Auto pilot problem

[Spankerwrap]

I have a Raymarine 6001 hydraulic auto pilot which developed a problem toward the end of last season. I visited the Raymarine stand at the LBS but they were unable to help.

Essentially the problem is, once I have started the engines and left port, when I engage the auto pilot, it switches directly back to stand by mode. If I leave the engines running over the next two hours or so, each time I engage the pilot, it stays on auto for longer periods of time before reverting back to stand by. After about two hours it is then as good as gold.

I have two battery banks, each with some 450 amp hours of power, both replaced during the 2006 season, both of which always show in excess of thirteen volts on the meter. The problem occours which ever battery bank I am using.

Also, if I manage to get the auto pilot working, the moment I switch off the engines to start sailing, it switches straight back to stand by, annoying if we are passage making under sail.

Any help much appreciated.

Steve Howard


www.midwest-charters.com

 

[alan17]

Can only offer a test. Rig up a fully charged independant battery direct to the autopilot and see what happens. If auto now ok problem lies in power supply. If fault persists problem is with auto pilot.

 

[npf1]

Interested to hear the views on this also as my A/P also switches to standby for no apparent reason when the battery level is very high and under engine too. The Raymarine website has a Q&A stating that is is due to voltage drop but I cannot see that's the cause in my situation either - because it happens when under engine too, the battary capacity is large and the batteries are recent. I have checked connections and cable sizes and not found anything suspicous yet.

My latest theory is the load cause by the fridge compressor starting.

 

[pappaecho]

I have had similar in the past. I think that you need to test the actual power supply to the unit and that test needs to under load say 10 amps.
The reason why is that it sounds to me that the Raymarine unit is getting a (false) low voltage and is therefore going into standby mode.
In my case this happened on a St2000, which used a so called good quality marine plug/socket, which when checked gave a full 12 volts with a multimeter. When required to carry a load it failed
I have also had similar with crimped spade connectors which again failed under load.
The previous poster has suggested an independant bettery test direct to the device.. I agree that should establish if there is a failure due to lowish voltage, or if it is actually the electronics in the unit which is failing.
The Raymarine service desk is very helpful in Pompey, and for removeable kit will test on the spot.. not in your case I suspect unless you can haul the whole yacht to them!

 

[dod]

I am not an expert on such matters but from past experience of boat electrics the first thing to do is check that sufficient current is running at the autopilot to operate it. Boat wiring is often the cause of such problems. When the resistance increases then the current decreases. So before considering the worse I would advise a quick check of the wiring and connections. remember it is the current flow to measure and not the voltage. Good luck

 

[WayneS]

THIS recent item on RKJ could poss shed some light.

He had similar probs which turned out to be the wiring that was under spec.

Wayne

 

[billmacfarlane]

I had a problem with mine which, though installed by a Raymarine dealer, was due to badly crimped connectors to the main unit. Re-crimping all the main unit connectors solved the problem. I also had a problem with a bad earth/negative connection which affected all the electronics but the first symptom I noticed was the autopilot switching to standby mode. Another possibilty, because as you said after a while, it actually settles down, is that somewhere in the electronics you have a faulty component that fails when cold but as it warms up starts to function properly. But I would have thought that Raymarine would have mentioned it, if this were the case.

 

[hightech]

If the voltage that is actually entering the pilot drops below 11 volts even for an instant then the pilot will reset. This can happen if the engine is running flat out with huge batteries connected. If the volts are not getting to the point where they are needed then there is your answer.

You might see a needle flick or twitch on a digi meter if you monitor the terminals on the course computer as the problem occurs.

There are other reasons that this can cause this to occur, but power problems are usually at the top of the list.

Geoff

 

[Eccles]

Had a very similar problem that turned out to be very slight corrosion on the connector plug - sufficient to cause enough voltage drop! Cleaned the contacts and hey presto - no more problems!
Jonathan

 

[Spankerwrap]

thanks all for the advice. I will check out wiring/connections first when I next visit the boat, hopefully next month.

Steve Howard