Replacing the batteries in a Raymarine Smart Controller A18105?

[Ian_Edwards]

I have a A18105 smart controller from 2007.
It is no longer holding its charge.
I haven't tried to take it to bits ...... yet, just back from a three week cruise.
Before I take screwdriver to it, has anyone replaced the batteries in a A18105?
It allows you to control the autopilot remotely, I don't use it very often, but it has come in useful when sailing singlehanded, when I need to be on the foredeck. it saves having to rush back to the cockpit to avoid a creel float, or to alter the heading, when playing around trimming sails.
I assuming that the batteries will be NiCad, not lithium, but they may have welded tags, which would make life a little more complicated.

 

[robbieg]

Evening

Yes I have done it early this year. There is good YouTube video showing you how- Google Ep.86 How we saved £100 replacing the battery in a Raymarine Smartpilot - Carl and Jenny and it should bring it up.

Took a bit of searching to get the battery pack- I think I got one in the end for a baby monitor and then solder on the plug and wires from the existing battery pack. Reasonably straightforward and works very well.

Good luck

 

[stuartwineberg]

Not going to the boat for a while so not sure if I have the same model. Mine has a small screen showing depth by default. slightly curved flattish plug goes into base. If it is this one then yes, replaced batteries. As I recall they are Nicads and I put in larger capacity ones. Sorry to be vague. A photo would help

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Hi Thanks for the link to the YouTube video, very useful.
I did a google search and came up with this battery pack:

Orpheo Audio Guide 2.4V 2200mAh Ni-MH Rechargeable battery OP2.210.105

£14.90 including delivery, much better than the mega pounds charge by Raymarine.

It's all ready has wire and a connector attached, so even if the connector doesn't match the one in the Smart Controller, it's be easy to swap the connector over, without the need to solder to battery tags.
The battery pack should be arrive in a day or 2 ... strikes permitting.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Direct link to the video, just to save others having to search:

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Update:
The new batteries arrived.
I disassembled the controller.

The most difficult bit was releasing the 4 clips, it took a while to find a blade, small enough and thin enough to fit in the slot.
I eventually used this, part of a set of pins designed to remove electrical contact from plugs and sockets.

The first surprise was that the original battery pack has 3 wires, the new one only 2.

The third wire is attached to a component, diode? and then the negative terminal.

I decided not the disturbed the wires soldered to the new battery pack, so I cut and spliced the connector and componet into the wires on the new pack.

Fitting the new battery back into controller was easy.

As was re-assembling to controller, and surprise, surprise it switched on first time!

All in all quite an easy fix, it didn't take much more than an hour to do, the most time consuming task was finding a tool to release the clips holding the casing together.
I hope that other find the post useful, along with the YouTube video linked by KompetentKrew.

 

[Refueler]

Just a comment to add ...

Old gear often had NiCd's - which are basically banned over counter sales now because of the Cadmium. Replacements are NiMh ...

NiCd's had two factors against them : 1. Capacity could only be increased by increasing physical size - its why there were so many different sizes ... 2. Repeated partial charging would over time ruin a NiCd and you end up with very short power time till finally they fail.

NiMh on the other hand could be had in far greater capacity without having to increase physical size ... BUT as the capacity in creased - the power output in amps decreased. But for most applications - this was not a problem and the increased work time was a benefit. They also have lower Self Discharge rates ... suffer partial charging much better.

On the matter of that 'third wire with diode' .... many proprietary items have a 'detector wire' ... it often serves no purpose other than trying to make us buy OEM packs ...... when that wire is not there - item fails to operate. Another possibility for the third wire - is to match the charger ... again - no wire - no charge ! HP Computers were famous for this trick ...

 

[Refueler]

You'll be replacing batterys in VHF's ... all sorts soon ...

 

[Slipstream 34]

The third wire is temperature sensor to reduce the charge rate if the battery temperature is high.

 

[Refueler]

The third wire is temperature sensor to reduce the charge rate if the battery temperature is high.

Forgot about that as another factor ... well spotted.