Yacht Sentinel Problems

emandvee44

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Anyone experienced with Yacht Sentinel Systems?

Returned to the boat a few days ago and apart from the main battery bank problems to deal with, I decided to have a go at fixing the yacht sentinel security system, which had not been working for many months after I let the sim card lapse, and with the dead house bank the internal battery had run down. The unit is of about 2011 vintage.

I bought a new sim card and installed it but could not get the system to lock on or even charge up. I opened the unit (it is a snap together plastic box), and immediately noticed that the battery was swollen (see pic.) and it should be flat.

The book (yes I did read it) seems to say that the unit will not work unless the internal battery is operational.

Switching on the unit I can get to the “the yacht sentinel is not registered in the GSM network” – 3 red flashes. Also it alternates to long slow flashing – “ the internal battery of the unit is in a low voltage state and it should be loaded by connecting the external power supply (boat 12v). The GSM module cannot be used in this state”

I e-mailed Yacht Sentinel and they replied promptly and were very helpful – sort of.

Here is what they said:-
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What does your battery look like, has it become puffy and inflated?

When this issue usually occurs it is usually accompanied by a firmware failure. Usually, it just requires a new battery and a fresh installation of the firmware. This doesn’t 100% of the time solve the issue and it could also be that the unit is just old and has stopped working.

I don’t know the specifics of what battery it needs to take and if a 1500Mah battery would work or not as we don't offer support for this product anymore so this is something I will need to get back to you on.

Understand this product has been working well for you for many years however, I would strongly advise that now is the time to update your boat security and monitoring system. As you are an existing Yacht Sentinel user we can offer you a 10% discount on the YS6. Please have a look here. It is a wireless system and requires no SIM card and you will have no added cost for 2 years. Thereafter only £50 a year for the data cost. If you do have any further questions do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Yacht Sentinel Team
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My battery is puffed up as described by YS.

Does the panel think that installing a new battery is worthwhile – it is about 10€? Note above that they mentioned that they did not know if a 1500mAh would work – I suggested that size because I could not find 1350mAh on line

Another question, how do I identify the plug connection to the pcb; many of the batteries available on line have a choice of plug size? Mine seems to be 6.0mm across the plug and socket

Not sure how I would get new firmware installed?

Apologies for all the questions – any help appreciated.

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Thanks20200627_111016.jpg20200630_100024.jpg20200630_100313.jpg, M
 
I have the same unit with similar problems and gave up with it. The battery still seemed to function and I have a 4G dongle with a similar swollen battery and it still works. I bought parts and might well create my own from scratch as a small project. However, you could check out Boat Vitals which used to be very cheap and probably 20% of cheapest YS6 option. Vasko might have increased his charges but I haven't checked for ages. It seemed to fit the bill.
 
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No idea about the specifics of the software but a 1500mAh battery will work exactly the same. Just cut off the existing cables from the old battery and resolder to the new battery So you can use the old connector. 5 minute job
 
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