Navico Automadness

[JonoSlatter]

I have a Navico TP100 tillerpilot (now Simrad TP10) which I cannot get to work.

As soon as you put it on on "Auto" it holds course for about a minute then goes off on a serious detour.

I've tried moving the gas bottles which are in a locker at the back of the cockpit under the tiller - but it made no difference.

Is it a case of sending it for repair or is there something else I could try?

Thanks,

Jono
Azrar Beneteau First 26

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[Johnjo]

Got a Simrad TP20, > use to be Navico < on my boat.
With the gas bottles very close, and have to say I have never had any problem with it!
Does an excellant job,

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[jollyjacktar]

Check Power

Check your power supply, if lots of resistance in the supply line [voltage drop] or battery low this will trip the thing out and default setting to manual.

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[DeeGee]

I had similar problem with my Raymarine tiller pilot. In my case, it turned out to be unidirectional, due to a poor connection. The corrections from the pilot were only being effected in one direction, and the ram extended so far, then stopped as no retraction signal was getting through. Easy to see if this is the diagnosis, in berth, by putting onto auto control and plussing and minusing a bit.

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all

 

[charles_reed]

The symptoms are typical of the fluxgate compass being affected by a magnetic field.

Check:
1. You have no loudspeakers within 1m of the fluxgate.
2. For any steel objects within about 400mm of the compass.

The steel ring pull on an otherwise aluminium beercan, 150mm away caused exactly the same behaviour with my ST 4000.

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[Aja]

Has it got wet recently? A smirr of rain is enough. I sometimes have the same problem with my Autohelm 1000 - put it from Standby to Auto and we do a very sharp hard-a-starboard!

Have to take it apart and dry out for a couple of days. Other than that it works perfectly. unfortunately up here rain is a hazard!

Regards

Donald

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[jimi]

Charles ... you have shattered my illusions, if I was assured anyone was a sober upstanding gentleman then it was you. Drinking beer pah! Shame on you!

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[Jacket]

Does the Navico allow you to adjust the gain? The symptoms you describe are a textbook description of the effects of gain being set way too high.

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[JonoSlatter]

Not sure about adjusting gain - will have to check manual....

Thanks

Jono

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[bedouin]

I'm afraid it sounds like a repair job - but a couple of questions:

(a) Does your tillerpilot have an "off course" alarm
(b) If so does it sound

Static causes of deviation (like gas bottles) don't normally have that serious affect on an autohelm, since it is trying to maintain a constant heading and doesn't really care how much compass error there is provided that it is constant

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[JonoSlatter]

Re: Check Power

OK - could you give a bit of an idea how to do this? Kinda new to me - but I do have an electrical meter gadget!

Jono

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[polarity]

Re: Check Power

Exact same symptoms as my TP, it was the power supply. The 1st place to look is where you plug the TP into the power socket. Check pins, check socket holes, check conection of wires to back of socket (thats where mine was!). Any sign of corrosion (green gunge!) clean up well or chuck plug and socket and replace. Idealy you want to measure the voltage difference between the +ve where it enters the TP box and the + on the battery it comes from,... with the TP moving - there should not be any voltage - ask a friendly neighbour to show you how to use the gadget!
However dont open the TP box if its still under warranty or if they now make em nitrogen filled and sealed! - you can always test at the outside of the plug first before opening the box. Its likely thats where the problem is. Do the same for the -ve side

Paul

<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm>http://www.polarity2.com/Clipper.htm</A>

 

[chippie]

A mate had the same problem, it turned out to be the cockpit speakers interfering with the fluxgate compass.

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[JimC]

Suggest you go through the routine described in the manual called compass re-calibration or something similar. This involves sailing round in a defined circle at a constant speed using the port/starboard buttons on the autopilot. My TP100 was prone to veering off course until I did this. The manual gives full instructions.

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[jollyjacktar]

Have you calibrated the internal compass?

Just one final thought, have you followed the instructions and calibrated the internal compass [see the manual]. If I remember rightly, you push several appropriate buttons at once and something about driving around in slow circles.

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[jeanne]

Ours was a bit the same - dry it out and make a cover from an old oily jacket sleeve with drawstrings either end. We inserted a clear window for controls. Just another example of stuff for boats not being waterproof!! The only thing that keeps the water out is the red 'o' (?) ring and a smear of silicone grease.....

Also, the power supply is very prone to the green gunge in the socket and needs cleaning regularly. Unfortunately our bit the dust when the internal fluxgate compass came loose and wasn't economic to repair. Check yours doesn't rattle.

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[beneteau_305_553]

I had a similar problem on two Simrad TP10's. both were purchased spring last year (one as a back up!) The first was repaired under warranty and the other is away now.

The control card was faulty on the first.

I am waiting to hear about the second.

<hr width=100% size=1>Richard

 

[Chris771]

I have recently fitted the Raymarine Sport Pilot (which worked perfectly in my last boat, to Arctic Fox. Tried hold ing up the fluxgate compass and checking operation of the wheelpilot whilst slowly altering the heading of the fluxgate. Confirmed that everything worked correctly and the wheel moved in the correct direction.
Next I fitted the fluxgate in a locker, making sure that there were no ferrous or magnetic objects within a metre.

Following weekend took boat to nice piece of flat water and did the linearisation & calibration circles then tried the auto pilot. Followed course in a woolly sort of manner then started chasing the compass.

As an electronic engineer, I was totally at loss. Back alongside, removed the fluxgate from the locker and moved it around whilst watching the wheel; worked perfectly.

Now decided that the autopilot works fine; so much be some external influence.

The only other object in the vicinity of the mounted position of the fluxgate was a box of redundant melamine crockery which my lady had put there, awaiting disposal.

Out of curiosity I decided to look in the box just to make sure that there was nothing ferrous in there. To my acute embarassment there was a steel baking tray which had previously been used in an electric oven (large inductive magnetising field).

Threw box on the afterdeck, recalibrated and autopilot now works fine. The baking tray had been about 800mm from the fluxgate. When I tried it near the magnetic compass that went mental as soon as it was brought to about 700mm, rotating the tray sent the compass the other way, so it was very strongly magnetised.

I'm not suggesting that is your problem; but it is very well worth checking that there are no magnetised objects or dc current carrying cables nearby.

Chris

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