vas
Well-Known Member
good evening,
mate has a P45 from the 80s, originally fitted with an autopilot with AutoHelm6000 ciontroller on the lower helm and AutoHelm2000 on the f/b.
Being a f/b boat with hydraulic steering and a decent sized ram at the lazarette, it features a biggish a/p pump nearby (say approx 120mm dia 200mm long with two thick cables off it).
Mate owns said P45 for the last 20yrs and has never used the a/p.
I stupidly tried to persuade him that its a nice thing to have and island hopping in the Sporades it's nice to just engage heading hold and be a bit more relaxed...
Eventually decided to have a go and see if the thing works.
Turned out pump had seized, 40euro later at the local car electrician was fine and hoses redone (old hoses were rocksolid on the tees had to be cut) and reconnected. Bleeding is a bit complicated as you have to pump air in the circuit as well, but eventually we managed it.
Note pump would move the rudders not massively but would move them. Way to do it was to get system in AUTO and hit the +10 or -10 which would activate pump for 4-5secs and then rinse repeat.
Tried providing 12VDC from the nearby geny starter battery (so 13.2 most likely) and pump was much more lively and was moving the rudders swiftly!
Anyway, all that was docked in port, so last weekend we decided to have a go and see if it actually keeps track, if the digital compass (shown in an small lcd screen in the 6000 works) etc
Got some mixed results hence the need for some help/ideas. compass works, not accurately following what the analogue compass shows, but close enough.
However, pump does bugger all, boat will not keep a steady route, veers to right or left according to where the wheel/rudder is ignoring the a/p controller instructions.
Now, at some point I measured (when in port) the V going to the pump and it was low 8-8.5VDC for a 12VDC pump/pilot combo (on a 24VDC boat, beats me!)
How probable is that having a seized pump and trying to run the pilot has burned something in the main black box (which I'm told is on the ceiling of the stbrd cabin) ???
And if so, is it worth getting an electronics man have a look at it?
I assume it's using transistors, maybe some are gone and need replacement!
Anyone heard/experienced such a situation?
I'm thinking that 8VDC is enough to move the rudders when parked but not powerfull enough to move them when 15ton boat is in motion even at low D speed, tests were done at 5-6kn in flat seas just outside the port.
Needless to say the solution has to be cheap else mate wont bother!
cheers
V.
mate has a P45 from the 80s, originally fitted with an autopilot with AutoHelm6000 ciontroller on the lower helm and AutoHelm2000 on the f/b.
Being a f/b boat with hydraulic steering and a decent sized ram at the lazarette, it features a biggish a/p pump nearby (say approx 120mm dia 200mm long with two thick cables off it).
Mate owns said P45 for the last 20yrs and has never used the a/p.
I stupidly tried to persuade him that its a nice thing to have and island hopping in the Sporades it's nice to just engage heading hold and be a bit more relaxed...
Eventually decided to have a go and see if the thing works.
Turned out pump had seized, 40euro later at the local car electrician was fine and hoses redone (old hoses were rocksolid on the tees had to be cut) and reconnected. Bleeding is a bit complicated as you have to pump air in the circuit as well, but eventually we managed it.
Note pump would move the rudders not massively but would move them. Way to do it was to get system in AUTO and hit the +10 or -10 which would activate pump for 4-5secs and then rinse repeat.
Tried providing 12VDC from the nearby geny starter battery (so 13.2 most likely) and pump was much more lively and was moving the rudders swiftly!
Anyway, all that was docked in port, so last weekend we decided to have a go and see if it actually keeps track, if the digital compass (shown in an small lcd screen in the 6000 works) etc
Got some mixed results hence the need for some help/ideas. compass works, not accurately following what the analogue compass shows, but close enough.
However, pump does bugger all, boat will not keep a steady route, veers to right or left according to where the wheel/rudder is ignoring the a/p controller instructions.
Now, at some point I measured (when in port) the V going to the pump and it was low 8-8.5VDC for a 12VDC pump/pilot combo (on a 24VDC boat, beats me!)
How probable is that having a seized pump and trying to run the pilot has burned something in the main black box (which I'm told is on the ceiling of the stbrd cabin) ???
And if so, is it worth getting an electronics man have a look at it?
I assume it's using transistors, maybe some are gone and need replacement!
Anyone heard/experienced such a situation?
I'm thinking that 8VDC is enough to move the rudders when parked but not powerfull enough to move them when 15ton boat is in motion even at low D speed, tests were done at 5-6kn in flat seas just outside the port.
Needless to say the solution has to be cheap else mate wont bother!
cheers
V.
