Raymarine autopilot upgrade question

[DougM]

This is just an exploratory question.
I have a Raymarine ST6001 hydraulic autopilot that seems to be getting wonky, and not maintaining a heading.
The hydraulic pump itself seems to be functioning normally.
I have not yet done the obvious step yet of calibration.
I know the rudder position sensor is working.
I am not sure about the fluxgate compass, other than there isn’t any metal around it other than what has been in the vicinity for the last 16 years.
The control head is working and communicating with my eS75 MFD which is bridged through a Seatalk nG system to the other ST60 instruments on the pod
I am wondering if the course computer is finally packing it in and needs to be replaced.
The question:
Has anyone done a replacement system that. did not include the replacement of the hydraulic system itself, and if so how was it accomplished?

 

[dlochner]

Doug, I did just that with a B&G system.

Most, if not all, below decks AP systems are agnostic about the drive unit. The other parts of the system are more critical as some parts may use proprietary information.

When I replaced my system, I ripped everything out except the drive unit and installed as new. The old system was a very early NMEA 0183 system that would not translate to NMEA 2000. The system has worked well for several years.

The drive unit likely has 2 wires, when current is applied in one direction the pump pumps in one direction, reverse the current and the pump reverses direction. In the B&G system there are 2 models, the main difference is the amount of current the computer can handle, RM may have similar limitations.

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

Replaced older Raymarine autopilot with new "Evolution" system. Works well and was easy to install. Was able to continue to use old drive unit, control head and interfaces with old chartplotter.

 

[jssailem]

If you plan to keep the same system (Raymarine) then you may use the rest of your displays and replace fewer parts. There may be savings in this process. With most below deck systems 50% of the cost is in the install and hardware that drives the rudder.

The new Raymarine sensor/control unit and software has really improved over the fulxgate compass and controller of 10 years ago. More accurate, and with less need to constantly recalibrate.