Help! My autohelm's right-handed!

[andrewg]

Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

I have been given an old nautech autohelm 2000 that only appears to want to steer from the right side of the boat. It knows it's gone off course, but unfortunately then steers in the wrong direction. The only place I can fix a bracket is on the left side of the boat. Does anyone know a way of fooling the autohelm into thinking it is left-handed? Other wise, I'll just carry on going round in circles!

The autohelm is an old autohelm 2000 with a separate unit for the controls. This has a red compass card on the top with little red and green lights to indicate when it is off course. It has a dial that lets you choose 'set', 1, 2 or 3 and a switch on the bottom labelled 'rudder' with settings 1 to 10.
Is anyone familiar with this unit?

Andrew

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

Try turning it upside down, or put it on the other way round, not the other side, just reverse it.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

Used to sail on a boat with what sounds like the big brother of this unit for wheel steering. As I recall the 1,2,3 control was a sea state setting (damping effectively), so 1 (slight seas) would produce gentle corrections, whereas 3 would get much more violent with the wheel. The rudder 1-10 control (again as I recall) was to put in an offset to allow for a 'permanent' rudder offset to allow for weather or lee helm.

Hope it helps, but I'm going back over 10 years (warning: memory may be corrupted!)

 

[tony_brighton]

Re: Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

From recollection there is a setup feature which lets you input which side its going to be mounted on - it should make al the necessary adjustments from that. Its probably buried in the manual somewhere around 'installation'.

 

[steve_cronin]

There is a little hole...

under the unit and just in case you still have the little black tool that fits it (about 4cm long , tubular, thick at one end thin at the other with two flats on the tip) fit this into the hole and turn 180degrees. This alters the sense of the autopilot to allow mounting on the other side of the cockpit. - Simple innit?

Should you NOT have the tool it can be bought from Autohelm dealers or borrow one from a neighbouring boat with an AH800, 1000 or 2000. I would not recommend using a jewellers turnscrew at an alternative because this could cause internal damage and/or destroy the watertightness of the unit.

It is only the AH2000plus range (you said yours was an "old" AH) where you hold -1 and plus1* down for five seconds to alter the sense. On older models do as above.

Steve Cronin


*Why won't this board accept a plus sign Mr Hollomby?
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by steve_cronin on 09/08/2002 10:51 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[steve_cronin]

Arrggghhh!!!! Yours seems even older.....

... than the ones I had.

The above therefore may not apply!

Steve Cronin

 

[philip_stevens]

Re: Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

If it is similar to one I had a few years ago, I think that all you need to do, is take the compass knob off of the top, rotate it 180degrees, and refit it. This will now put your compass 180 degrees out, and should - I repeat SHOULD - reverse the steering action.

You can check this beforehand, by putting the steering unit on the port side, and going astern. It should be able to steer you on the correct course astern. If this is so, try what I have written above. That should then steer you ahead from the port side.

Try it first, as it is over ten years ago that I had one of those older Nautech/Autohelm 2000 units. I exchanged it for a more modern 2000, as the newer 2000 would not work properly on a steel boat. The older unit with the remote compass sensor would work on the steel boat.

I think that somewhere in the installation instructions, it tells you how to fit it on either a forward or aft bulkhead.

I may be wrong, but give it a try.

regards,
Philip

 

[VMALLOWS]

Re: Help! My autohelm\'s right-handed!

I know the 2000 unit you have very well. (confusingly Auto-Helm retained the 2000 designation for one of its 'next generation' digital units which was completely different). The 2000 you have is entirely analogue, though the electronics are quite clever.

As Phillip says in an earlier post, you simply need to set the bearing 180 deg out if you mount the actuator on the port side rather than the 'usual' stb. You can rotate the card 180 deg, or simply mark a new arrow on the casing opposite the original one. The green/red lights will work the opposite way around. Although mine is mounted the 'usual' way, it is not uncommon for me to set it 180 deg out and sail round in circles!

Regarding the controls: the OFF-1-2-3 control in fact alters the dead-band, so that the actuator does not hunt so frequently (and uses less power) when the yacht is yawingin a seaway. The RUDDER control underneath alters the amount of actuator movement for a given off-course amount. It needs to be set by trial and error so that the boat stays on course without hunting to port/stb.

Incidentally I have been very happy with mine, and although I'm sure the microprocessor types are excellent, will continue with the old 2000 as long as it lasts. ( I possess 2 after picking up a spare (as seen) at a jumble). A great advantage over the modern ones is that you can actually get inside and repair them if you're up to it!

One point I would make is that the waterproofing of the control unit is poor, and it is much better to mount it in a sheltered place (eg inside companionway) and extend the lead to the actuator with a plug/socket arrangement.

I have the so-called workshop manual..........though the only bit worth having is the circuit/layout diagrams.