Meet the new La Rea!

aero3113

Friend of mine in our marina had a just married couple taking pictures with their photographer on the bow of his 40 Formula SS. Bow was full of dirty shoe prints. It was probably the photographers idea, crazy what people do!

aero3113

@LaRea I wonder if he yelled to his friend that he was on some rando's boat! 

LaRea

Latest project: Upgrading to a wifi-controlled dimmer system for the salon, galley and cockpit.  It was much harder than I expected, but you guys know I like a challenge.

I replaced 17 light fixtures a couple years ago, but those lights are not dimmable (which is why they were so cheap).  Those are going to the landfill.  Nobody on the planet makes a dimmable puck light that fits the cutouts on my boat, so I had to get creative. 

For each cutout, I had to install a spacer to reduce the diameter.  The solution:  buy PVC pipe caps from Home Depot, and drill out the middle with a hole saw.  That insert gets screwed into the cutout, then the fixture pops right into the insert.  

Here's a shot of the "fabrication facility" where I made the biggest mess.  BTW that black work pad on the table was also the landing zone for the cutting board that melted on the cooktop yesterday!

LaRea

Have I ever written here about how much I absolutely LOVE using DIN rail for electronics projects?  If you're ever doing custom wiring and you have physical space for DIN rail, it simplifies everything.  I used it when I rebuilt the controller for the swim platform, and again for this project.  Rugged, cheap, and so easy for troubleshooting.  The controller itself was $70, and all other parts including enclosure, maybe an extra $50.

grouch0jr

LaRea said:

Have I ever written here about how much I absolutely LOVE using DIN rail for electronics projects?  If you're ever doing custom wiring and you have physical space for DIN rail, it simplifies everything.  I used it when I rebuilt the controller for the swim platform, and again for this project.  Rugged, cheap, and so easy for troubleshooting.  The controller itself was $70, and all other parts including enclosure, maybe an extra $50.

I've worked with DIN rail a ton in my professional life. Simply one of the best ways to organize wiring. You'd also be surprised what can be mounted on DIN rail. Do they make marine rated DIN rail and components? I've seen DIN rail and terminal blocks corrode pretty badly in humid environments.

Ian

LaRea said:

Latest project: Upgrading to a wifi-controlled dimmer system for the salon, galley and cockpit.  It was much harder than I expected, but you guys know I like a challenge.

I replaced 17 light fixtures a couple years ago, but those lights are not dimmable (which is why they were so cheap).  Those are going to the landfill.  Nobody on the planet makes a dimmable puck light that fits the cutouts on my boat, so I had to get creative. 

For each cutout, I had to install a spacer to reduce the diameter.  The solution:  buy PVC pipe caps from Home Depot, and drill out the middle with a hole saw.  That insert gets screwed into the cutout, then the fixture pops right into the insert.  

Here's a shot of the "fabrication facility" where I made the biggest mess.  BTW that black work pad on the table was also the landing zone for the cutting board that melted on the cooktop yesterday!

And to think I wouldn’t walk there with my shoes on…..

LaRea

@grouch0jr - I'm relying on watertight enclosures for corrosion control.  I don't know if they will last for the lifetime of the boat, but they should last a long time.  

Originally, the swim platform pump had a plastic enclosure for the controller, but it wasn't protected from being stepped on.  Eventually, after too many careless footsteps, the enclosure broke open and salt air basically wrecked it.  I added a custom box to protect the pump and controller from foot traffic.  Then I used DIN components to rebuild the controller.  

grouch0jr

I love your totally unbiased labels, lol. Honestly it does look 100x better. Looks the way you'd expect it from factory.