Balmar MC-614 Alternator Regulator

[Dan Corcoran]

Next time you go to rearrange your electrical system or change your battery, there is an interesting article written by R. Collins, an expert in boat electronics that I found interesting here:

https://marinehowto.com/programming-a-b ... regulator/

Note, the best and worst installation practice sections. Our 109's violate many of them, including the three that get an extra star.
- *Do not wire regulator negative to the back of the alternator
- *Do not wire voltage sense to the back of the alternator
- *Wire positive & negative voltage sensing directly to the battery being charged or as close as possible

Also, note the spreadsheet that explains advanced programming.

[Dan Corcoran]

Has anyone come up with a way to route additional wires from the battery compartment to the front of the engine room that doesn't involve going through the galley or down the middle of the bilge spaces?

I would like to run extra voltage sense, ground, and battery temp sensors without using up space in the holes that connect the various bilge spaces. An attempt to running with the battery wires was aborted due to the hassle.

dan

[Vento Solare]

I could see an extra ground being larger diameter being a problem. I ran the temperature sensor parallel with the existing battery cables through the bilge bundle no problem. You might consider drilling another set of holes adjacent to the existing ones if the cable bundle is too thick.

[Dan Corcoran]

I don't believe a large ground wire is necessary, the charging current does not pass through the MC-614, only the power required to run the regulator logic, signal the alternator, and measure the battery voltage.

Bill, did you fish them blind, or were you able to figure a way to lift the floor panel? Any special tricks?

[Vento Solare]

The floor panel was unscrewed and removed to fish the wires. Bilges were cleaned at the same time too!

Edit: The temperature sensor wiring from the battery to the external regulator mounted in the engine compartment port side forward followed this path:

• Flange screwed to Negative Terminal Top of Battery
• Followed battery cable bundle to engine - aft in void space under chart table
• Feed though hole in stringer towards center on starboard side, then leads aft
• Aft through frame into front of engine compartment, then leads to port side by regulator

Picture by regulator (temp sensor is small gray cable):

[Dan Corcoran]

I could not figure out how to get the handle off the foot pump, so I could pull up the floor panel.

[Vento Solare]

Mine slid off with some effort and then I removed the pump. I also removed all the trim boards around the periphery.

[Dan Corcoran]

I worked at it a while. Do you mean the entire pedal comes off, including the arm, or only the rubber foot comes off?

To get the arm off as well, I need to undo the pump? What is it secured too?

[Vento Solare]

I was able to pry off the foot pad on the pump handle.