wheelpilot W 5000 wanderings .....

[grafozz]

our last 2 sails have been led astray by the wheelpilots fantasies about where it wanted to go , only it was not inline with where we wanted ... so when it is activated with the set / auto button ,it thinks a while, then rotates continuosly in one direction or the other , frustrating . I have opened up the compass /control unit and carefully cleaned it , also cleaned and lubricated the plug pins , but no changes , as yet . does anyone have any ideas about further tests I can carry out ,please ? .

 

[billmacfarlane]

Are you getting correct compass readings on the control unit ?

 

[grafozz]

Thanks, but how do I find out if the readings are correct , theres no actual display ?
it just switches on auto or standby .

 

[Otter]

Have you installed any ferrous items nearby? Drove us mad with the same symptoms as yours two years ago until I remembered we'd put a speaker in the cabin on the other side of the bulkhead. Try moving the compass head unit to a different location.

 

[grafozz]

Simon , thanks I have also discovered the magnetic feild influence from a cockpit speaker , it was amazing the difference of position the speaker on the a/p . alas that was 2 years ago and the speaker was moved , which fixed the problem . This must be something different , still no joy .....

 

[alahol2]

I've just been reading a tillerpilot service manual that talks about a Hall effect PCB which reads a couple of magnets on one of the internal cogs. Basically says that when the unit gets hot, the magnets that it is reading lose magnetism and the reading fails. The PCB has to be within .7mm of the magnets to work correctly. Don't know if the same applies to a WP5000 but it may be worth a look.