[C320-list] Repairs for Legacy Autopilots

[Robert Sloat]

Warren-On my hull 894 (2002), the Sea Talk cables are daisy chained and a faulty main processor in the autopilot instrument caused interference with the true wind reading on the wind instrument.   Numerous times over a week of sailing when the autopilot Sea Talk cables were disconnected from the other instruments, true wind was displayed.   When the autopilot was connected via Sea Talk, no true wind reading was available, so there was a correlation.   I bet on it as a causation also.  The ST 4000 + will control the boat heading to apparent wind angle as an option so there is some interplay between the wind instrument and the autopilot and the faulty main processor in the autopilot must have been the reason for no true wind.  Anyway, the autopilot is working and true wind is available again.

On Aug 9, 2014, at 1:02 PM, Warren <wupdike at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Bob, true wind is only available with a good speed through the water (STW) 
> signal from the speed transducer that connects into the speed display. From 
> there, the STW is output to the Sea Talk network in Sea Talk protocol. When 
> that is available and there is a wind speed from the masthead transducer 
> the wind instrument can calculate true wind. I'm not sure the autopilot, 
> working or not, should have any affect on the wind instrument. There really 
> isn't any "main processor" in the ST50/60 Sea Talk system. 
> 
> On Thursday, August 7, 2014 10:02:04 PM UTC-4, Robert Sloat wrote:
>> 
>> Rod-If you can’t get the autopilot into calibration mode, then you may 
>> have a problem with the control head.  Mine would not respond to any input 
>> and also gave the dreaded STLK FAIL message.  Even when the autopilot was 
>> on with the error message, you could not get true wind on the wind 
>> instrument.  The main processor interfered with the wind instrument.  When 
>> the autopilot was depowered and all Seatalk cables disconnected from it did 
>> the wind instrument work fine.  The fluxgate compass inputs to the 
>> autopilot were on spec so the diagnosis was a faulty autopilot.  I don’t 
>> have the autopilot settings for C320s handy but they have been floated 
>> around over the last year and may be on the C320 site archives.  Sometimes 
>> the fluxgate compass can cause troubles for the autopilot.  There are spec 
>> resistance settings for the various fluxgate connections.  Again I don’t 
>> have those handy but did find them on Raymarine support. 
>> 
>> On Aug 7, 2014, at 5:57 PM, Rod Boer <rod.boer1 at verizon.net> wrote: 
>> 
>>> Hi Bob, 
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the timely information.  I am having problems with 
>> calibrating 
>>> "Audrey", which is my affectionate name for the auto pilot when she is 
>>> operating properly.  I will contact Dan and see if it needs service or 
>> if 
>>> there is a way to get everything working by a pressing and ordered 
>> sequence 
>>> of buttons. Thanks again. 
>>> 
>>> Rod 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message----- 
>>> From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On 
>> Behalf 
>>> Of Robert Sloat 
>>> Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2014 12:09 PM 
>>> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com 
>>> Subject: [C320-list] Repairs for Legacy Autopilots 
>>> 
>>> Mates-I just had my ST 4000+ wheel autopilot  control head which 
>> Raymarine 
>>> no longer services repaired by Dan Gerhardt who was mentioned a few 
>> months 
>>> ago by a fellow C320 owner on this site. Costs vary with the amount of 
>> work 
>>> and my repair was a lot less than what Raymarine charged the last time 
>> this 
>>> unit was repaired 6 years ago.  He turned it around in a few days and it 
>> is 
>>> running fine with all the original settings intact.  His contact info is 
>>> c250 at mydurango.net.  He is out of that great sailing community of 
>> Durango 
>>> CO!  He also buys and sells autopilots and services autopilots from 
>>> Raymarine, Raytheon and Autohelm. He told me he has done other 
>> instrument 
>>> repair but with varied success.  Advise dropping him a note if you have 
>> an 
>>> autopilot repair need for cost and shipping information.  I don't know 
>> if he 
>>> does autopilot repairs for units that Raymarine still services.   
>>> 
>>> I am not Gerhardt's agent nor is he related.  I am just delighted to get 
>> the 
>>> repair done quickly in the middle of the season and saving me a lot of 
>> angst 
>>> over spending a lot of money for an upgrade replacement and the hassle 
>> of 
>>> installation a control computer along with the instrument display or 
>> taking 
>>> a chance on buying a used control head over eBay..   
>>> 
>>> If your legacy autopilot control head breaks down, the alternative if 
>> you 
>>> cant't get it repaired could be well over a $1000 for a new display and 
>>> control computer or looking on eBay for a used control head which would 
>> be 
>>> cheaper.  Most of the ST 4000 + control heads on eBay when I last looked 
>>> were used and cost well over twice my $150 repair cost which included 
>>> including return shipping if prepaid.  While the upgraded Raymarine 
>>> autopilot is very good looking, it doesn't match the 2002 area ST60 + 
>>> instruments I have on the Nav Pod. 
>>> 
>>> One thing I learned about the Raymarine ST 4000+ is that both the 
>> display 
>>> and the control computer are in the control head which is the instrument 
>>> itself.  This apparently was a poor design as this is the second time it 
>> has 
>>> been repaired over 13 seasons.  STKL FAIL error message is bad news on 
>> the 
>>> instrument.  The newer wheel autopilots have a separate instrument and 
>>> course computer, the latter installed some where else on the boat. And 
>> you 
>>> might have to get a separate drive motor which may not be a direct 
>>> replacement for the drive motor for the 4000 + possibly requiring more 
>> holes 
>>> to drill in the Edson pedestal and maybe moving the engine instrument 
>> box a 
>>> little. 
>>> 
>>> Bob Sloat 
>>> Savannah 894 (2002) 
>>> Waukegan Harbor, IL 
>>> 
>> 
>> Bob Sloat 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 

Bob Sloat
Savannah 894 (2002)
Waukegan Harbor, IL