Physical Installation¶

The regulator is housed in a two-piece cherry hardwood enclosure. The "Wall Dock" screws to a wall or bulkhead; the regulator "Base" (the piece the PCB comes screwed to) then slides straight down onto it and is retained by the joint geometry — no fasteners between the two pieces. Physical installation is four screws through the Wall Dock into the wall, positioned with the printable drilling template below.

Mounting location. Mount the regulator in a dry, ventilated space, at least 20 cm (8 in) from anywhere a person regularly sits or sleeps — a radio-exposure spacing condition attached to the WiFi module's FCC and ISED certification, satisfied by any normal engine-space or electrical-locker location. The regulator is not ignition protected. On a vessel with a gasoline engine, gasoline generator, or gasoline fuel tank, mount it outside the compartments containing them — Coast Guard rules (33 CFR 183.410) require electrical components in those spaces to be ignition protected or isolated from the fuel source. Diesel-only vessels are unaffected.

Download: Mounting Instructions & Drilling Template (PDF)

Print at 100% scale ("Actual Size").

Printers do not reliably produce 1:1 output. Before marking any holes, measure the printed template with a caliper or an accurate ruler: hole center-to-center spacing must be 4.742 in (120.4 mm) horizontally and 2.049 in (52.0 mm) vertically. If either is off, fix and re-print.

The template's punch marks are intentionally offset a small distance from the Wall Dock's hole centers. The dock is machined dry and expands from humidity in marine service, so the marks are biased to leave extra clearance on the side the wood will grow into.

Removing and re-installing the circuit board¶

The board ships already mounted to the Base with three 316 stainless screws, each with a plastic washer under the head. In most cases there is no reason to remove it, but if you must, be aware that the three screw holes are not all the same.

Circuit board with its three mounting holes marked 1, 2 and 3 in blue — Hole 1 is the small one — the anchor. Holes 2 and 3 are oversized clearance holes.

Board seated in the wood Base with all three screws and their plastic washers installed — All three screws installed, each with its plastic washer under the head.

The holes differ for the same reason — expected moisture absorption. Only hole 1 locates the board. Holes 2 and 3 are oversized so the wood can slide relative to the fiberglass PCB.

To re-install: tighten all three screws as you would any circuit-board screw — snug, board held firmly, not enough to crack anything. The plastic washers will allow the required sliding under any reasonable torque.