New helm panel electrical switches

TimKLL

Got tired of having to get a flashlight out to see the rocker switches at night.  Saw a new SD 2400 last week & it had switches like my new ones, except they were a bronze color with silver lettering - easy to read when lit, not so easy (at least for my old eyes) in the daytime. Godfrey/Hurricane skimped a little on the original switches, they're all Carlings, the backlit ones are only a couple more $$ per switch.

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cpufixer1

Where did you buy them ?

TimKLL

https://newwiremarine.com/

danaton

Thanks for the post.  I just bought a full set and I got them today.  Did you . have to move any of the wires around or was it a direct cross?  What did you hook the lamp to?  I don't have a wiring diagram.  Thanks

TimKLL

Sorry for the delay in answering.  Oh, there was a bit of additional wiring involved with this, fairly straight-forward & easy though, but did add to the spiderweb on the back of the switch panel.  The changeover for the switch action itself (on vs off) was pretty much a 1 for 1 deal for all of those wires/lugs, with the ground wire as well.  To get the illumination to work when the switch is off took a whole bunch of short jumpers with the female spade-type of connector, using doublers (search for "Ancor 210613 Marine Grade Electrical Double Male-Female Adapter (25-Pack)" on Amazon, for some reason I can't post a direct link to it), to the additional spade/lug on each switch specifically for illumination. New Wire Marine has some excellent diagrams on their page for which spade/lug on the switch is specifically for that function.  I don't have the boat here where I can access it to help with my recall, but I just tapped into the hot/power wire going FROM the Master Power (using one of the doublers above) to the Nav/Anchor switch illumination spade to light it, then from the outbound Nav light power wire on it (doubler again) to the inbound switch illumination lug on all the rest, hopping from one to the next (doublers again).  The Nav/Anchor light is slightly different from all the other normal switches in that it is off in the middle, on for Anchor light (high white one) when one way (bottom position I think), and on for Nav (red & green) AND Anchor when on the top (you can see the details and wiring schematic for this on the New Wire site).  I then made little (approx. 3" long) jumpers that go to every other switch on the panel, sequentially, so that their lighting is on when the Nav/Anchor light is on (I think only when it is in the both on position - don't need to have everything all lit up & draining the battery - even 'tho these are LEDs - when anchored with just the white light on).  If you haven't already accomplished this project and everything above is about as clear as mud please PM me and I can send a couple of things to you, one being a wiring diagram from RockerSwitchPros.com that is on that site (I think they are somehow connected to New Wire Marine) titled "A Boat’s Navigation and Anchor Lights", which helped me to get a grip on all of this, and a little wiring diagram that I made for my panel.  Good Luck!