Raymarine autopilot "current limit" error message

[mikemcgregor]

I used the autopilot on my (new to me) boat for the first time the other day. It seemed to work fine but all through the passage force of habit made me alter the course by manually turning the wheel whilst autopilot was engaged. I switched the pilot off whilst anchoring and when I started back to the marina, after a enjoyable picnic, I switched the pilot back on only for it to kick out and showed the "current limit" message. Could I have messed it up by turning the wheel by hand whist autopilot engaged?

 

[spannerman]

Not sure what setup you have but if you manually turn the wheel rhe autopilot will see it as a course deviation and do what its supposed to do and try to come back to the chosen heading. Normally it wind or tide that has altered the boats heading so it has no problem correcting, but you are manually over riding the system while its switched on so it will try to compensate but will draw more current as you are working against it, so you will get an error message. Switch the whole system off and restart and it should clear the message. Alternatively you have done something to the mechanism or linkage so its at full travel already when you switch it on and this will cause the same fault if its driving against the end stop or limit of travel in the steering system.

 

[mikemcgregor]

Not sure what setup you have but if you manually turn the wheel rhe autopilot will see it as a course deviation and do what its supposed to do and try to come back to the chosen heading. Normally it wind or tide that has altered the boats heading so it has no problem correcting, but you are manually over riding the system while its switched on so it will try to compensate but will draw more current as you are working against it, so you will get an error message. Switch the whole system off and restart and it should clear the message. Alternatively you have done something to the mechanism or linkage so its at full travel already when you switch it on and this will cause the same fault if its driving against the end stop or limit of travel in the steering system.

Thanks for your reply. Its a Raymarine SmartPilot ST6002. I think I only turned the wheel twice when pilot was engaged. Switched back to manual as soon as error message appeared. When I tried it a couple of days later as soon as I tried to alter 10 degrees to port the message immediately appeared. From what you say it looks like the linkage needs adjusting. Not able to get to boat until early June so will investigate further and hope its mechanical and not electrical!