Simrad TP22 tiller pilot

[richardtoll]

The push rod on my TP 22 tiller pilot has snapped about 20mm behind the plastic tip. I am not getting anywhere with Simrad's support service. Has anyone experienced a similar failure and found a solution? Apparently Simrad do not offer replacement rods. Could I use the rod from my old TP10?

I have had the broken parts welded together but the weld stands pround and will damage the plastic housing when the rod retracts fully. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?

 

[potentillaCO32]

The push rod on my TP 22 tiller pilot has snapped about 20mm behind the plastic tip. I am not getting anywhere with Simrad's support service. Has anyone experienced a similar failure and found a solution? Apparently Simrad do not offer replacement rods. Could I use the rod from my old TP10?

I have had the broken parts welded together but the weld stands pround and will damage the plastic housing when the rod retracts fully. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?

Dress the weld.

 

[richardtoll]

Dress the weld.

I asked the enginee to do this but he said it would weaken the join too much.

 

[earlybird]

You need to dismantle both the TP22 and TP10 to seeif the rods are interchangable. IIRC the TP10 is a plain screw and the TP22 a ball screw, so interchangability is perhaps unlikely. I would have thought any reasonable depth of weld would be adequate when dressed, but it needs to be well done, preferably turned down in a lathe. I had an extension which screwed on with a fine thread. Try it and see.

 

[andsarkit]

Can you fit a slightly smaller tube inside to reinforce the join then when it is smoothed outside the internal tube will compensate for the loss of strength. The tube could be epoxied in if it is not an exact fit.

 

[garymalmgren]

As Earlybird has suggested, the only way that you will know for sure is to dismantle the TS 2000 and compare the rods.
If they don't match you are out of luck.
Simrad do not supply even the most basic parts (i.e. between cases seal, mother board).
You can try to shop around for a second hand rod, but I was ripped off by a seller and would not recommend that path.

Sorry, but that is the way Simrad and Raymarine do business.

gary

 

[andsarkit]

If you look online you can find the service manual for all variations. It looks like the pushrod part E02522 is common to all varieties. Certainly worth checking if you have a TP10 available.

 

[PabloPicasso]

Try getting a broken TP22, perhaps sold on ebay for parts only?

 

[Refueler]

Parts only TP's do come up on eBay .... if not then maybe :

Cut and insert a threaded plug similar to the rod extensions ..... then just screw on an extension to return all to working ??

 

[DinghyMan]

Cant see the issue with dressing the weld as thats normal practice, just need to make sure the weld prep is deep enough

If you get stuck I'll have a look at it for you

Couldnt it be cut short, threaded, and a standard extension added?

 

[peter gibbs]

The push rod on my TP 22 tiller pilot has snapped about 20mm behind the plastic tip. I am not getting anywhere with Simrad's support service. Has anyone experienced a similar failure and found a solution? Apparently Simrad do not offer replacement rods. Could I use the rod from my old TP10?

I have had the broken parts welded together but the weld stands pround and will damage the plastic housing when the rod retracts fully. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?

I strongly recommend a hydraulics workshop - you will get reasonably priced repairs that work. Unfortunately the major electronics companies have no interest in after sales, but help is at hand.

 

[garymalmgren]

I have had the broken parts welded together but the weld stands pround and will damage the plastic housing when the rod retracts fully. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?

Firstly. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?
Yes. You can make an inward limit microswitch with a diode. You should only need one switch
The Simrads are very tight inside but with a bit of fiddling it can be done in a home workshop.
Here is what I came up with for the Raymarine ST 1000.
Not the same as the Simrad but it will give you some to work with.

Re; the broken parts welded together but the weld stands proud
The problem here is that the ram tube is very thin.
0.7 mm or less.
There is no way that it can be welded or brazed strongly (remember the torque that it is subjected to) enough and then ground back to a mirror finish.
I have to wonder how this was broken off so close to the end.

Gary

 

[Refueler]

I have one reservation about reducing the 'stroke' of the TP ..... most time - the TP is only moving a cm or so - but there are times it needs full stroke such as auto tack ... or if boat hits a big wave and knocked of course ... etc.
Reducing the 'stroke' can then cause the TP to stall too early.

I still think my idea of threaded insert and join extension rod to the old is best way ... then you keep full 'stroke' of the TP.

Just commenting.

 

[DinghyMan]

I have had the broken parts welded together but the weld stands pround and will damage the plastic housing when the rod retracts fully. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?

Firstly. Is it possible to adjust the travel of the rod to avoid this happening?
Yes. You can make an inward limit microswitch with a diode. You should only need one switch
The Simrads are very tight inside but with a bit of fiddling it can be done in a home workshop.
Here is what I came up with for the Raymarine ST 1000.
Not the same as the Simrad but it will give you some to work with.

Re; the broken parts welded together but the weld stands proud
The problem here is that the ram tube is very thin.
0.7 mm or less.
There is no way that it can be welded or brazed strongly (remember the torque that it is subjected to) enough and then ground back to a mirror finish.
I have to wonder how this was broken off so close to the end.

Gary

As Refueler says above - Normal way to repair & extend thin tube is to make an insert, and the repair is easier if its at or close to the end as you can replace the part from the broken part to the end with either a solid section or a thicker wall section

 

[garymalmgren]

A photograph would help sort this out.

Gary

 

[zulloboy]

Re limit switches etc, be aware that the Simrad TP's have built-in over-strokle protection by way of a rotation sensor. When the rod hits the end of its travel, the circuitry will sense the stall and quickly de-energise the motor. After a second or so it will re-energise it and if no rotation is detected it will immediately stop trying. So your failure is unlikely to be due to over-stroking/stalling.

The Raymarines do not have this feature hence the many failures and consequent plethora of DIY limit switches. I modded my ST2000+ this way many years ago and it's worked flawlessly ever since.

Cheers, Graeme

 

[Refueler]

This limit switch matter with RM ... I have three Autohelm TP's .... the AH80 ... AH1000 ... AH2000 ...... the 1000 of course evolved into the ST1000 etc.

Mine have on many occasions over many years hit their max limits and within a short period - have gone to stby ... the units being unmodified - out of box as designed.

I have only had to replace one component on the board of the 1000 and that was due to water got in ... which incidentally I think was my fault.

OK ... IF the TP has cutoff capability when stalled ... why not if all else not followed - fit a ring at the joint that stops the rod at that point ? Let the inbuilt cutoff do the job ?

Still think threaded insert and extension rod is the way to go.