Raymarine course computer repair

[geem]

Anybody know who can do electronic repairs on old Raymarine course computers? Mine failed a couple of days ago. Map on chart plotter started doing 360deg spins. Thought it might be a fluxgate compass issue. Swapped that. No difference. With the autopilot off the chartplotter would show our track but the boat was pointing the wrong way. Turn on the autopilot and we would start going off at a strange angle and the chart would start to rotate.
Fitted the spare course computer and all is well. The unit is an S3G smartpilot

 

[PaulRainbow]

Anybody know who can do electronic repairs on old Raymarine course computers? Mine failed a couple of days ago. Map on chart plotter started doing 360deg spins. Thought it might be a fluxgate compass issue. Swapped that. No difference. With the autopilot off the chartplotter would show our track but the boat was pointing the wrong way. Turn on the autopilot and we would start going off at a strange angle and the chart would start to rotate.
Fitted the spare course computer and all is well. The unit is an S3G smartpilot

Almost certainly the gyro compass has expired. Open it up and you will see a small device fitted to the PCB, connected with a plug in cable (the only thing plugged in). Unplug it and see if it fixes the issue. If it does, either replace the gyro, or leave it unplugged.

Unplugged, you will have a S3, rather than an S3G.

 

[geem]

Almost certainly the gyro compass has expired. Open it up and you will see a small device fitted to the PCB, connected with a plug in cable (the only thing plugged in). Unplug it and see if it fixes the issue. If it does, either replace the gyro, or leave it unplugged.

Unplugged, you will have a S3, rather than an S3G.

Thanks Paul. Are the gyro compasses still available? We have friends coming out in Feb

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks Paul. Are the gyro compasses still available? We have friends coming out in Feb

Unfortunately they have been discontinued for some time. Might be able to find an old stock one or second hand. They were very, very expensive though. I have removed them for customers in the past and no one has noticed a difference.

 

[westernman]

Unfortunately they have been discontinued for some time. Might be able to find an old stock one or second hand. They were very, very expensive though. I have removed them for customers in the past and no one has noticed a difference.

Seymo Gyro autopilot V 3.06

 

[geem]

Following on from this thread. Unplugging the giro makes no difference. The autopilot has the same problem.
I have been running on my spare autopilot. This has developed the same fault. We now have two broken autopilots and no more spares. I swapped the fluxgate compass again. That does help. Swapped control heads. No difference. I think it might be time for a new one.
So we will need an ACU 400, a p70 control head and sensor core. Will this be compatible with a E140W MFD, st60+, ST70.
We already have an STNg backbone but not to the autopilot. So I guess I will need to run that to the ACU400

 

[PaulRainbow]

Following on from this thread. Unplugging the giro makes no difference. The autopilot has the same problem.
I have been running on my spare autopilot. This has developed the same fault. We now have two broken autopilots and no more spares. I swapped the fluxgate compass again. That does help. Swapped control heads. No difference. I think it might be time for a new one.
So we will need an ACU 400, a p70 control head and sensor core. Will this be compatible with a E140W MFD, st60+, ST70.
We already have an STNg backbone but not to the autopilot. So I guess I will need to run that to the ACU400

The AP can, of course, be used stand alone, with it's own power supply and miniature STNG network. But, you can equally connect it yo your existing STNG network, which would be the sensible thing to do. With it networked you can steer to wind and the plotter will get course data from the heading sensor.

You can also set a course to a waypoint or route and engage the AP from the control head, it will steer to the waypoint or follow the route.

 

[Graham_Wright]

It's not ny any change a 2019 GPS sourced problem is it?
I've heard that a Raymarine radar needed completely replacing to solve it. Sounds crackers to me.

 

[PaulRainbow]

It's not ny any change a 2019 GPS sourced problem is it?
I've heard that a Raymarine radar needed completely replacing to solve it. Sounds crackers to me.

Not in this case, i doubt.

There is no need to change radar as a result of GPS roll over issues. At worst, a new GPS receiver is all that is needed. Shouldn't affect the OP though.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Following on from this thread. Unplugging the giro makes no difference. The autopilot has the same problem.
I have been running on my spare autopilot. This has developed the same fault. We now have two broken autopilots and no more spares. I swapped the fluxgate compass again. That does help. Swapped control heads. No difference. I think it might be time for a new one.
So we will need an ACU 400, a p70 control head and sensor core. Will this be compatible with a E140W MFD, st60+, ST70.
We already have an STNg backbone but not to the autopilot. So I guess I will need to run that to the ACU400

Tim there a place somewhere near Poole who repair RM stuff .
they may even have one .
someone here could probably say who they are .
other wise when mine packed up I manage to get a second hand computer off eBay .

 

[gavin400]

Marine Electronics Servicing and Repairs | The Service Centre

 

[sailaboutvic]

Marine Electronics Servicing and Repairs | The Service Centre

I knew someone would know , I found them helpful in the pass although you have to get pass the lady who answer your call first .

 

[geem]

Tim there a place somewhere near Poole who repair RM stuff .
they may even have one .
someone here could probably say who they are .
other wise when mine packed up I manage to get a second hand computer off eBay .

I think I have had each of my course computers repaired twice. They are old and can't deal with the mileage. I think I am going to bite the bullet and go new. I will also buy a tillerpilot to run off the wind self steering as a back up. I would need to post the old ones back to the UK. FedEx will be about £200. Plus cost of repair and similar cost to return. The reality is that the fluxgste compasses are ancient, as is the control heads and rudder sensor.
It did make me realise how great the Windpilot is when the autopilot packed in as we were leaving Antigua for Guadeloupe. 45nm with the Windpilot doing it all. No power or electronics needed

 

[sailaboutvic]

I think I have had each of my course computers repaired twice. They are old and can't deal with the mileage. I think I am going to bite the bullet and go new. I will also buy a tillerpilot to run off the wind self steering as a back up. I would need to post the old ones back to the UK. FedEx will be about £200. Plus cost of repair and similar cost to return. The reality is that the fluxgste compasses are ancient, as is the control heads and rudder sensor.
It did make me realise how great the Windpilot is when the autopilot packed in as we were leaving Antigua for Guadeloupe. 45nm with the Windpilot doing it all. No power or electronics needed

I don’t know if it be cheaper buying out there but if you got someone coming out , Hudson do some kind of deal when I was thinking of changing mine to the new sty computer.
best of luck mate , I know how it feels when cruising away from home ground and trying to get things repair or buy new .

 

[geem]

I don’t know if it be cheaper buying out there but if you got someone coming out , Hudson do some kind of deal when I was thinking of changing mine to the new sty computer.
best of luck mate , I know how it feels when cruising away from home ground and trying to get things repair or buy new .

Yep, thanks.
We have the import stuff sorted when in Antigua but now we have headed South everything is harder. We can import parts from USA to Antigua super easy. Ship to a site in Florida then air or sea to Antigua, super cheap. Solar MPPT reg was £12 from Florida including customs clearance and delivery to the boat! Cheaper than buying in UK.
I will see what we can get in Martinique. If I can get a tillerpilot. We may run on that on the Windpilot until we get back up to Antigua in October.
We have had a few failures recently. With 37,000nm on the rig, we do an inspection regularly. I found a couple of broken strands on one of the aft lowers so decided to change the rig. We intended to do it next year anyway and with an Atlantic crossing due next year better to do it now.
we imported all the wire and staloks from USA. Delivery was £38 from Florida and cheaper than we can do in the UK.
Done the aft lowers and backstsy so far whilst at anchor. Cap shrouds are trickier so will wait until we are further south. Forestay will need a dock so we can pull the furler off.
Babystay and inner furler stay are both newish so not on the list.
We had the rudder go stiff. I had visions of having to haul out in a yard in Antigua during hurricane season waiting for parts with a hurricane bearing down on us and no named storm cover! Fortunately, I discovered that lithium grease is not compatible with seawater. It goes hard. Our rudder has a bronze bearing and a pumbed in grease gun. We filled the grease gun with some very expensive marine grease. Pumped a whole gun through the rudder whilst turning the wheel back and forth. Thr next morning, the rudder was perfect. Best it's been for years. Finger light now.
We also had the exhaust elbow fail. It's the original Perkins thin wall stainless steel one from 2007. Welded up and needs replacing ideally. We will order one when back in Antigua.

 

[Roberto]

del

 

[gavin400]

I knew someone would know , I found them helpful in the pass although you have to get pass the lady who answer your call first .

I have just had my autopilot control unit repaired by them, and yes the lady on the phone makes it extremely difficult to speak to an engineer!
But repair was pretty quick and all now working

 

[Graham_Wright]

On the other hand, I took advantage of their money back quotation offer on ebay when my classic E80 developed a fault. They quoted £800 to replace a motherboard.

Raymarine fixed it fo £36.

 

[geem]

I have just done all the resistance tests on the fluxgate compass. It tests fine. The rudder response unit, ditto. Unplugging them giro makes no difference.
I found some info on the raymarine site that suggests if it passes the tests I have done it is a faulty control unit. My course heading is about 100deg out. It ties in with the info on the Raymarine site. So I have two control units with the same fault!

 

[geem]

I have just done all the resistance tests on the fluxgate compass. It tests fine. The rudder response unit, ditto. Unplugging them giro makes no difference.
I found some info on the raymarine site that suggests if it passes the tests I have done it is a faulty control unit. My course heading is about 100deg out. It ties in with the info on the Raymarine site. So I have two control units with the same fault!

Well that was a surprise!
Motoring along in the wind shadow behind Guadeloupe. Autopilot is working again. I think it was a bad wire on the fluxgate compass. One was a little damaged so a solder a new piece in