EIM to Toggle and Rocker Switches

rmlsll

Active Member
Oct 11, 2009
242
Saugatuck MI / Cape Coral FL
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2004 (SOLD)
24' Avalon Tritoon 2019
10' Zodiac (WENT WITH 340)
Engines
Twin 8.1 Mercruiser V-Drive
150 hp Mercury outboard 4 stroke
Just finished converting my fwd and aft EIM switch pads and control boxes to carling toggle and rocker switches. This was done on my 2004 340 sundancer. If anyone is interested in tackling something like this I have electrical schematics with bill of materials. The switch pads where waterjet cut out of aluminum and vinyl wrapped. Everything works, except the dimmer for the gauges.
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That looks great. I'm doing the same project now and would love to see anything you can share. Thank you!
 
Mine all work for now, but I’m still interested in knowing what to do when they fail...
 
Looks great. Factory, if I didn’t know you changed them. So you went with a totally dumb system of on-off switches to engage the various systems independently? I am assuming some of the systems are using remote solenoids?

I have a 2001 280 Sundancer. Both of my EIMs are fine, for now. But I know my time is running out. I am very interested in your system since spending $3500 on the FP system would be out of my budget. I have been thinking about this for a while.
I thought if I could run a 1 1/2 inch PVC conduit from helm to engine room with long radius bends, I could use a fish tape to get my wiring run then just wire my systems one at a time using toggles, breakers, and solenoids where appropriate.
If you could share some insight, that would really help when the time comes.
DWABoat@yahoo.com
 
These are the schematics I made. Store bought items are on the drawings. let me know if you have any questions.
 

Attachments

  • STARBOARD SWITCH PAD.pdf
    1 MB · Views: 486
  • PORT SWITCH PAD.pdf
    998.7 KB · Views: 312
Would this come out to be less expensive than the FP solution? I know I am heading to the time where I will need to do something, EIM already failed on my windlass cicuit. I like the idea of only having switches that I need vice the "generic" pads on the boat that have switches for things I don't have like hatch, vent etc.
 
I am surprised more people are not getting ahead of things and replacing their EIM panels while they are still working when you can get some money for them on the used market and then putting the FP system or a custom system like
@rmlsll did. Seems like it is inevitable that they will fail.
 
For some reason, after owning this boat for 4 years, this past week on the boat I was quite annoyed by the fact my pod had the cockpit light switch ABOVE the arch light switch. Like who does that?? What engineer/designer sat down and said, let’s put the cockpit (lower) light switch above the Arch light switch??

Good job on putting the light switches in a logical order! Arch, cockpit, comp, Bilge! I’ll have to do this some day, might sell the boat before I get to it!
 
OK, funny story about switch layout. I do a lot of salmon fishing over the summer months, and a lot of time in the long days and early mornings of summer, we leave the dock really early. So in early July that means Saturday 6:00AM. My immediate slip neighbors boats are almost always away from the marina, having left for the weekend Friday night. I am very aware that the sound of a pair of 454s firing up at 6AM is not what someone wants to hear right next door.

So one weekend I knew my immediate neighbor was in his boat Friday night, so I decided to move the boat over Friday evening to our main launch/service dock that is a bit further away from most boats, and right on the main fairway out to the water. Being courteous and all.

So 6:00AM, still dark out, we get on the boat and ready to quickly fire up and leave the dock discretely. Or that was the plan anyway.

Those of you that know the late 90s 330DA's will know the switch layout for the wipers. There is heavy dew on the windshield. So before I fire up the big blocks I want to be completely ready to cast off, so I turn on the wipers. But in the dark, I hit the switch just to the right of the starboard wiper. THE HORN! And I blast 130db of dual trumpet splendor into the cool dark 6AM morning air. My buddy with me erupts in laughter and I slink out of the marina hoping no one scrambles out of their berths and sees what idiot it is. I guess it was a good thing I was not close to my slip, or it would have been obvious it was me.
 
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Just finished converting my fwd and aft EIM
Do you have any idea what the total cost of materials was? Your post here could be game changing for a lot of us if it's as inexpensive as I think it might be.
 
Looks great. It’s probably only a matter of time before I’ll be looking at doing this. One question, as I work through my understanding of how to do this and how I would want to set it up. Is there a reason why some of the switches are toggles but others are rockers? I guess it could be for saving space, or maybe for an electrical reason. I was thinking I would use the same type of switch for everything, unless there is a reason that certain circuits must be one or the other.
 
Looks great. It’s probably only a matter of time before I’ll be looking at doing this. One question, as I work through my understanding of how to do this and how I would want to set it up. Is there a reason why some of the switches are toggles but others are rockers? I guess it could be for saving space, or maybe for an electrical reason. I was thinking I would use the same type of switch for everything, unless there is a reason that certain circuits must be one or the other.

look at the applications

Toggles, simple on/off: nav lights, blower, cockpit lights
Rockers, momentary on: horn, windlass, trim tabs
 
Another question, how much of this can be done at home, before going to the boat for install?
 
look at the applications

Toggles, simple on/off: nav lights, blower, cockpit lights
Rockers, momentary on: horn, windlass, trim tabs
Tabs I get, I would actually use a Bennett switch for them. But other than that, rockers and toggles each come in all configurations (including three-way and momentary), so I don’t think that would be a reason for me to mix them on the dash.
 
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For some reason, after owning this boat for 4 years, this past week on the boat I was quite annoyed by the fact my pod had the cockpit light switch ABOVE the arch light switch. Like who does that?? What engineer/designer sat down and said, let’s put the cockpit (lower) light switch above the Arch light switch??

Good job on putting the light switches in a logical order! Arch, cockpit, comp, Bilge! I’ll have to do this some day, might sell the boat before I get to it!

Apparently the same engineer that put the cockpit speaker switch closer to the cabin and the cabin switch closer to the cockpit. ;) I am guessing it was a part used elsewhere and while I can switch them I leave them as is to not confuse anyone else.

-Kevin
 
But rockers and toggles each come in all those configurations, so I don’t think that would be a reason for me to mix them on the dash.

yup, you are right, but then again different style switches for different functions reduce risk of mis-application, e.g. dropping the anchor instead of turning on bilge light.
 
Just finished converting my fwd and aft EIM switch pads and control boxes to carling toggle and rocker switches. This was done on my 2004 340 sundancer. If anyone is interested in tackling something like this I have electrical schematics with bill of materials. The switch pads where waterjet cut out of aluminum and vinyl wrapped. Everything works, except the dimmer for the gauges. View attachment 88139 View attachment 88140 View attachment 88141 View attachment 88142 View attachment 88139 View attachment 88140 View attachment 88141 View attachment 88142 View attachment 88146

While this looks great I do not see any relays. My question here is are you carrying the full load through the dash switch? That can lead to potential problems in high load applications.

-Kevin
 
While this looks great I do not see any relays. My question here is are you carrying the full load through the dash switch? That can lead to potential problems in high load applications.

-Kevin
The same switch pads (but for the switch labels) were used with the 280 and the switches on the pad have different assignments.

On the 280 all of the loads are fairly low 3-5 amps. The only big load is the windlass, but that goes through its own relays. Although the EIM does have built in relays, I think those exist because of the internal design of the EIM and not because of loads.
 
The same switch pads (but for the switch labels) were used with the 280 and the switches on the pad have different assignments.

On the 280 all of the loads are fairly low 3-5 amps. The only big load is the windlass, but that goes through its own relays. Although the EIM does have built in relays, I think those exist because of the internal design of the EIM and not because of loads.

That is true that these are fairly low loads. The EIM would require them since it is a computerized control box and the keypads do not "switch" anything. I just remember back to my days of wiring up electronics in cars we would always keep the load on the relay - but then again we were wiring up lights, amps, etc with higher loads.

-Kevin
 

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