A few months ago, a long time indicator light "passed on"-- from dim to... deceased. This is the one that indicates that the AC panel is 'on'. While I do know the status instantly by checking/observing any of the circuit breakers, it is real nice to have the main "On" light glowing at the top of the AC breaker set.
After I de-energized the AC power to the panel by opening the double-pole shore power inlet breaker back behind the cockpit combing, I also checked the circuits with a volt meter to verify my "trust." Next I removed the insurer-required cover over the AC side of the breakers.
Meanwhile we were comfortable on a 43 degree day with our furnace humming away, and we had good task lighting to see by, with the 12 volt lighting fixtures on.
I believe that the 1988 indicators lights were incandescent, and that might explain why this one, being on 24/7 at the dock, had gotten progressively dimmer over the decades. A few months ago I emailed the panel maker, NewMar, (https://dcpoweronboard.com/ ) who still have some replacement parts for these Ericson (and Olson ) OEM panels. I got a helpful reply from a rep, and he provided me with a replacement LED panel light. If I understand correctly these are also widely available on the 'net, and the mounting hole is a standard size for a lot of panels. The little lights are said to be inexpensive, no matter the source.
(Parts note: they still stock the marvelous expanded-scale DC volt meter that EY installed in all of our panels with a selector switch. )
The first challenge was getting a thin screwdriver blade plus a small needle-nose plier under the teeny little spring clip that holds the older lamp in place. Tedious, a bit. Getting the wire ends off from the breaker called for my little right angle ratchet screwdriver. Once the wires were free, I could work them through the hole, one at a time. Providently the leads on the replacement light were the same length, and all I had to do was swage on a closed-end ring connector for each. As for polarity, the new light is not marked with any such info at all. and some searching on the 'net seems to show that for AC this does not normally matter. (It does matter for DC, tho.)
Note b: the new light does not required the old spring clip, having little molded-on "fins" to give a very snug fit in the panel hole when pushed all the way into place. Clever design.
Another boat project that took a fraction of the time to actually do, compared to the advance "planning and prep" time.
This info may be of some interest to the many other owners of owners of EY-equipped NewMar panels, some actually identical to ours in breaker layout.
BTW, none of the original breakers have yet failed. Quality Goods!
After I de-energized the AC power to the panel by opening the double-pole shore power inlet breaker back behind the cockpit combing, I also checked the circuits with a volt meter to verify my "trust." Next I removed the insurer-required cover over the AC side of the breakers.
Meanwhile we were comfortable on a 43 degree day with our furnace humming away, and we had good task lighting to see by, with the 12 volt lighting fixtures on.
I believe that the 1988 indicators lights were incandescent, and that might explain why this one, being on 24/7 at the dock, had gotten progressively dimmer over the decades. A few months ago I emailed the panel maker, NewMar, (https://dcpoweronboard.com/ ) who still have some replacement parts for these Ericson (and Olson ) OEM panels. I got a helpful reply from a rep, and he provided me with a replacement LED panel light. If I understand correctly these are also widely available on the 'net, and the mounting hole is a standard size for a lot of panels. The little lights are said to be inexpensive, no matter the source.
(Parts note: they still stock the marvelous expanded-scale DC volt meter that EY installed in all of our panels with a selector switch. )
The first challenge was getting a thin screwdriver blade plus a small needle-nose plier under the teeny little spring clip that holds the older lamp in place. Tedious, a bit. Getting the wire ends off from the breaker called for my little right angle ratchet screwdriver. Once the wires were free, I could work them through the hole, one at a time. Providently the leads on the replacement light were the same length, and all I had to do was swage on a closed-end ring connector for each. As for polarity, the new light is not marked with any such info at all. and some searching on the 'net seems to show that for AC this does not normally matter. (It does matter for DC, tho.)
Note b: the new light does not required the old spring clip, having little molded-on "fins" to give a very snug fit in the panel hole when pushed all the way into place. Clever design.
Another boat project that took a fraction of the time to actually do, compared to the advance "planning and prep" time.
This info may be of some interest to the many other owners of owners of EY-equipped NewMar panels, some actually identical to ours in breaker layout.
BTW, none of the original breakers have yet failed. Quality Goods!
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