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Post by hoppy on Jan 15, 2015 18:57:58 GMT
As you should all be aware, electronic stuff does tend to eventually die and I suppose unlike mechanical equipment it's very difficult to see that it might be on it's last legs ( I assume) So as I am mostly solo and i want to get a bit more adventurous than day sails between islands, one thing I have been thinking about is whether I should upgrade my Raymarine autohelm in the hope a new unit would be less likely to fail. As my existing AP still work, it occurred to me that I should leave it installed as is as a backup. I think all I need to do is change the way my ST60 instruments are powered (from STng rather than the AP) and wire up both AP controllers so the backup can't be accidentally turned on to avoid confusion being caused. Maybe it is even possible to mount the 2nd drive unit to the quadrant (I need to look at that) Anyone thought of doing this ?? I'm not particularly interested in going down the windvane route in case anyone is wondering.  |
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Post by sailbleu on Jan 16, 2015 5:20:18 GMT
It is my believe that if and when the autopilot fails , it's 80% chance the drive unit is the culprit. First thing to look for is the carbon brushes. Having spares on board is not unneccesary ( double negative = positive , so get some on board  Will your unit fail one day  Probably yes , but for me that would not be a reason to install a spare. There's always the manual steering , the emergency tiller to get you to the nearest port. Regards |
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Post by hoppy on Jan 16, 2015 9:00:14 GMT
I'm not looking at installing a spare. Just upgrading to the latest and greatest that is not 12 years old, just in the same way I'm upgrading the nav station GPS and how I'll probably replace the standing rigging at some point soon. It's just in the case of the AP, I'll leave the old unit installed and decommissioned I'm also more thinking "mid-atlantic" were there re no ports to divert to... So this is a what if... dreaming thread, not an imminent purchase/install thread |
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Post by On y va on Jan 16, 2015 22:31:07 GMT
So far since 1999 all that failed on me, was the corepack. I had the older Autohelm Type 100, which I replaced with a eBay used SG1 unit, which luckily I already purchased before the Type 100 failed on me.
I have two ST6002 control units (at either steering wheel) and a ST remote control.
The Lecomble & Schmitt hydraulic arm and pump-unit is still going strong, although I did purchase the spares kit, which came in a cute blue plastic mini suitcase. I have changed the brushes on the electric motor twice now, since 1999. The last time (2014) wasn´t really necessary, as I initially thought the brushes failed, but it was in fact the Autohelm Type 100 course computer (as it is officially called).
I would buy the Lecomble & Schmitt unit again. It is quite a bit cheaper than the Raymarine units and to me it looks much more robust and up to the job. Raymarine is good, but does come at a price.
For my trip I was considering getting a second L&S set and keep the old one as spare......but then I thought a Hydrovane windpilot would be the best way forward. So I installed a Hydrovane. I will however, change the hydraulic hoses on the hydraulic pack before setting off.
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Post by hoppy on Jan 17, 2015 0:24:58 GMT
I have just the one ST6002 and have the remote with it's mount by the port helm, so if it's charged and in place both helms are covered. Just been looking at the L&S but can't find any pricing  |
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Post by On y va on Jan 17, 2015 11:49:46 GMT
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Post by rxc on Jan 17, 2015 15:53:34 GMT
Our corepack failed during a transit of Loch Ness, and we had to hand steer for 2 weeks while it was being repaired. Not pleasant, but at least not a failure out in the middle of a long passage. I think I may have the linear unit serviced/inspected some time soon. 10 years is a long time for something like this, and I think I can hear a mechanical noise coming out of it.
For spares, maybe you should go with backup units that will just drop in place, so-to-speak, and which you can swap periodically - say every year - to make sure they work. I keep thinking about how my liferaft would not have held air when it was needed.
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Probably yes , but for me that would not be a reason to install a spare.
