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Knowledge Base· Installation

Connect a nebolink to the ignition

Wire the nebolink's white wire to the ignition feed, after the ignition switch, so voyage logging starts when the engine starts and the boat moves.

The nebolink's white wire senses when the engine is running. Once it's connected to the ignition, voyage logging starts when the engine starts and the boat moves.

Wiring diagram: the battery's positive feeds the nebolink's red wire directly, through an inline fuse, and feeds the ignition switch through the isolation switch. The ignition switch feeds the ignition circuit, and the nebolink's white wire joins the wire between them. The ignition circuit, the battery's negative and the nebolink's black wire all go to the common negative bus.

The numbers on the diagram match steps 1 to 4 below. Click or tap the diagram to open it full size.

  1. 1

    Connect the nebolink to constant power

    The nebolink needs a constant DC supply between 8 and 33 volts that stays live when the boat is switched off:

    • Connect the red wire to positive (+), through a 3–5 A inline fuse as close to the battery as possible, on the battery side of the isolation switch, so it stays live when the isolation switch is off.
    • Connect the black wire to negative (−), at the common negative bus: one wired straight to the battery's negative, not behind an isolation switch.

    The inline fuse is required: it protects the boat's wiring. The nebolink draws very little power: under 1 mA when it isn't tracking. See Install a wired nebolink for the rest of the installation.

  2. 2

    Find the wire from the ignition switch to the ignition circuit

    The ignition switch is fed from the battery's positive, through the isolation switch. It powers the ignition circuit, so the wire between them is live only while the ignition is on. Use a circuit that's live only while the engine is running, not one that stays live when the engine is off.

  3. 3

    Connect the white wire to it

    Join the nebolink's white wire to the wire between the ignition switch and the ignition circuit. That wire is live only while the engine is running, so the nebolink knows when the engine starts.

  4. 4

    Check the ignition circuit and the nebolink share a negative

    The ignition circuit, the nebolink's black wire and the battery's negative should all go to the boat's common negative (ground) bus.

  5. 5

    Check the next voyage

    After the boat's next voyage, view its logs to see it.

Good to know

To get high water alerts, connect the blue wire to the bilge pump too: see Connect a nebolink to the bilge pump.