Hi All, I’d like to take a moment to thank Dennis, and consider nominating him for a Wally Award. Every year we have folks who go just a little further, ok some say over the top, but really, they just want to figure out a way to do a good job, just a little better.
I came into this list when Wally and Jim were the pillars, folks you could count on for real help, and a good example of how to do a boat project well. While Wally is off cruising in Mexico and Jim semi-retired, folks like Dennis have stepped up to make this list the great list it is for the rest of us. We owe them a big thanks for keeping the Wally story going. . . OK, Yes, I missed a lot of good folks, this was just a good example this week. Please no flames. . . Thanks, Lee > On May 25, 2017, at 5:33 10PM, Dennis C. via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: > > Not talking moonshine here but the stress relief to keep wires from breaking. > Some of you may have a similar issue with some item on your boat. Possibly > where insulation on a cable breaks and exposes the wires inside. VHF > microphone cable maybe? > > I installed a Nexus instrument system on Touche' in 1999. I remove the knot > log transducer if the boat is idle for some time. After a couple years of > constant handling, the knot log transducer got a bit flakey. A Nexus tech > (who now works for Garmin) told me one of the wires in the cable where it > exits the transducer most likely broken and was making intermittent contact. > He said it was because the cable was subject to sharp bending at that point. > He told me how to modify the new one to add stress relief and prevent > recurrence. > > Well, that fix lasted many years but during the transit to Pensacola a few > weeks ago, it acted up again. I surmised the same problem had occurred. My > fix may not have been robust enough. I used electrical tape to stabilize the > cable and it worked fine for the remainder of the trip adding credence to my > diagnosis. > > I received the new cable today and added beefed up stress relief as before. > > Here's the fix with pics. > > First, the transducer as received. Note that the cable is epoxied into the > transducer but a small well remains. There is no stress relief. The cable > is subject to sharp bending where it exits the epoxy. > > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsaUlBUl9pY0xaV0k > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsaUlBUl9pY0xaV0k> > > First, I applied several layers of heat shrink. Note that I tapered the > layers. > > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsbURlWkhPdldwYWs > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsbURlWkhPdldwYWs> > > Next, I stood the transducer in a jar, taped it and filled the well with > unthickened epoxy thus locking the heat shrink in place. > > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsUTdQdi1KSm9XQjQ > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsUTdQdi1KSm9XQjQ> > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsZnI2OGQzak1SSEE > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvsZnI2OGQzak1SSEE> > > Finally I removed the tape. Final product: > > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvseEtLTGpKS04xT0E > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_sb5TfIENvseEtLTGpKS04xT0E> > > The heat shrink should now prevent sharp bending of the cable where it exits > the transducer. (My previous fix only used one layer of heat shrink.) > > Dennis C. > Touche' 35-1 #83 > Mandeville, LA > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish > to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: > https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > > All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
_______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
