 to the inverter.