Glossary ABYC—American Boat & Yacht Council, Inc. The preeminent standard-making organization for the recreational boating industry. The ABYC’s Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft covers all areas of small-boat construction and repair, not just electrical matters. alternating current (AC)—Current that reverses direction. In the United States, the current reverses direction at the rate of 60 times per second, at 60 cycles, or 60 Hz. In Europe and other parts of the world, the standard is 50 Hz. See also direct current (DC); frequency; Hertz (Hz).
battery—An electrochemical device that produces voltage, or a voltage differential across its terminals. battery bank—A group of two or more batteries linked together electrically. battery combiner—Electronic, voltage-sensitive switching device for automatically combining and separating batteries. battery isolation switch—A mechanical switch used to connect single or multiple batteries in parallel to a load.
alternator—A machine that uses the principle of magnetic induction to produce electricity. Alternators produce AC, which must be rectified to DC to recharge onboard batteries.
battery isolator—An electronic device that uses heavy-duty diodes to block electrical flow in one direction, effectively keeping batteries that are combined separated from each other electrically to prevent the discharge of one into the other.
ammeter—A meter used to measure the current flowing through a circuit. Conventional meters must be hooked up in series with the circuit. Modern inductive-style meters simply clamp around a wire in the circuit.
battery reserve capacity—The number of minutes a new, fully charged battery at 80°F (26.7°C) can be discharged at 25 amperes and maintain a voltage of 1.75 volts or more per cell (10.5 volts for a 12-volt battery).
ampacity—The amount of amperage an electrical conductor or device can safely conduct.
blade-type (ATO) fuse—Common fuse type using a colored plastic case for the fuse element; widely used in automotive applications today.
ampere—The unit of measure for electrical current, or rate of electrical flow past a point in a circuit. One ampere is equal to one coulomb (6.24 ⫻ 10 to the 18th power) of electrons passing a given point per second. Amperage is the stuff that trips circuit breakers and fuses, and, if not controlled, can burn up your boat! amp-hour—A current of one amp flowing for one hour; a measure of the electrical energy stored in a battery.
branch circuit—A subcircuit fed from a main or primary circuit. bus bar—Metal bar used as a termination point for multiple conductors and circuits. A common point for either grounding or positive power feed. bus (AGC) fuse—The traditional glass cylinder style of fuse. cable—Wiring of any type; also cabling.
anode—The more positively charged electrode in an electrical cell.
capacitive-discharge ignition (CDI) unit—The “brain” of a CD ignition system.
average-responding multimeter—A meter whose voltage and amperage readings are calculated with an averaging formula.
capacitor—An electronic component that stores an electrical charge when voltage is applied.
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