Jefa autopilot drive

[Ed Sned]

Who has one and does it make a lot of noise?

I've just installed a sprocket drive underneath the pedestal, driving the wheel spindle via a chain up through the pedestal. It makes a pretty horrible noise - as well as the relatively quiet whir of the motor, there's an additional high-pitched noise but having sent clips to Jefa, they say some noise is normal.

I'm going to try mounting the motor on a rubber gasket to see if that helps, but would be interested in the experiences of others

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Not a Jeffa rotary drive but a Neco rotary drive with an offset to pedestal set up, hard mounted onto a steel foundation, bonded to a GRP tank top. Runs silent, motor noise is negligible, sprocket noise is not evident. Even when I set up and do the lock to lock test (Raymarine ACU400 controller) the motor and sprocket are silent. I would be careful about the rubber gasket as deflection when the motor changes direction could be an issue for chain life.

Could the mounting be amplifying noise through the cockpit base and pedestal?
Have you checked sprocket / chain tension?
Are the sprockets secure on their spindles?
Is the chain run between motor, through pedestal, to wheel unsupported in the middle, without a damper, chain tensioner or is the chain tensioned correctly?
Is the clutch working correctly?
Is the noise there with the motor switched off?

 

[Ed Sned]

Thanks for the suggestions.
It's an all-Jefa affair ie their pedestal, steering system, mounting bracket and drive, and so it should all be designed to work together (bought altogether very recently). There isn't a damper/deflector/chain tensioner within the pedestal.
My hunch is that the noise is coming from the clutch, so I'm doing more testing on that....despite the fact Jefa say it sounds normal.
And then yes, I think that modest noise is being amplified through the metal mounting bracket and into a metal frame that lines the underside of the cockpit sole. The question is how to isolate this without allowing the motor to flex.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I have a Jefa rotary drive that connects to the wheel via a chain and sprockets up the inside of the pedestal. The only sound I hear is a bit of muted motor noise. There's nothing high pitched.

 

[Ed Sned]

Angus, thanks very much; sounds like you have exactly the same set-up as me, and so it's good to know that yours runs smoothly.

Out of interest, what's yours linked to? Mine is driven by a NKE Gyropilot3 computer, and so I have some work to do to ensure that the clutch voltage is exactly what the Jefa drive needs to engage and disengage properly. On paper they are compatible at 12v, but I need to check there is nothing odd going on here.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Angus, thanks very much; sounds like you have exactly the same set-up as me, and so it's good to know that yours runs smoothly.

Out of interest, what's yours linked to? Mine is driven by a NKE Gyropilot3 computer, and so I have some work to do to ensure that the clutch voltage is exactly what the Jefa drive needs to engage and disengage properly. On paper they are compatible at 12v, but I need to check there is nothing odd going on here.

Raymarine something or other.

 

[Oddduck]

Thanks for the suggestions.
It's an all-Jefa affair ie their pedestal, steering system, mounting bracket and drive, and so it should all be designed to work together (bought altogether very recently). There isn't a damper/deflector/chain tensioner within the pedestal.
My hunch is that the noise is coming from the clutch, so I'm doing more testing on that....despite the fact Jefa say it sounds normal.
And then yes, I think that modest noise is being amplified through the metal mounting bracket and into a metal frame that lines the underside of the cockpit sole. The question is how to isolate this without allowing the motor to flex.

Have you got an iPhone? If so, I like the noise logging app Soundmeter. Ad is annoying but going to settings and back moves it. Record at 12", 24", at helm station etc and save the graph. Then ask for their specified numbers. Not sure for Android. Apple watch much better, built in dB meter with logging output to phone easily. I snap my fingers once at each change, easy to spot in the record when new position is reached.
Numbers > recording where volume is relative and adjustable. I'd kick up a bit of fuss if using an all one mfg system that cost a pretty penny isn't within spec.