GPS w/ST4000+

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Gregg

Anybody interface a GPS to their Autohelm ST 4000+ autopilot? If so, what GPS are you using and how difficult was it to do? I'm partial to Garmin's products because of prior experience, so I'm thinking a Garmin 162, 182, or maybe a 76S handheld.
 
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nick

290-GPS

I HAVE RL70CRC-PLUS AND DEALER INSTALLED WITH ST4000+ IT WORK'S GREAT THE BOAT ALREADY HAD MOST RAYMARINE ELECTRONIC'S SO I DECIDED TO STAY WITH RAY MARINE , IT WAS TOP OF THE LINE AND WAS HIGH PRICED BUT,I GOT A BIG DISCOUNT AND NO TAX AT BOAT SHOW ,DEALER INSTALLED NO CHARGE,WORK'S GREAT WITH C-MAP CHIP FOR PECONIC BAY, MUCH MORE TO WATCH OUT FOR ALMOST LIKE SOUTH SHORE WITH LOW WATER AND TIDE CHANGE, STILL LEARNING HOW TO USE IT ,JUST GOT BOAT DELIVERED LAST WEEK.
 
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Brent Headberg

ST4000 Malfunction

I saw your post about connecting GPS to Autopilot and I'm thinking about doing the same thing. I have a Garmin 120, an older GPS and have had it hooked up to a laptop and NavTrek charting software and it worked fine. As long as the GPS you choose has NMEA format, you shouldn't have a problem. My problem is not GPS related, but I wanted to post it here anyway. Yesterday when I was out sailing and engaged my ST4000, after 30 seconds or so the screen displayed "LOW BATTERY". The batteries in my boat aren't new, and maybe they're a bit weak, but I was running the engine and my volt meter indicated 13.9 volts as it usually does when the engine is running. Just wondering if anybody has seen this message on their ST4000 display. The manual doesn't mention that message. Also, the motor drive on the wheel does not function. I checked the voltage at the motor drive and it shows low voltage when in standby mode but drops real low when engaging the Auto mode. Any help? Cap'n Brent S/V Elena Lua 1990 Hunter 335
 
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Gene

Here's the fix for Brent

If the voltage at the Autohelm is low, but the voltage at the battery is ok, then you have a voltage drop caused by either wire that's inadequate, or bad connections. If it used to work, then the wire gauge and length are not the problem. What you have is corrosion on a connection somewhere. The power comes from the battery, through a switch on your panel (I hope!) and then through a fuse (I hope!) to the Autohelm. Somewhere along that path, you have a connection that's gone bad. However, also check your ground lead. A bad connection there will have exactly the same effect as a bad connection in the power lead. Get an automotive jumper cable. Hook it to your battery and then take the other leads and your volt meter out to your autopilot head. Just be careful not to let the two leads touch! Check the voltage between the negative lead of the jumper cable and the ground at the autopilot. There should be no voltage. If there is, then the voltage drop is in the ground lead. Then check the voltage from the positive jumper cable to the positive lead at the autopilot. Again, there should be no voltage. If there is, then the voltage drop is in the positive lead. Whichever has the drop has the corroded connection.
 
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Brent Headberg

Thanks for your reply

Thanks Gene for your reply. I poked around yesterday under the hood and checked all the connections to the ST4000 control head with a volt meter. I get a good 12.4 volts power "to the instrument", but the voltage reads very low, like 4.5 volts at the drive motor connection in standby mode. Then when I go to AUTO mode the voltage drops to about 1.5 volts. If I'm getting good voltage going into the control head and not out to the drive motor, isn't there something wrong in the control head?
 
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Gene

Same fix for Brent

No, Brent. The voltage drop is a function of resistance and current. The motor draws more current when engaged than when in standby. So if you have resistance in your wires or connections, when you attempt to draw more current, you'll get more voltage loss. And 12.4 volts at the control unit is not "good" if you have 13.6 at the battery! The control unit draws very little current, so dropping over a volt with miniscule current draw means you have substantial resistance between the battery and the autopilot. The motor draws a lot more current, so there's a lot more drop. Now, if you disconnect the autopilot and just measure the voltage at the wires, you'll get a good voltage. Does that mean the control unit is the culprit? No. It means that now you are drawing no current, so you have what's known as "open circuit voltage". No current, no voltage drop. You get the voltage of the source (13.6 or so). Put anything across the wires, though, that draws current, and your voltage drops. That shows resistance in the lines. If you had good wires and connections, the drop would probably be unmeasurable. Trust me on this one - I used to be an electrical engineering professor. This sounds like you have a bad wiring run / connection problem. Did you use marine-grade wire and connectors when you installed it? Check all the splices and connections - you have a bad run somewhere. Describe your wiring run. And remember, check the ground return as well. The jumper cable test I described earlier will prove it.
 
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Brent Headberg

ST4000 Voltage Drop

Gene, I am going to take your advise and do a complete inspection of the wiring to the Control Head. I didn't install this unit. As far as I know, it was a dealer installed unit when the boat was commissioned. The voltage drop you describe is probably the culprit. I suspect that my batteries are also weak and could be causing my problem. Even after my engine runs for several hours and I shut down and let the batteries stabilize for a few hours, even days, my voltmeter only reads about 12.2 volts and that indicates only about 50% charge on the scale that's provided on the meter. Do you think weak batteries could cause this? The unit has been working fine up until now. Anxious to hear back from you, Cap'n Brent S/V Elena Lua 1990 Hunter 335
 
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Gene

End the thread

Brent, let's get off this thread and switch to eMail: gbarton@para-sys.com
 
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