Tlller pilot problem solved

oldharry

oldharry

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Several years ago I invested in a new Tp2000. It never worked properly under power, never holding a course exactly for more than a few minutes before wandering off. Raymarine checked it and could find no fault.

Last thursday summer happened here in Chi and a lovely warm afternoon with high tide tore me away from the BORG computer...

With AH wandering as usual we pursued an erratic course down to E Head. Suddenly Spin straigbtened up and held a ruler straight course. My discarded jacket was lying across the AH. I removed it and immediately back to our erratic ways!

Wrapping a towel round the mount produced the same effect. Evidently prop wash causes just enough vibration
to upset the compass sensor and cause erratic course keeping, although there is no sign of it in the unit.

Now it just needs to stop raining.....
 
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Old Harry,

very interesting; my Autohelm 2000 seemed vague this year on the only trip I've managed so far, and the auto bits were when motoring; must try this if ever off the mooring again before lift-out, Ta !
 
djbreeze said:
Is it a TP20 (Simrad) or an Autohelm 2000 (Raymarine)?
Click to expand...

Oops - shows how often I have been out this year - Its the Raymarine AH2000. Went for teh bigger one because it responds more quickly and Spin is very light on the helm. The slower ones couldn't keep up.

DaveS - yes there is a little movement, as I used the original mount which could be as much as 20 years old. Thats set me wondering whether to replace the socket. I will put a micrometer on it sometime to see if it is badly worn. Easier long term if it can be damped with a new socket. There isnt a lot of vibration, and putting my hand on the unit under way, I can feel very little which was why I had originally discounted that as the cause.. There must be just enough at the right frequency to make the compass 'dance'.
 
oldharry said:
Oops - shows how often I have been out this year - Its the Raymarine AH2000. Went for teh bigger one because it responds more quickly and Spin is very light on the helm. The slower ones couldn't keep up.

DaveS - yes there is a little movement, as I used the original mount which could be as much as 20 years old. Thats set me wondering whether to replace the socket. I will put a micrometer on it sometime to see if it is badly worn. Easier long term if it can be damped with a new socket. There isnt a lot of vibration, and putting my hand on the unit under way, I can feel very little which was why I had originally discounted that as the cause.. There must be just enough at the right frequency to make the compass 'dance'.
Click to expand...

thanks for sharing that. My Navico exhibits the exact same characteristics on occasions (under engine only).:)
 
Actually went out yesterday for a sail: It is a Raymarine TP2000+, and there is quite a bit of movement on the mounting pin, partly because the old socket is only about half the depth the new pin needs. Off to the swindlery to see if I can get a replacement, and see what difference it makes.
 
OldHarry,

thanks but are you sure about the 'TP' ? I have an autohelm 2000+ also, but don't remember that bit, always thought TP was Simrad kit.

Either way I'm looking forward to trying your cure, if I ever get to make a longer passage than 100 yards changing moorings this season - grabbed a good weekend in May and got to East Cowes & back, seems like looking back on the Apollo missions compared to the weeks & months since !
 
oldharry said:
Oops - shows how often I have been out this year - Its the Raymarine AH2000. Went for teh bigger one because it responds more quickly and Spin is very light on the helm. The slower ones couldn't keep up.

DaveS - yes there is a little movement, as I used the original mount which could be as much as 20 years old. Thats set me wondering whether to replace the socket. I will put a micrometer on it sometime to see if it is badly worn. Easier long term if it can be damped with a new socket. There isnt a lot of vibration, and putting my hand on the unit under way, I can feel very little which was why I had originally discounted that as the cause.. There must be just enough at the right frequency to make the compass 'dance'.
Click to expand...

I'm in the process of machining new sockets and stuff for our tiller pilot. Let me know if I can help, think of it as a Thank You for Studland :)
 
My autohelm mounting pin went into an ally alloy "pedestal" adaptor screwed into a plate mounted on a seat. I've never really liked the stainless / ally interface, and I've been very aware that if the little ally lump were ever to go overboard I would be in trouble. A spare pedestal from Raymarine costs a ridiculous amount. The thread in the mounting plate is, however, standard BSP, so for the last year or so I now use a Screwfix plumbing fitting (c. 90p IIRC) which holds a phosphor bronze cylinder with a hole bored in it to exactly fit the autohelm mounting pin. A much nicer interface, and I keep the ally block as a spare.
 
I have started using the new Ramarine ST 2000 which I bought last oct.
I havent spent any time setting it up or callibrating etc, just hold course for few seconds and hit auto, it gradually goes off course always to sb which I guess is due to the prop walk.
Is there anything I can do to correct this?
C_W
 
Clyde_Wanderer said:
I have started using the new Ramarine ST 2000 which I bought last oct.
I havent spent any time setting it up or callibrating etc, just hold course for few seconds and hit auto, it gradually goes off course always to sb which I guess is due to the prop walk.
Is there anything I can do to correct this?
C_W
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, after you press auto does the course drift off by a number of degrees then stay roughly the same, or does the error continue to increase? If the former then it should be easy to correct - just hit -10 or -1 to correct. I find I nearly always have to tweak the course slightly after setting it. If it's the latter then something's wrong: could there be anything magnetic close by - a loudspeaker, say?
 
DaveS said:
Just to be clear, after you press auto does the course drift off by a number of degrees then stay roughly the same, or does the error continue to increase? If the former then it should be easy to correct - just hit -10 or -1 to correct. I find I nearly always have to tweak the course slightly after setting it. If it's the latter then something's wrong: could there be anything magnetic close by - a loudspeaker, say?
Click to expand...

DaveS,

I agree, I usually end up doing some minor tweaks after pressing auto to get the boat really settled on the desired course.

It certainly shouldn't be prop-walk, the thing should sense the boat going off the selected 'auto' course and correct it, if there is prop walk a correctly functioning autohelm would maybe take 10-20 seconds to work it out, then just trundle along with the tiller pushed or pulled over a bit.
 
Thanks guys for the tips.
I used it fri eve, as usual hold course for a few secs then hit auto, it did seem to drift a few deg to sb but then appeared to hold the course well.
I did feel on other trips that it very gradually wandered off a few deg to sb and had to be corrected using the - button regurarly to keep on the correct heading. nothing unusual that would cause any interference unless the ships that we passed at Hunterston coal terminal at a distance of 50-80mtr had an effect on it:confused:
C_W
 
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