Yngmar
Well-Known Member
My cockpit plotter is an ageing RC530. When fed with DC power, it stays off until switched on by the red power button in the lower left corner. This button works fine for switching it on. So far so good!
But as soon as the plotter is switched on, that same red power button ceases to function. It simply does not register as pressed. So I can't switch the plotter off with it. This would not be tragic, as I can switch the plotter off on the DC panel. In fact a PO seems to have worked around the problem by wiring the plotter to a separate switch on the panel, likely as result of this malfunction. However, the same red power button is also used when remote controlling the RL70 radar receiver (mounted below at the nav station) via HSB - in which case the button is of crucial importance, as it toggles the Radar between transmit and standby. Which of course also doesn't work, because the button doesn't register. As it works for switching it on, it's not a simple mechanical fault of the button.
Now, because the button is used both for switching the device on initially, and as a software button later, it must have (at least) two different circuits connected to it, one of which clearly stopped working. I'd love to fix this so I can use the radar without climbing up and down the companionway, especially in situations where radar is actually useful. I haven't cracked the plotter open yet, so I don't know if it's something obvious.
The question is, has someone else had this problem before, and how did you get it sorted? And does anyone have circuit diagrams for the RC530? I know there are a lot of lovely leaked service manuals and circuit diagrams for that generation of Raymarine kit around in a big .zip bundle, but unfortunately the RC530 was not amongst them. Are they available somewhere?
Obviously I'd loathe to send it off to Raymarine and pay a silly sum for a small soldering job I could easily do myself. And no, I don't want to buy a whole new plotter (and radar) at this time.
But as soon as the plotter is switched on, that same red power button ceases to function. It simply does not register as pressed. So I can't switch the plotter off with it. This would not be tragic, as I can switch the plotter off on the DC panel. In fact a PO seems to have worked around the problem by wiring the plotter to a separate switch on the panel, likely as result of this malfunction. However, the same red power button is also used when remote controlling the RL70 radar receiver (mounted below at the nav station) via HSB - in which case the button is of crucial importance, as it toggles the Radar between transmit and standby. Which of course also doesn't work, because the button doesn't register. As it works for switching it on, it's not a simple mechanical fault of the button.
Now, because the button is used both for switching the device on initially, and as a software button later, it must have (at least) two different circuits connected to it, one of which clearly stopped working. I'd love to fix this so I can use the radar without climbing up and down the companionway, especially in situations where radar is actually useful. I haven't cracked the plotter open yet, so I don't know if it's something obvious.
The question is, has someone else had this problem before, and how did you get it sorted? And does anyone have circuit diagrams for the RC530? I know there are a lot of lovely leaked service manuals and circuit diagrams for that generation of Raymarine kit around in a big .zip bundle, but unfortunately the RC530 was not amongst them. Are they available somewhere?
Obviously I'd loathe to send it off to Raymarine and pay a silly sum for a small soldering job I could easily do myself. And no, I don't want to buy a whole new plotter (and radar) at this time.
