Wiring/lightng question- 110volt to 12volt AC... is this Hatteras Normal?

[Hat4Shay]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but you can't search the forum and after looking thru 10 pages (and getting really distracted) I don't see a post about this.

I have a 1981 61' MY model (now 70') and I am trying to swap everything to LED and the craziest thing... I have 110 volt switches but the power in the fixtures are 12volt AC (not DC) and I talked to another 61' CPMY owner and they said theirs is like that too.

I really want to change out these HOT halogens for LED, but I can't find a 12v AC bulb.

And, nothing in the hatteras owners manual about the fact they step down like that. So, is this normal Hatt design or did someone do something cockamamy on the boat?

Shay

[Captain Ralph]

You have transformers scattered thru the boat.
The switches and dimmers supply power to the step down transformers that provide the 12 (24v?) to the light outlets.
This is normal.

[Pascal]

I ve replaced about 300 halogens with these in the 116. They’re pretty good and work with our dimmers as well as Lutron

https://a.co/d/awPmR4h

[rwaldrop13]

I ve replaced about 300 halogens with these in the 116. They’re pretty good and work with our dimmers as well as Lutron

https://a.co/d/awPmR4h

Thanks for posting - I wondered about these. We had separate 120v AC, and 24v DC light fixtures on separate circuits on Pau Hana. We had the flat "12-32V LED" flower looking push-ins, and 2 of them exploded in our 24V fixtures (we inherited them from PO). I swapped back to hot halogens, because I couldn't find anything I trusted. At the same time, a Marlowe in our marina had the same ones we had, and they actually had a fire start in their overhead from them. Consensus between myself, the Marlowe owner, the marina dockmaster and the vendor is that "multiple voltage rated" means "how soon do you want it to catch fire". Knowing these are trustworthy is helpful...

[Hat4Shay]

I bought those exact lights... and they didn't light up... I think the issue is my fixtures are only getting 7 volts in the fixtures. Not sure how the 12v halogens are lighting up on that, either though lol

Ed and Flo tried some and they blew up on them. Not sure what brand they were.

I guess I'll live with what I've got until I replace the headliner and all the fixtures.

Thanks, Ralph, for the reply. Were those transformers put in by Hatteras or the old owner?

Shay

[Captain Ralph]

I bought those exact lights... and they didn't light up... I think the issue is my fixtures are only getting 7 volts in the fixtures. Not sure how the 12v halogens are lighting up on that, either though lol

Ed and Flo tried some and they blew up on them. Not sure what brand they were.

I guess I'll live with what I've got until I replace the headliner and all the fixtures.

Thanks, Ralph, for the reply. Were those transformers put in by Hatteras or the old owner?

Shay

Factory transformers scattered everywhere.
Hopefully you have the print-sets for your boat that will describe the locations.
On your boat, start under the dinette seats to get a look at a few of them to understand what they look like.

7v ?? Dimmers on??
Some AC/DCv LEDs don't dimm. If they do, they may overheat.
The most correct way to do this is replace the transformers with LED power supplies.
Tap on https://www.drsa.com/

[Hat4Shay]

The ones I bought were different... I'm going to order some of these and see if the work. =-)

Thanks!

I ve replaced about 300 halogens with these in the 116. They’re pretty good and work with our dimmers as well as Lutron

https://a.co/d/awPmR4h

[Pascal]

The ones I bought were different... I'm going to order some of these and see if the work. =-)

Thanks!

These cheap bulbs are often hit or miss. I be used others which didn’t last.

[Hat4Shay]

Update: I had the company that installed all these lights come out... they couldn't find the transformers.

I called Ed at Sam's, who referred me to an electrician who told me where to look, but they are not there. So, I shot him a picture of my diagram... I do not have factory installed transformers for the lights according to the diagram.

So, logically, the step down must be between the switch (which has 110 going in and out) and the fixture which is only getting the 7-8volts. So, I pulled down the first fixture closest to the switches and low and behold, two transformers (slightly different models) under the fixture. So, I pulled the cans down on the other circuit, no transformer. I'm guessingthe two under the light is one for port and one for starboard.

They are using 14 guage wire butt connected to the tiny wires of the fixtures. They are strung together 4 lights to a circuit/switch.

I am going to replace all these lights anyway with LED fixtures, can I get rid of these transformers and go straight 110?
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[Hat4Shay]

I think I do have the diagrams, so I'll look at those. Seems crazy to me that they dropped from 110ac to 12volt ac lol

Thanks for answering! Long time no chat, Capt Ralph!!!!

You have transformers scattered thru the boat.
The switches and dimmers supply power to the step down transformers that provide the 12 (24v?) to the light outlets.
This is normal.