Transducer troubles

[Scott T-Bird]

I called the B & G number but they are closed today inexplicably! I finally networked my chartplotter with new B & G triton displays and new transducers. The DST 810 is a Airmar product. For the first time yesterday, I went sailing with the ducer through the hull. My displays showed no information from the ducer. The day before when I networked everything all components showed up on the chartplotter status "OK".

I sailed for a few hours and when I came back, I found the ducer and the cable very hot (almost too hot to keep my hand on the top of it) and a smell of melting plastic. I shut off the instruments. When it cooled down, I turned instruments on again and it started heating up again.

Something must be shorting but I don't know why that would be just the ducer. The triton display functions ... it just doesn't show any readings from the Airmar ducer. Anybody have any clues? I had to leave so obviously everything is shut down for now.

 

[dlochner]

Sounds like a bad transducer.

 

[jssailem]

My first thought was a failed transducer.
You did not paint the transducer with bottom paint by chance?
Wiring is ok? Not backwards by chance?

Just guesses. Sounds like Tech call is needed to Airmar

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I did call the Airmar number and they indicated there was a bad run of that product. I have to get back to them with the serial number. I should have known yesterday to take that number down, but I was in a hurry to leave. Looks like I have to run that cable thru all the tight spaces again - all the zip ties I'm going through! ... ugh!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Wiring is ok? Not backwards by chance?

What? How can you backwards wire a transducer cable?

Funny you mention that ... When I re-ran the power connector from the autopilot computer to the wheel pilot motor, I couldn't remember which way the blue and orange wires were connected to the back of the computer (they were labeled A & B). When I clipped off the original wire ends, I typically save the tail so I can look later to see how it was done (you can generally tell by the way the individual wires bend and I don't always think to use my phone camera for easy reference). When I went to look for the tail, I could not find it anywhere on the boat so I had to quess - I figured a 50-50 chance. I vaguely remembered that I couldn't correlate "Blue" wire to post "B" so I did the reverse, and it turns out I guessed correctly. Only after my refrigerator stopped working did I find that dang tail! I climbed into the locker to look at the compressor. I didn't find anything by looking at the compressor but I did find that dang tail on the shelf right next to it! Then, I did find out why the fridge wasn't running - the positive lead at the panel had been pulled out when I was fishing the transducer cable through that cavity as the connector was a bit loose. Now that connector has been replaced! Solving mysteries isn't always so easy!

 

[artboas]

I called the B & G number but they are closed today inexplicably! I finally networked my chartplotter with new B & G triton displays and new transducers. The DST 810 is a Airmar product. For the first time yesterday, I went sailing with the ducer through the hull. My displays showed no information from the ducer. The day before when I networked everything all components showed up on the chartplotter status "OK".

I sailed for a few hours and when I came back, I found the ducer and the cable very hot (almost too hot to keep my hand on the top of it) and a smell of melting plastic. I shut off the instruments. When it cooled down, I turned instruments on again and it started heating up again.

Something must be shorting but I don't know why that would be just the ducer. The triton display functions ... it just doesn't show any readings from the Airmar ducer. Anybody have any clues? I had to leave so obviously everything is shut down for now.

your xducer is defective
There is nothing you can do externally, other than wiring it to 120 volts that would cause that.
I’m surprised this didn’t take the n2K bus down..

 

[jssailem]

Solving mysteries isn't always so easy!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

your xducer is defective
There is nothing you can do externally, other than wiring it to 120 volts that would cause that.
I’m surprised this didn’t take the n2K bus down..

Perhaps distance saved the rest? ... the transducer is near the bow and the cable only extends to the galley. The transducer branch cable is the only T-connection other than the terminal at the end of the backbone and a rather long backbone cable to 4 branch connections behind the helm. I didn't find any heat in the backbone cable as far back as the helm.

 

[dlochner]

your xducer is defective
There is nothing you can do externally, other than wiring it to 120 volts that would cause that.
I’m surprised this didn’t take the n2K bus down..

Since the transducer is on a drop cable and not a terminator, when it failed it simply didn't show up on the network. It was not sending any data, so it was invisible and no data passed through the device, so no data was blocked.

How big is the fuse on the power supply to the network? I would have expected the fuse to blow if there was a short in transducer.

When I re-ran the power connector from the autopilot computer to the wheel pilot motor, I couldn't remember which way the blue and orange wires were connected to the back of the computer (they were labeled A & B).

There was a time when Raymarine printed the installation instructions with the cables reversed. Trying calibrate the AP was exciting.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Since the transducer is on a drop cable and not a terminator, when it failed it simply didn't show up on the network. It was not sending any data, so it was invisible and no data passed through the device, so no data was blocked.

How big is the fuse on the power supply to the network? I would have expected the fuse to blow if there was a short in transducer.

The power supply is a little bit of a funky detail in my installation. I removed the Raymarine displays but I kept the STng power cable and didn't change the connection or the fuse at the power supply. Right now, I don't know what the fuse is but I presume it is as directed by the RM instructions. I kept the STng cable because I couldn't find my devicenet powertap and I also have the RM SPX-5 networked in NMEA 2000. So the near end of my backbone (closest to the helm) has the STng termination and the far end (with the ducer) has a devicenet termination. The STng backbone and devicenet backbone are connected with the STng-devicenet conversion cable.

It doesn't seem to make a difference and my source at Defender said as much, too. The D/S/T 810 wasn't invisible. It showed up on the network and the status said "OK" when I checked it all out after making connections on Saturday. At the time, the ducer was just lying next to the hull because I had a blank in the thru hull. It wasn't until Sunday, after I inserted the ducer, that I noticed that it wasn't transmitting. But I didn't know that it was getting hot until I put the boat away after sailing. I had the instrument on for at least 3 hours and by that time it was toast. I didn't look at the network to see the status of the ducer at that time, though.

 

[dlochner]

It doesn't seem to make a difference and my source at Defender said as much, too. The D/S/T 810 wasn't invisible. It showed up on the network and the status said "OK" when I checked it all out after making connections on Saturday. At the time, the ducer was just lying next to the hull because I had a blank in the thru hull. It wasn't until Sunday, after I inserted the ducer, that I noticed that it wasn't transmitting. But I didn't know that it was getting hot until I put the boat away after sailing. I had the instrument on for at least 3 hours and by that time it was toast. I didn't look at the network to see the status of the ducer at that time, though.

Right, it was working until it wasn't. It failed sometime after it was plugged in, which is why it showed up on the network. Later, when the device overheated and went off line, it was invisible to the network.

When you talk to B&G be hesitant about describing how the power is connected to the network. They may well blame the how you are powering the network and you'll be SOL on tech support.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

When you talk to B&G be hesitant about describing how the power is connected to the network. They may well blame the how you are powering the network and you'll be SOL on tech support.

I don't think I'll be talking to B&G. It's an Airmar product and they pretty much told me that a defective unit will be replaced. I just have to confirm the serial number. Sue probably threw the box away long ago, so I'll have to get it off the instrument.

But, no, I don't think it failed after installation. I think it was defective. One thing I noticed was that the paddlewheel had a lot of resistance when I spun it by hand - it came out of the box that way and it didn't look like the pin had any defect. I didn't think too much about it at first. I figured it would loosen up when in the water. But it seemed to have significantly more resistance than any paddlewheel I have ever had before. I'll bet that has something to do with it.

 

[rgranger]

- all the zip ties I'm going through! ... ugh!

Gorilla tape works well for this also...but it leaves a sticky residue on the partnered cable...

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Turns out it was a bad transducer. Replacement functions as it should!

 

[PepperW]

I went through two transducers. I’m on my third. I called B&G both time with a wait time of >5 hours. They sent me a replacement each time, no charge. I will expand later but they have a serious manufacturing problem!