haydude
Well-Known Member
I wonder if anyone else came across the following issue which after a long conversation with Raymarine Tech Support was acknowledged it is a bug and logged for a firmware update:
Turn the wheel/tiller either way port or stbd and if you go over 48 Deg rudder angle the computer throws a NO RUDD REF error and requires a power cycle (with rudder positioned towards the centre) to re-acquire it. The same does NOT happen with an old S1 computer.
However both (S1 and SPX-30) fail to recognize the rudder reference if turned on whilst the rudder is positioned to hard over, which was acknowledged by Raymarine as normal behaviour, not a defect.
The NO RUDD REF error can happen only when the autopilot is disengaged and someone is manually turning the wheel/tiller towards hard-over, because internally the computer has a maximum rudder angle limit set to 40deg. Unfortunately after close quarters maneuvers requiring sometimes the rudder to turn hard over one should go down below to power cycle the instruments to get the autopilot working again.
Raymarine suggested as a temporary workaround to fit a power on/off switch in the cockpit.
As collateral going through the tests I found out that the rudder reference unit reports slightly higher rudder angles than those physically achievable. My rudder can swing about 50 degrees top either side, but the autopilot reports up to 56-60 deg. I reported the Rudder reference Kilohms values to Raymarine and they confirmed that my sensor is within range and OK. RFUs incorporate potentiometers that are not quite precise components.
This might explain some issues reported in some threads around sudden unexpected autopilot behaviour.
Has anyone else ever checked these values?
Turn the wheel/tiller either way port or stbd and if you go over 48 Deg rudder angle the computer throws a NO RUDD REF error and requires a power cycle (with rudder positioned towards the centre) to re-acquire it. The same does NOT happen with an old S1 computer.
However both (S1 and SPX-30) fail to recognize the rudder reference if turned on whilst the rudder is positioned to hard over, which was acknowledged by Raymarine as normal behaviour, not a defect.
The NO RUDD REF error can happen only when the autopilot is disengaged and someone is manually turning the wheel/tiller towards hard-over, because internally the computer has a maximum rudder angle limit set to 40deg. Unfortunately after close quarters maneuvers requiring sometimes the rudder to turn hard over one should go down below to power cycle the instruments to get the autopilot working again.
Raymarine suggested as a temporary workaround to fit a power on/off switch in the cockpit.
As collateral going through the tests I found out that the rudder reference unit reports slightly higher rudder angles than those physically achievable. My rudder can swing about 50 degrees top either side, but the autopilot reports up to 56-60 deg. I reported the Rudder reference Kilohms values to Raymarine and they confirmed that my sensor is within range and OK. RFUs incorporate potentiometers that are not quite precise components.
This might explain some issues reported in some threads around sudden unexpected autopilot behaviour.
Has anyone else ever checked these values?