AP ST4000MKII behave funny

[Ken13559]

Sometime my Raymarine Autopilot ST4000MKII behaves funny when I put it to AUTO and I step away from the helm, the AP starts to turn as if someone punch in +180 to the controller. It happens in Wind as well as Auto mode. It doesn't happen all the time. It somehow happens only to me. Maybe my body is high in iron or high in static charge???

 

[Sailm8]

I hope someone has an answer because mine does the same. We call it a "Crazy Ivan" I have adjusted the sailing parameters to everything I can think of but it still wanders when you set a course. It seems to, over the space of an hour, increase its oscillation from side to side regardless of the sea state or wind. Sailing downwind, forget it.

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

I had (and cured) the same problem as the original poster.

In my case, one of the spade connectors from the fluxgate compass was not properly seated on the computer/display head.

Only creates what amounts to a 1-bit error in the heading. Unfortunately, it's the sign bit

Fair winds,
Al - s/v Persephone

 

[Don12364]

Me Too - But I (now) know why

My boat occasionally tries to make a 90° turn to starboard.
Took me ages to realise this only happened when the Admiral was down below and decided to call up her friends on the VHF.
Her name is Josephine - we promptly renamed her Josephone!
It also happened once when I was passing close to a ship which was moored in the mouth of a harbour.

I figure the radio energy gets into the pilot's wiring loom, probably up at the masthead, and is rectified by semiconductors in the compass circuit to produce a DC level which the pilot takes as a course change.

 

[Cayennita]

Try measuring the voltage when using other on board equipment. I had to make a short direct hook up with a breaker from the batteries to the box. It solved my problem. I was showing low voltage and the autopilot that we call Raymundo would get lazy and turn 90 degrees.

 

[John]

Mine did that on one occasion. It was when I was under sail. The next time I started to go out, I found that my batteries were dead. I figured maybe the low batteries had something to do with what happened with the auto pilot.

 

[Ron Roman]

I was having the same problems with my boat and found out my autopilot didn't
have an rudder sensor (it's an option), after I had one installed my problem went away. The part cost $175.00 four years ago. I got the part from Hunter.

 

[Benny]

Have heard that Raymarine recommends the installation of a rudder position sensor to prevent those problems. The newer models incorporate their use and will not work without them.

 

[mcaswell]

Just a heads-up if you do add the rudder position sensor. Both of the times that I installed it (on current boat, and former boat), it was not initially recognized by the ST4000 head unit. According to Raymarine, the head unit needs to be "reset" by switching it to tiller mode, then back to wheel mode in order for the rudder position sensor to be seen.

--Michael

 

[steves22278]

I had the same problem a few years ago on my 2003 H356. Local shop suggested that I install the rudder position sensor. Before doing that, I called Raymarine and spoke to a tech support person. He suggested that I use a different set of inputs to program the unit. I used the values he recommended and the unit has worked fine ever since without a rudder position sensor. Unfortunately, I don't remember the new values but he called them something like the "Catalina Cocktail". The problem, he said, was that some of the newer generation boats are too sensitive to control inputs (wind, wave, or skipper) and the autopilot freaks out.

 

[Ken13559]

I've had "Catalina Cocktail" settings until I installed a rudder sensor. I suppose EMC from some large power eqpt might be a problem sometime but I guess most ime, the problem is probably within from my boat. I'll check the connectors behind the Control Head. Battery is good. Thanks for all inputs.

Al, I guess mine has the bit sign wrong on ocassion as well.

 

[AXEL]

I have the rudder sensor and my AP did the same. I cleaned all the terminal lugs to the AP controller and the problem went away. I've seen this before with other peoples AP with and without rudder sensor. Same fix. Good luck

 

[Capt. Kermie]

I have the ST4000 MKII+ and my rudder sensor worked from the get go, but I also did something else for the 180. The best position for my fluxgate was right at the bottom of the companionway ladder, but I was worried about catching my heel on it coming down the ladder. Since there was a storage space behind the fiberglass at the ladder bottom where it was bolted, I decided to install the fluxgate on the back side facing aft, but of course that would have reversed all my bearings, so I took the boat out on the sea trial to turn the compass and I corrected for 180 degrees thereby resetting the N-E-W-S bearings to their proper points. Now the fluxgate works like it is supposed to even though I installed it backwards. Does this sound logical?