Question related to wood fixture

[paulga]

The dc outlet has become on and off (lower helm control panel), the exact reason is unknown. I think it's easier to put a new one in than to diagnose the outlet. DC outlets usually have a lock nut behind the panel. Does the panel have an access port?

There are two wood covers on the back and bottom of the panel. Both are fastened using 4 dowels. Does this indicate they are not intended to provide access for maintenance?

 

[Delta Riverat]

How about removing all the perimeter screws on the panel and taking a look?

 

[Flatswing]

they are not dowels; they are tapered teak plugs which cover countersunk screws.
Just remove the 2 screws from the DC outlet. It is a surface mount and will come out easily. Btw, is that a 12v cigarette type plug with a USB adapter? or is it a dedicated USB outlet? I ask because the adapters are notorious for failure. Rod Collins recommended the Scosche brand. I found them to be a reliable, inexpensive upgrade. A second very common problem on boats is corrosion of the lightning male plug at the other end of the cord. Even the Apple versions wear leading to intermittent failure to charge. Look at the lightning end, any discoloration of the contacts, change the cord. I found i went through cords very frequently especially on the flybridge. Fortunately, cheap and easy to replace.

 

[paulga]

they are not dowels; they are tapered teak plugs which cover countersunk screws.
Just remove the 2 screws from the DC outlet. It is a surface mount and will come out easily. Btw, is that a 12v cigarette type plug with a USB adapter? or is it a dedicated USB outlet? I ask because the adapters are notorious for failure. Rod Collins recommended the Scosche brand. I found them to be a reliable, inexpensive upgrade. A second very common problem on boats is corrosion of the lightning male plug at the other end of the cord. Even the Apple versions wear leading to intermittent failure to charge. Look at the lightning end, any discoloration of the contacts, change the cord. I found i went through cords very frequently especially on the flybridge. Fortunately, cheap and easy to replace.

It's a cigarette type plug with a USB adapter. Do you mean this type of adapters have a high failure rate, or they cause more corrosion to the DC outlets?

 

[Flatswing]

I mean the USB Adapters are notorious for failures, of course there are issues with the cigarette lighter style sockets too but usually just corrosion issues or the plug doesn’t seat properly.
Check out Marinehowto.com, Rod covers the issue nicely & as I mentioned, recommends the Scosche brand which come in various configurations & outputs including USB-C

 

[paulga]

The lower helm's side profile has a "one step rise" shape. I wonder how the long narrow piece in the middle is joined to the neighboring pieces. I thought there are hidden screws at the joining interfaces. But it turns out, the screws are roughly along the middle line, as shown in the last two photos. How was the long narrow piece initially put there when they build the station?

 

[paulga]

I mean the USB Adapters are notorious for failures, of course there are issues with the cigarette lighter style sockets too but usually just corrosion issues or the plug doesn’t seat properly.
Check out Marinehowto.com, Rod covers the issue nicely & as I mentioned, recommends the Scosche brand which come in various configurations & outputs including USB-C

Thanks.
I tested other DC outlets. It works as expected in other outlets. So the problem is this outlet.