I have a '93 OC400. Recently purchased an Autohelm 7000+ autopilot contol head to replace the 7000 that was not functioning when I bought the boat. Worked fine for a while, but recently stopped working and giving the "seatalk failure" error code. I have new st60 wind, speed, and depth instruments. I checked the seatalk wire connections on each and they appeared fine. Checked connections at the type 300 course computer and they appeared fine. The gps is an old autohelm st50 that is probably original to thre boat. Faded screen, hard to read, etc. It appears that the gps may not be functioning. It does power on, but it just says "lat -" for latitude, with no value/degree stated for latitude, and the same for longitude, just says "long - ". So my question is, would a malfunctioning gps cause the st7000+ to give the seatalk failure error code, i.e., is the gps the reason the autopilot is not working?
Autopilot/seatalk/gps
- Thread starter rdees
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It might be a cause. bypass it, and see if the autopilot functions. Seatalk more or less daisy chains everything and depending on where the gps resides in the chain, it could be the culprit. Double check all of your connections.Just because they look good does not always mean they are. Also, I would think that there should be a separate power source for the autopilot and that it and the instruments should work independently.
Electrical Diagnoses over the internet is difficult.
The ST7000+ control head connects to the course computer through the SeaTalk connection. The course computer has the Gyro,Fluxgate Compass, and Rudder sensor connected to it, as well as power.
The GPS goes to the ST50 and is not part of the autopilot system.
If you disconnect the Seatalk connection that goes to the ST7000+ from the ST50 , your St7000+ autopilot should work all by itself. The St50 may go dark depending how power is being supplied. Usually power is transmitted through the Seatalk buss.
What is the error code??
The ST7000+ control head connects to the course computer through the SeaTalk connection. The course computer has the Gyro,Fluxgate Compass, and Rudder sensor connected to it, as well as power.
The GPS goes to the ST50 and is not part of the autopilot system.
If you disconnect the Seatalk connection that goes to the ST7000+ from the ST50 , your St7000+ autopilot should work all by itself. The St50 may go dark depending how power is being supplied. Usually power is transmitted through the Seatalk buss.
What is the error code??
Thanks. the only error code is "seatalk failure".
This is the description in the manual:
This is the description in the manual:
SeaTalk Failure
SEATALK
alternating with FAILURE
This silent alarm indicates that the SeaTalk bus is not operating
correctly. Can only be cleared by rectifying the fault.If the work suggested in the previous post doesn't work call ray marine tech service. I have found them to be very helpful.
I had a similar problem last summer. No auto pilot and a Seatalk failure on the AP screen. I spent the better part of a day trouble shooting and ultimately narrowed it down to the GPS antenna (Raystar 125). If you go to the Raymarine website they have a Q & A section to assist in troubleshooting.
http://raymarine.com/knowledgebase/index.cfm
I replaced it with the newer Raystar 130 and also had to use the Seatalk to Seatalk ng converter. I had the system back up & running in a morning once I got the new parts.
Good Luck
DH
http://raymarine.com/knowledgebase/index.cfm
I replaced it with the newer Raystar 130 and also had to use the Seatalk to Seatalk ng converter. I had the system back up & running in a morning once I got the new parts.
Good Luck
DH
I have a Beneteau 373 that is outfitted with the same equipment. I too had the same message a couple of months ago. Prior to purchasing my boat, it was in salt water, but she is now in a fresh water lake. To rectify the problem, I applied dielectric grease to the electrical junction unit where the seatalk connections are plugged in. I haven't had any more error codes.
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