Autohelm 3000....very tecky question...but someone knows the answer!!

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Matata

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We have an Autohelm 3000 with a ram that moves the tiller and I have to say does a fantastic job. One feature it has is if you press the +10 and+1 button at the same time it will automatically move the tiller over and tack the yacht 100 degrees. Then it will reset its new course. What happens to ours is that the ram does move in this autotack move but that it moves the ram until it reaches the end of its travel. This stalls the internal ram motor , hence sucks more amps and the internal 5amp fuse blows. Other than this manoeuvre the ram works great. Anyone got a way of fixing this problem?????? I told you it was very techy. ta Nik
 
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Control head is the same. The power to the ram should cut off long before it gets to the end, and then return to the centre when the heading changes by the chosen amount. So, the problem is likely to be in the software in the control head.

Suggest you call Raymarine for advice.
 
Matata,
If you do have the 4000 then my suggestion is to first check is that the installation is correct. The ram should be attached to the tiller 18" from the rudderstock and the body of the ram to the boat with the ram extended to an overal length of 24.5" with the tiller amidships. See the installation instructions in the manual.
 
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Matata said:
Would they want to help with a product so old? Are they generally helpful?
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Yes, in my experience. You will probably need to identify the model of the control head. Less than 15 years old ST 60, before that ST 50, but I think there was another one even before that!
 
theoldsalt said:
Matata,
If you do have the 4000 then my suggestion is to first check is that the installation is correct. The ram should be attached to the tiller 18" from the rudderstock and the body of the ram to the boat with the ram extended to an overal length of 24.5" with the tiller amidships. See the installation instructions in the manual.
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That was my immediate thought as well. A poor installation could fool the autopilot into thinking it hadn't put the helm over enough yet and cause the problem.
 
Matata,

Further to my previous comment, re installation. It may be relevant that you mention the problem occurs when the +10 & +1 buttons are pressed but you make no mention of what happens when the -10 &-1 buttons are pressed.

Do you have the same problem when tacking to both port & starboard? If not then maybe the ram is not in mid stroke with the helm amidships.
 
You don't say whether this is a recent problem or whether it has always been like this. this may help work out whether it is an installation problem or electric.
 
Dear oldsalt .....a very good observation!!!! I didn't notice it when I did -10 -1. It nearly reached the end of its travel but didn't. It blew the fuse when I did +10+1. I can see where your coming from. It may well be that the ram is not in the centre position with the tiller in neutral. But how would the ram know where it is positioned if it has only a +ve and -Ve? Can you reduce the throw limits of the ram?? When we bought the boat ,this bit of kit was thrown in the corner with the owner saying it was knackered. We've got it going very well now, just this one little touch. You can recalibrate the box, and put in rudder gain. Also you can put in the average boat speed. We put in 5knts. By changing these or any other parameters would that help??? Thanks so far. ps boat now 100miles away so can't measure things Nik
 
OK. I don't have a tiller pilot but do use a ST60 control head. It is possible to set the tacking angle as you require it. So, whilst the default setting is say 100 degrees, you can set it to whatever you require. Given that the OPs problems seem to come about because the autopilot tries to overextend itself, perhaps the answer is to reset the tacking angle to say 90 degrees?
 
Matata said:
Dear oldsalt .....a very good observation!!!! I didn't notice it when I did -10 -1. It nearly reached the end of its travel but didn't. It blew the fuse when I did +10+1. I can see where your coming from. It may well be that the ram is not in the centre position with the tiller in neutral. But how would the ram know where it is positioned if it has only a +ve and -Ve? Can you reduce the throw limits of the ram?? When we bought the boat ,this bit of kit was thrown in the corner with the owner saying it was knackered. We've got it going very well now, just this one little touch. You can recalibrate the box, and put in rudder gain. Also you can put in the average boat speed. We put in 5knts. By changing these or any other parameters would that help??? Thanks so far. ps boat now 100miles away so can't measure things Nik
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As per post #6 do the measuring,the pivot point might need moving closer along the axis of the quadrant or lever to give a bit of spare ram travel.It might be worth adding a rudder reference unit if this is lacking?Maybe I missed whether one is installed or not! Good luck with your next visit to the boat,I,m sure you will be able to fix it with reference to the Manual if you have one?
 
Not expert on this device, but thinking in control system terms, the amount of rudder movement it tries to apply is not going to be related to the commanded tacking angle but to the commanded rate of turn. Does it apply the helm for the tack rather violently or is it a sensible rate of turn?
This should be settable somewhere in the software as gain or maybe limit and possibly a differential term.
However clearly there should be an overriding electronic limit to stop the ram hitting the buffers as well.
 
Matata said:
This stalls the internal ram motor , hence sucks more amps and the internal 5amp fuse blows. Other than this manoeuvre the ram works great. Anyone got a way of fixing this problem?????? I told you it was very techy. ta Nik
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According to the ST4000 manual, the power supply should have a 12A fuse. If yours has a 5A fuse, this might explain why it blows.
 
i think test monkey might be onto something! how do you get into dealer calibration? What tells the ram to stop moving? There must be some feed back. It must come from the compass heading and the rate of tack/turn.Can you adjust this rate? If the tiller is not pushed over as far then the turn rate would be slower. The ram would not move out as much, which is what I want. The tack is very clean. Not stalling the yacht or too slow, so I know i'm not far off. Nik
 
If, as seems likely, your device is a TP4000, then the 5 amp fuse is too small. Raymarine recommend a value of 12 amps in the 12v. supply.
The stalling of the ram at full movement is normal. AFAIK, the current self-limits at this point, that's why it judders. There's no positional feedback.
(Just seen PVB's reply, which is correct.)
 
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