Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This was originally going to be a video for the lights and the head, but the lights alone turned out to be enough for one video. So in this episode, I come to understand how bad it is to use untinned copper wiring in a boat...
patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
Channels that have Helped Me;
*@ProjectBrupeg
*@OffGridGarageAustralia
*@AcornToArabella
Live - Throwing Copper
- youtube.com/watch?v=xsJ4O-nSveg&list=OLAK5uy_lKs2jFnG8EPDuLYHnsTTZ-JZnciQoK2Z4
0:00 - The State of the Nav Lights
1:09 - Making Pigtails, And a Mild Rant
4:27 - Radio Problems, Attempted Fix
7:02 - Back To Lights; The Value of the Tug Test
9:13 - Finding the Nav Light Breaker
12:26 - Mounting the Stern Light
15:20 - Chasing the Starboard Light
19:41 - Chasing the Port Light
22:10 - Do I Even Have Power at the Bow?
24:24 - Success? Success!
This was originally going to be a video for the lights and the head, but the lights alone turned out to be enough for one video. So in this episode, I come to understand how bad it is to use untinned copper wiring in a boat...
patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
Channels that have Helped Me;
*@ProjectBrupeg
*@OffGridGarageAustralia
*@AcornToArabella
Live - Throwing Copper
- youtube.com/watch?v=xsJ4O-nSveg&list=OLAK5uy_lKs2jFnG8EPDuLYHnsTTZ-JZnciQoK2Z4
0:00 - The State of the Nav Lights
1:09 - Making Pigtails, And a Mild Rant
4:27 - Radio Problems, Attempted Fix
7:02 - Back To Lights; The Value of the Tug Test
9:13 - Finding the Nav Light Breaker
12:26 - Mounting the Stern Light
15:20 - Chasing the Starboard Light
19:41 - Chasing the Port Light
22:10 - Do I Even Have Power at the Bow?
24:24 - Success? Success!


![Lightning & Sailboats, Beyond TE-4 - Ep. 124
For over four months, I have been working on a new lightning protection system. I am still learning, but with spring arriving, its time to get back to boat work.
In this video, I talk about what Ive been learning, and give hints at what will be coming as the lightning protection system and the associated paper takes shape.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
ABYC - American Boat & Yacht Council
- https://abycinc.org/about/
Shakespeare Phase III - 6400-R (3dB
- https://shakespeare-marine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6400-R.pdf
Chris Boden - @Physicsduck
- https://www.youtube.com/@Physicsduck
IIHS - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- https://www.iihs.org/about
Matt From 103 - @mattfrom103
- https://www.youtube.com/@mattfrom103
] Chapters;
0:00 - An Innocent Question
0:39 - TE-4 and the Rolling Sphere Model Area of Protection
1:29 - Original Lightning Ground Plan
2:54 - The In-Progress Papers and the Approach of Spring
6:01 - Wheres Your Sources?
6:49 - Whats Wrong With TE-4? Nothing, but...
8:14 - Who is ABYC Targeting? Most Sailors, But Not All
10:16 - How Real is the Risk?
12:06 - Saving the Vessel is Saving the Humans Offshore
13:27 - So Whats The Goal?
14:33 - What Coming Next?15:33 - Building A Stonking Capacitor Bridge
18:10 - Lightning Physics Is Flipping Awesome!
19:24 - NMEA2000 and PGN Parsing and Generation Lightning & Sailboats, Beyond TE-4 - Ep. 124](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pZ7ljxGp2-A/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ep. 88 - Damaged Battery Test Results
Edit: Sorry about the audio. I accidentally turned the mic volume down, and tried to boost it in post. The audio seemed OK before I uploaded it. It seems youtube somehow compresses or somehow edit s the audio and makes it break up more.
In this video, we recharge and then discharge the battery with the cell that fell to 2.0v. The test results were less than optimistic, but not in a way I expected.
Off-Grid Garage - Absorption is the key
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ldD8Hyradk
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] Chapters
0:00 - Load Test Plans
1:38 - Preparing For the First Test
2:58 - A Kitty Interlude and JK App Gripes
4:43 - Quattro and BMS Config Notes
5:42 - Starting the First Test
9:33 - First Test Complete, Lets Try Again
11:16 - Setting Up and Charging Up For Test 2
15:25 - Charged up for Test 2
19:16 - Starting Test 2
22:00 - Test 2 Results… Not Good Ep. 88 - Damaged Battery Test Results](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qTIfzQUa-c8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ep. 104 - A New Project, Two Project Updates
When is an outboard more than just an outboard? When its electric and a get-home motor!
This video is a peak behind the scenes of the kind of work that happens between builds. I talk about the new outboard project, and how it will also be the emergency way of getting Mermaids Rest to safety, should she ever suffer a loss of power. I also give you an update on the new battery box project, and a wee look at the prototype boards Ill be using to debug the helm controls.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
Moving a Big Boat with your Tender, Tom Hale, Sail Magazine, May 2, 2018
- https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruising/moving-a-big-boat-with-your-tender
Wood Database - White Oak
- https://www.wood-database.com/white-oak/
] Chapters
0:00 - Electric Outboard Project
1:18 - Cassette Futurism
1:53 - I Know Almost Nothing
6:24 - What Is The Plan?
8:05 - Ok, The Real Reason Im Doing This
9:40 - Planning The Big Battery Box
11:35 - Making It Fit
14:50 - Battery Cell Configuration Options
15:55 - Packing Six Packs Together
18:35 - Pack Orientation
19:38 - How Will it be Installed?
20:48 - Wood Selection, Venting and Waterproofing
22:44 - Mounting the Motors and Thrust Bearings
23:22 - I Have a Question For You?
23:51 - Prototype Boards and Debugging
] Music Attribution
Country Cue 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Back To The Wood by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Anachronist - Oddities by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100332
Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Ep. 104 - A New Project, Two Project Updates](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qZZbIgX5c-c/mqdefault.jpg)



![Its Alive!! - Ep. 122
This video is pretty huge for me, its the first signs of life from my first PCBs! It wasnt without trials though... The things to fix on the next version of the PCBs is growing, but thats OK, were making progress!
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
Mr SolderFix
- @mrsolderfix3996
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4E3d3eZNqE
Icom IC-M510 Evo
- https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-M510_evo/
Amphenol LTW MSAS-05PMMC-SF8C15 (NMEA2000 Connector)
- https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/amphenol-ltw/MSAS-05PMMC-SF8C15/21717865
Adrians Digital Basement
- @adriansdigitalbasement
Usagi Electric
- @UsagiElectric
Antaira UTS-1110A
- https://www.antaira.com/products/USB-to-Serial/UTS-1110A
] Chapters;
0:00 - The Proper Linear Regulator Is Here!
0:17 - New PCB Recording Mount
1:17 - Replacing The Linear Regulator
4:59 - Fixing A Problem With A Mistake
9:33- A Question For The Hive Mind
10:23 - Replacing The Wrong Connector With A Hack
13:54 - Repairing A Damaged PCB Trace
17:15 - Slow Speed Twisting
19:31 - Chassis Mount to PCB Mount Adapter
22:05 - Second Round Improvements
22:50 - Verifying Proper Voltages
23:43 - Hellorld! The Way of The Rabbit
24:53 - Programming With The STLinkV3/Set
27:39 - It Kinda Works Better When Powered On
28:37 - Debugging USART Comms; Pt 1
30:33 - Trying To Debug With A Silly Scope
33:46 - Crossed Wires?
35:08 - ITS ALIVE! The Joy Of DIY Its Alive!! - Ep. 122](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rFR2TrEfu_Y/mqdefault.jpg)
![Mistakes and Perseverance - Big Battery Box Pt. 3 - Ep. 110
Well, I screwed up. Ive been struggling lately, but I kept pushing myself. I pushed myself to work tired, and I ended up in the emergency room (A&E) after cutting a couple fingers on the table saw.
This episode is ostensibly about the third part of the battery box build, but really, its about being at a point in the project where everything is a struggle and you cant seem to get anything right. So what do you do?
You dont give up.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
Arcona 460 Yacht sinks after rudder stock failure
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rh7piQzpAQ
Acorn To Arabella - Dissimilar Metals Pt. 2
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBIUju6pJYk
Ep. 88 - Damaged Battery Test Results
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTIfzQUa-c8
] Chapters
0:00 - Flash Forward
0:07 - Test Fitting the Second Box
0:49 - A Note on Losing the Rudder
2:21 - Back to Test Fitting
3:32 - Motor Mount Question
4:12 - Yet Another Battery Box Design
5:07 - Concerns about Qiso
6:50 - Hard Choice; Down to Five Packs
9:05 - The Importance of Planning Cuts
9:59 - I Bought a Taco!
10:21 - Setting up to Cut
15:09 - Mistakes, Confidence and Compliments
17:22 - Lets Start Cutting!
19:02 - If Youre Not a Natural, Be Stubborn
22:08 - Figuring Out How to Make a Funky Cut
23:28 - Forstner Bits and Plunge Cuts
25:40 - Imperfectly Yours vs Perfectly Bought
27:28 - Fixing Veneer Blowout
29:15 - The last of the 1/2 Parts
30:27 - A New Fastener Plan
32:10 - Avoiding Iron Sickness in Wood
32:44 - Making The Aft Supports
34:30 - Flush Trim Router
37:02 - A Very Ill-Advised Router Trick
38:21 - Starting the Mid-Plate Rails
40:27 - Jointers and Thickness Planer Basic Tricks
43:50 - Dull Blades Make Crappy Jointed Edges
46:55 - Ripping on the Table Saw
48:52 - Cleaning the Vacuum Cleaner
49:26 - The Mistake That Sent Me to the Hospital
51:31 - Back Home, What Now? Mistakes and Perseverance - Big Battery Box Pt. 3 - Ep. 110](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rPcB4f8SYRA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Galvanic Wasting and Lightning Protection - Ep. 126
One of the key realisations that sent me down this lightning rabbit hole was the effect that bonding my lightning protection system to my electrical system would have on the wasting of my sacrificial anodes. It was not something I had heard discussed before. Realising this was overlooked in ABYC TE-4, I started wondering what else was missed.
This video is a deep drive into the chemistry and physics of galvanic action. It covers why blindly bonding the lightning and electrical grounds is dangerous, and why bonding them is critical anyway.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
] References;
None in this video
] Chapters;
0:00 - The Trip Down the Rabbit Hole
0:53 - A Brief Discussion on Induced Galvanic Action
2:18 - Chemical Galvanic Action
2:46 - Anodic and Cathodic Metals; What Does This Mean?
4:09 - Energy States and Quantum Orbital Shapes
6:56 - A Water Tower Analogy
9:19 - Boats as Chemical Batteries
10:44 - Reduction Reaction on the Cathode
12:48 - The Mechanics of Anode Wasting
16:23 - Planning For Anodic Wasting
19:35 - Two Options; First, More Anodes
20:31 - Option Two; Capacitor Bridge
22:04 - Why Bonding Is Critical; Side Flashes
27:30 - Bonding To Reduce Voltage Delta
29:05 - How A Capacitor Bridge Bonds Without Bonding
] Image References;
Sea of free electrons
* Saint Chemistry 10
* https://saintschemistry10.weebly.com/metallic-bonding.html
Classical Aluminium Atomic Structure
* National MagLab
* https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-academy/try-this-at-home/atomic-ornament/
The SPDF Orbitals
* Joel M Wiliams
* https://vixra.org/abs/1308.0130
* https://www.gsjournal.net/Science-Journals/Research%20Papers-Quantum%20Theory%20/%20Particle%20Physics/Download/5031
Kitchener Water Tower
* Christine Clark, 570 NewsRadio
* https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2026/06/04/regional-council-passes-parts-of-water-risk-management-plan-developers-frustrated/
Classic Chemical Cell
* Openstax, Figure 17.8 from Chapter 17.5: Batteries and Fuel Cells
* Access for free at https://openstax.org
H20 Dipole
* By Riccardo Rovinetti - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31556358 Galvanic Wasting and Lightning Protection - Ep. 126](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rfCUAoWtmik/mqdefault.jpg)