Can high temperatures damage/affect tiller pilot?

[Vega1447]

I bought a Simrad TP32 a couple of months ago - overpowered for my Albin Vega but that's not a problem.

I left the boat at anchor yesterday Wednesday 21 July in 30° air temperature and probably a lot higher in cockpit in windless conditions.

The TP seemed to yaw the boat off course a few times later in the day.

Could high temperatures have damaged it or taken it out of operating range?

I'd have thought even 40° would be common enough in the Eastern Mediterranean at times?

Should I wrap the TP in alu foil on hot days? (Would that affect the internal compass?)

Thanks..

 

[Graham376]

Heat may have caused problem, out plotter sometimes throws a wobbler if it gets too much direct hot sun. Assume you didn't have mobile phone in your pocket sitting too close?

 

[Vega1447]

Heat may have caused problem, out plotter sometimes throws a wobbler if it gets too much direct hot sun. Assume you didn't have mobile phone in your pocket sitting too close?

No the phone was at least 4 metres away in a locker. As was the keyfob for my car.

Glad to hear that I wasn't imagining it!

Would alu foil protect the TP?

Thanks.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have the same unit in the Med. I find it incredible that they are made in black plastic. Track temperature at Silverstone last weekend was in the high 50s C so I cannot guess what a TP might reach in Greece. Ours has a cover made from reflective windscreen material in an attempt to keep it cooler.

 

[jamie N]

Similar to vyv, I've made a cover from redundant dodger fabric, the normal blue stuff, primarily to keep the worst of the weather off of it, and still allow it to drain fully and not retain water at all, but it usefully doubles as a sun shield. Being that we're in Inverness, I'm surprised that it's not an insurance/RYA/MCA all year requirement.

 

[Refueler]

I know you've already ruled out phone / key fob .... but check your pockets / anything near that you may at times have close to the TP.

TP compass can be affected same as your normal compass ...... I was sailing one time and noticed my compass was way off .... scratched head why ? then realised it was a metal item placed under sprayhood right over the compass.

I'm sure you know this - but will mention..... as you move about the boat - the heel changes and the TP can lose its heading momentarily as it tries to compensate for change of water profile effect. I've noticed heading errors 10 - 20 deg or more while TP brings boat back again....

 

[bitbaltic]

Similar to vyv, I've made a cover from redundant dodger fabric, the normal blue stuff, primarily to keep the worst of the weather off of it, and still allow it to drain fully and not retain water at all, but it usefully doubles as a sun shield. Being that we're in Inverness, I'm surprised that it's not an insurance/RYA/MCA all year requirement.

I’ve got a dark blue canvas cover on mine too. The cover was nonetheless burning hot itself in direct sun last weekend and I did wonder about the safety of the pilot, but then I reflected as someone says above, the thing itself is black so removing the cover might just increase the temperature for the electronics inside.

Anyway it (a Simrad TP30) functioned perfectly all day with no temperature related effects….

 

[MonniotC]

Dunno about heat, but both my TP20's died of a few drops of rain.

 

[Refueler]

Dunno about heat, but both my TP20's died of a few drops of rain.

I know a few people who have had TP's of various manufacturers fail after rain ... but my two Nautech AH's ... 800 and 1000 have soldiered on in thunderstorms .. torrential rain ...
Only once did I crack open a case to check and there were a few drops, but still working. My wired remote same.

 

[Vega1447]

No the phone was at least 4 metres away in a locker. As was the keyfob for my car.

Glad to hear that I wasn't imagining it!

Would alu foil protect the TP?

Thanks.

Thanks to all who replied.

I finally tracked down the cause of the problem. I installed a stainless steel 220v power inlet over the winter when the boat was on the hard. I obviously installed it too close to the TP. Once I removed it the TP worked correctly. I tried bringing the disconnected power inlet close to my handbearing compass and the bearing swung wildly.
When I did the same with the TP when in auto mode it yawed off course.

The power inlet is weakly magnetic despite being nominally stainless steel. POWER INLET 50A 125/250A 4C
So problem solved.

I'll reinstall the power inlet on the diagonally opposite corner of the cockpit so at least 2m away from TP.

I hope someone finds this useful.

 

[Refueler]

Glad you found it ... as I said in post #6 ... can be a various items you never think of ..

 

[thinwater]

The other problem I have noticed (Raymarine) is that the tiniest looseness in the plug, resulting in a momentary power drop when bumped by a cushion, will cause it to lose course. A new plug fixes that.

 

[jamie N]

Back in time, when I was an ADS pilot on Spider, an "engineer" from the factory came to our system, and during his tour replaced the aluminium 'toe-pads' on our foot controls, with steel ones from a safety boot. He thought that it'd be less uncomfortable for the pilot.
The submersible's gyro-compass was situated between these 2 foot controls, which were for controlling the movement of the suit.
I did the following dive, having not been told by this "engineer" that anything had changed, and was unable to find the BOP, where I'd been tasked with operating a valve, until I found it by virtue of getting 'lost' and it finding me.
Oh, how we chuckled when he explained it to me.....

 

[Refueler]

The other problem I have noticed (Raymarine) is that the tiniest looseness in the plug, resulting in a momentary power drop when bumped by a cushion, will cause it to lose course. A new plug fixes that.

UGH !! Got the T-Shirt !

That two pin power plug is the absolute pits on the Tillerpilots .... they are same as what we had on Aldis Lamp boxes ... and back then they were crap. Not so bad in the old versions where the pins had a slit and you could push a screwdriver in and spread the two halves a bit to tighten it up in the socket ... but I see my original and the replacement I fitted are solid pins and cannot be 'spread'. I am seriously considering what alternative to install instead.

Thread drift : To allow me to check out and also service my TP's ... I cut the power cable on both mine and soldered Deans T connectors .... the cut off sections had the opposite Deans soldered ... so now I can power from any 3S Lithium battery I have or connect old lead and still power from boat socket. It also allows me emergency use with Lithium battery if main fails.

 

[thinwater]

UGH !! Got the T-Shirt !

That two pin power plug is the absolute pits on the Tillerpilots .... they are same as what we had on Aldis Lamp boxes ... and back then they were crap. Not so bad in the old versions where the pins had a slit and you could push a screwdriver in and spread the two halves a bit to tighten it up in the socket ... but I see my original and the replacement I fitted are solid pins and cannot be 'spread'. I am seriously considering what alternative to install instead....

Over the past year I tested a bunch for PS. Salt chamber. Open , closed, powered, not. In the end, I installed a cheap 2-pin SAE bulkhead connector and plug. I forget which brand, but they are common. If you need to replace it, about $5 or less. The trick is to keep it loaded with waterproof grease. I've used these many times on boats. I really like that they are universal, reasonably secure, and fast. Also a 4-pin version.