Raymarine Autohelm 800 mounting questions

ProDave

ProDave

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I've just bought a very cheap autohelm 800 from ebay, bought as faulty, and repaired in 10 minutes. I now need to mount it on my boat as cheap as possible, I didn't get any mountings with it.

So the 3 things I need are:

Power cable. The autohelm has a short captive lead with a 2 pin plug, so I need the matching 2 pin socket for this.

I also need the mounting socket for the fixed end, and a tiller pin.

Anyone know where to buy these nice and cheap?

P.S I already have the manual, so know how to mount it, I just need the bits.
 
The two pin plug will simply need a matching 2 pin socket of the same type and size.
Nothing unique to Autohelm as far as I know
IIRC mine was supplied without a connector
If you cannot find a socket to match buy a plug and socket of your choice. Mine is connected with a Driplug.

Be sure to a use sufficiently heavy cable to the socket to avoid excessive volts drop at the max current ( Your spec may only quote an average current so beware!)

Socket for the mounting is nothing special if all you need is a socket as opposed to one of the pedestal or cantilever mounts.
Easily made with a bit of brass. ( bronze originally maybe) Reinforce the mounting position with a block of wood bonded up underneath .
( mine is mounted on top of the coaming but I need a 4" extensionon the pushrod to reach the tiller properly)

Tiller pin is just a pin set into the tiller unless you need it on a bracket below the tiller. The basic pin would not be difficult to make and set into some Araldite. (You could make one from a stainless steel bolt)
It has a somewhat elongated ball end to fit in socket on the pushrod end.

Only pic I have ( It would have been more sensible to have set the pin in deeper)

DSCF0769.jpg
 
Thanks.

It was more the mating socket for the plug that concerns me. I'm not 100% sure we are going to keep this (SWMBO doesn't want it on the boat) so I don't want to modify it in case it ends up for sale soon.

It came with this 2 pin plug on, which I assumed was a standard fitment, so wanted to keep it and just find a mating socket. Otherwise I would just cut it off and replace it with a standard plug for which I can source a mating socket easilly.

I think the mounting is going to be easy, but will need a bracket to hang the mounting pin down underneath the tiller, but I didn't want to spend long on the boat today as it's covered in snow and it's been snowing on and off all day.

Here's a picture of the plug. It measures 38mm diameter and the two pins are slightly offset from centre. On the back is says Dri Plug BD500 so I guess i need a "Dri Socket" then?

Apologies the photo is out of focus. My rather dumb camera won't turn the flash on in "macro" mode, so you have to turn macro off to get the flash on, then it won't focus close enough. Stupid design.
 
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You don't say which version you have. Presumably not the original with the compass rose nor the version that followed with round buttons but the one that followed that with square buttons.

IIRC the original was supplied without a plug/ socket.

The round button one was supplied with a Driplug

The square button one was supplied with a purpose made plug and socket but I think you will find the only reason is that it is the same connector as was fitted to the ST 1000 model. It is in fact a three pin connector, the third connection being the "Seatalk" connection.

There is no point what ever in faffing around trying to find the matching socket. If one turns up fair enough other wise just fit a 2 pin Driplug.

The diagrams in the manuals are good enough to show what you need to do for both the mounting and the tiller bracket


As for not keeping it or SWMBO not wanting it on the boat.

Mine is probably the most useful bit of kit I have ever bought for the boat after the essentials.
Vital for single handing and darned useful if you dont want to be tied to the tiller all the time.

Keep the Autohelm... discard SWMBO .... no contest!
 
Re which version, It just says "autohelm 800" and is the version with the round buttons.

Yes it has a 2 pin Dri Plug, I wasn't sure if that was standard fitment or not, but I've now found several sources to buy those on line so I'll order a socket to match. However none of the online suppliers selling them tell me if the socket they sell is an in line cable mounted socket (like the plug) of if it's a deck mounded fixed flange socket. Or is there a choice?

I would much prefer an in line socket, as I don't much like the idea of having to drill such a large hole to mount a flange socket if that makes sense.

Regarding not keeping it, I think we will keep an autohelm of some sort, but possibly not this one. I'm also looking at buying an older different make of autohelm, also faulty. If I buy that and get it working, I'll try them both and see which works best before deciding which one to sell. I'm sure once SWMBO sees it in action she will agree it's usefull, and yes one thought is it should make single handed sailing possible.

I don't intend using the autohelm all the time, indeed if I did I would have to find a way to charge the battery, so rather it's intended just to hold course when we want to do something.
 
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Ordinary Driplug sockets are all just surface mounting as far as I know. (The manual says that it is supplied with a Driplug)

bd500.jpg


But see the website http://www.driplug.com/

You dont need a big hole. Just three small ones. One for the cable and one for each of the fixing screws.

I have several on my boat. One for the Autohelm, one for the power out from the outboard, one for the lights on the mast and one for the deck light (steamer-scarer)

You want want an older Autohelm. The Round button one was the first microprocessor controlled one.

I keep my battery charged with a small ( 5 watt) solar panel. Second best buy possibly after the Autohelm.
Before I bought it I used to take the battery home to recharge periodically.
If you do that ... and you'll have to if if you have no means of recharging it or it will suffer .. believe you me its a mistake to have anything other than the smallest and lightest you can find.

Strongly recommend a small solar panel. 5 watts adequate in my experience but would suggest 10 watts if space available.
 
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Thanks for the data on the sockets, 3 little holes sounds okay, so I'll buy one of those and get on with it.

What's the approximate age of the autohelm 800 with the round buttons then out of interest?

Yes a solar panel I think will be the next essential purchase, otherwise it's a case of bring the battery home for charging.
 
What's the approximate age of the autohelm 800 with the round buttons then out of interest?
Click to expand...
Introduced sometime in the 1980s I would think . Not earlier but otherwise purely a guess.
 
Just to finish the thread off, I've completed mounting the autohelm.

It worked out that I needed a tiller bracket to mount under the tiller. After seeing them listed for £45 new (WTF for a bit of bent metal) I bought one second hand from ebay for £5.75

For the other end I needed the brass mounting socket. Again rather than pay new price, I bought some brass bar and made my own. Partly to save money, but also an excuse to keep in practice at turning, and to justify my having a lathe in the garage. I actually made 4 of them, so if any forum members want a cheap brass mounting socket send me a PM.

Now I just need the Dri Socket to arrive. Oh what a mistake it was ordering that from Marine Megastore.
 
Now I just need the Dri Socket to arrive. Oh what a mistake it was ordering that from Marine Megastore.
Click to expand...

Marine Muddlestore failing to come up with a simple item like a Dri plug socket

Thats ridiculous.

The trouble may be that they are usually sold as a complete plug and socket package even though they are listed individually.

I trust you have set the AH mounting socket in with a good reinforcing block under the GRP
 
VicS said:
Marine Muddlestore failing to come up with a simple item like a Dri plug socket

Thats ridiculous.

The trouble may be that they are usually sold as a complete plug and socket package even though they are listed individually.
Click to expand...

What makes the situation even worse, is that I ordered both a plug and a socket. Although I only actually need a socket, I figured it would be handy to have a spare plug so I could connect anything else to my newly fitted socket.

So that can't be the reason for it.
 
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