Simrad TP10 tillerpilot mystery fault

[lustyd]

I had one for 10 years and every year without fail I had to replace the plug and socket to get it working reliably. They will look fine but will corrode just enough to cause these issues, and the issues were always as described here. FWIW mine was regularly out in torrential rain so I don't believe the waterproofing issues. I'm sure there are other causes of this behaviour, but replace both the plug and the socket before investigating any further.

 

[richard77777]

My money is on an external problem, probably battery voltage or less likely magnetic interference.
I use a TP22 extensively in all weather and the only trouble I have ever had was overloading it in severe quartering waves. Otherwise it's been great. And extensively means up to 140 hours continuous use.

Thanks very much. I'll check the wiring and voltage next time I'm on board.

 

[richard77777]

I had one for 10 years and every year without fail I had to replace the plug and socket to get it working reliably. They will look fine but will corrode just enough to cause these issues, and the issues were always as described here. FWIW mine was regularly out in torrential rain so I don't believe the waterproofing issues. I'm sure there are other causes of this behaviour, but replace both the plug and the socket before investigating any further.

Many thanks.
I'll replace both.

 

[bromej]

My Simrad TP10 tillerpilot has developed a mysterious fault over the last year or two. By way of background, it is about 6 years old, but is very lightly used and has never been exposed to heavy rain. It was installed professionally and when in use is plugged into a professionally installed 12v socket. All my other navigation instruments and electrics work as they should.
In use, it always works normally for an hour or two, holding course and responding to course adjustments as it should, but then without warning loses the plot and makes a large course adjustment.
I have carefully calibrated the compass, as per the Manual, and have been through the troubleshooting guide, also as per the Manual, but none of the faults mentioned seem applicable.
One possible fault mentioned in the troubleshooting guide is "When engaged, the pilot immediately applies a large helm angle and increases course error." The probable cause mentioned by the manual is that it is wrongly configured for port or stbd. This fault is exactly what seems to be happening, but as the pilot works initially I assume this cannot be the cause in my case. For the same reason, I assume the problem cannot be magnetic interference.
Switching it to standby and then back to auto, or even unplugging from power and then reconnecting makes no difference, but it almost always works again if left disconnected until the following day or longer.
I've had it checked and bench tested by a knowledgeable and experienced engineer I trust. He could not reproduce or find any fault and suspected the cause might be an electrical fault on the boat.
I am tempted to give up and buy a new one, but before I do I would be really grateful if anyone can shed any light on what might be causing the problem.
I've searched the forum, but I can't find any thread which deals with this specific issue. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Finally, I must confess that I am an electronic illiterate and so I haven't attempted to "look under the bonnet" of the device!

Since I'm new to this forum, I haven't seen your two year old post but would like to answer it as it may either help you or someone with a similar problem with their TP10 tiller pilot. I'm a licensed electronics engineer and also own a TP10 tiller pilot that I bought used over the internet a few years ago. I too, have experienced similar symptoms with my TP10 as you described above and believe that the problem is not the tiller pilot itself but rather your power source. I still have to confirm my theory but I believe that what may be happening is that you may have a defective battery or an under rated battery that you're using to power the tiller pilot. After an hour or two, your DC power source is no longer able to meet the electrical requirements of the TP10 circuitry and that momentary power interruption, I believe, may be responsible for the TP10 to apply a large helm angle correction. Because the TP10 doesn't completely reset, I believe that in effect you have what I would call a "brown-out". To correct this issue, I suggest you consider either replacing the battery with a more robust battery OR purchasing a second battery to connect in parallel with the one you are currently using. But, I would definitely have the battery you're using checked to make sure that it's working properly. Hope that helps, I would be interested in reading any comments/updates you may have to offer.

 

[sarabande]

So you want to connect a new 'good' battery to one that is flat ?

Your hypothesis that low voltage is the cause of the tiller problem is better served by checking IF and then WHY the service battery is below par, then IF and then WHY the tiller pilot is not receiving its proper voltage and/or current.
When you have put a multimeter on the service battery, and all the way through the supply circuit, switches and plugs, and have found a possible cause for "brown out" and fixed it, you are still left with intermittents, or induced EMF, or failure of the internal circuitry of the tiller pilot itself, as a reason for erratic outputs.

I think you are focusing on one possible but unlikely* simple cause, when there may be several, most of which have been covered in this and other tiller pilot threads.

* Low voltage will be manifest in other symptoms on the boat's services or equipment.

 

[Habebty]

I have 2 TP20s, as a singlehander, they are vital. One is 18 years old and has never given a single problem except sometimes going a bit doolally passing under the 133kv power lines next to the Orwell Bridge. As it was getting on a bit, I invested in a a new TP20 and retired the old one as a spare. The new one has been a bit more erratic in course keeping but seems to have settled down after a compass calibration session. i have never felt the need to adjust the gain on either TP. They have been out in all weathers and sea states and do not appear to have suffered from water ingress.
Do be careful with phones, metal objects, etc. including in the aft cabin under the TP.

 

[richard77777]

Since I'm new to this forum, I haven't seen your two year old post but would like to answer it as it may either help you or someone with a similar problem with their TP10 tiller pilot. I'm a licensed electronics engineer and also own a TP10 tiller pilot that I bought used over the internet a few years ago. I too, have experienced similar symptoms with my TP10 as you described above and believe that the problem is not the tiller pilot itself but rather your power source. I still have to confirm my theory but I believe that what may be happening is that you may have a defective battery or an under rated battery that you're using to power the tiller pilot. After an hour or two, your DC power source is no longer able to meet the electrical requirements of the TP10 circuitry and that momentary power interruption, I believe, may be responsible for the TP10 to apply a large helm angle correction. Because the TP10 doesn't completely reset, I believe that in effect you have what I would call a "brown-out". To correct this issue, I suggest you consider either replacing the battery with a more robust battery OR purchasing a second battery to connect in parallel with the one you are currently using. But, I would definitely have the battery you're using checked to make sure that it's working properly. Hope that helps, I would be interested in reading any comments/updates you may have to offer.

Thank you for your reply.
I've recently sold the boat, so I can't now check if it was a battery problem, but I couldn't find a fault with either battery at the time.
In the end I gave up and bought a new TP10, which worked perfectly and gave no problems.
The fault with the old one unfortunately remains a mystery.