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Autohelm 7000 dropping out


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Same bro same yatch same turkey. He fitted new head for autopilot (raymarine) and set up according to manual. System drops out from time to time for no apparent reason. Any ideas? Cheers

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Mmm, Ive got the same problem with a 6000+ running through an old 100/300 course computer to a linear drive. It cuts out after approx 8 hours of continuous running, whilst motoring. I was going to replace the aging course computer because the head unit is new, i cant figure out what else it could be. What course computer are you using?

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...what do you mean by dropping out ?

what does the display show after it happens ?

Do you have a fluxgate compass hooked in ?

 

tuffy...the raymarine gear usualy has a feed back system that detects if the motor is working too hard. Older motors (or new if they are working hard) build up heat, which reduces their efficency requiring more current and then cause the unit to go into overload mode.

 

A clue is if you are going down wind and the linea actuator (or belt drive system) is constantly working to correct course.....and then it trips.

 

This will happen even with a brand new system and is designed to protect the motor and force you to re balance the sail plan or sail more off the wind.

 

There is a further point at which the display will say that the drive has failed....

 

Having had a motor burn out on a night that I would rather it didnt, I have learnt a thing or two about the raymarine systems. (I have also had raymarine tiller pilots...and some interesting discusions with raymarine techs about the soft ware)

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TL, that certainly does sound like a problem inside the Unit.

 

Yeah, that was my thinking as well. Nothing else seems to make sence. Idler's point would be valid except we were motoring in a straight line in glassy conditions hence the drive unit wasnt doing much. The AP has cut out (or should i say, switched from 'auto' to 'standby') in the same manner with the old head unit and now the new one and all the wiring is new.

 

Damn 'lectronics !

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Thanks guys. Suspect it might be wiring issue. Wires lead through hole cut in stainless pipe. Will look there first for chafing.Off next month for 5 weeks so plenty of time to chase the problem around. Cheers

Guig

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,,,,firstly I am no expert :D

 

If the unit is dropping from auto back to standby...its possibly all the same thing....(wether it is a solder joint, press joint, lose battery connection, or anything else that will drop the voltage to the course computer)....in essence its the same as turning the unit off and then back on. it will start up in standby. The head unit ususaly gets its power from the course computer.

A momentary break in the bus wire between the head and the course units also seems to make it go into standby...

 

Having said all that, I have had a complete failure of a 1000...

I rectifyed it by doing a reboot !!

Yep...there is a series of button presses that will start the 1000 up with a range of differant software !! In my case I started the 1000 up with 2000 software (firmware) and it continued to work for a further few years.

 

What finaly killed it (and was the original problem) is the tiller pilots are simply not that water proof. The O rings on the push rod just couldnt handle serious inundation. The proof was the corrosion inside the unit. Again I brought it back to life by cleaning evreything and respraying it with circuit board water proofing. It worked for a while.

 

As a first port of call, I would always look to a "physical" cause of failure , rather than simply a "computer mallfunction"...

...yes the brains may have failed...but its more likely to be because something has shorted a chip, or similar than the chip itself failing.

 

...but hey....im not an expert.....

 

ps the supply voltage range is 10 to 16 volts....so unless you have huge problems with your battery/charger system supply voltage ........

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