Very active SPX-5 Wheel Pilot

[Ken13559]

I've just installed a new SPX-5 wheelpilot. Did the calibration and swing the fluxgate compass. When set to either Wind or Auto the wheel drive is very active. Making course correction for every bit of wake/chop. I've increased Rudder damping, reduce helm sensitivity to no veil. Any advise appreciated.

 

[Velero49]

What was the error after you calibrated the fluxgate? It has to be less than 15 degs. You probably have some ferrous metal (pumps, electric motors or tools) next to the fluxgate. I would go around the boat with a hand held compass to determine the best location for the fluxgate or maybe one of the 326's owners can tell you where theirs is mounted.

From RM:

Note: This screen shows the maximum deviation encountered over 360° (not as an east/west
value).
If the deviation value exceeds 15° the compass is being affected by ferrous objects on
your boat. If this occurs, move the compass to a better location.

 

[Ken13559]

Deviation was 1deg. I locate the fluxgate at centre line rear bulkhead of rear berth just alittle above the bed cushion. There isn't any ferrous metal as best I could tell. If its ferrous metal affecting the fluxgate then it shouldn't happen on Wind mode isn't it?

 

[BroadReach]

x-10 AP WHEEL MOVEMENT

While you are concerned with the X-5 I would guess that the Ray Marine X-10 is pretty much the same unit.
I have to set my WHEEL RESPONSE level from the default of 5 to a nominal 1 or 2 depending upon sea state and the state of my working battery. This Response Level is set up during calibration however it can be set underway when the X-10 is powered up. I lose the setting when the power is removed. I need to go back and re-calibrate the X-10 and change the default response from 5 to 1.
You may have the same term in your menu set up.

Broad Reach

 

[Manny]

I doubt it's the amount of deviation. I just installed an X-5 a few weeks ago and mine is very active also, close to the point of being annoying. It's a twitchy little bugger. Unfortunately I haven't had a good enough sailing day to tweak the settings to calm down the drive. All that being said it tracks incredibly well and as much as it runs it doesn't seem to make a dent in my battery. I don't remember the deviation after calibration but it something like 3 or 5 degrees. I am just running off the compass for now but would like to get the windvane for it eventually. One modification that I would like to make, which may help with the smaller corrections, is to install some sort of shim to take up the clearance on the tip pedestal bracket where it meets the wheel drive. The wheel drive always has to move a couple of millimeters in either direction before it hits the bracket. Just thinking out loud...

M

 

[Ken13559]

Manny, that must quite some wear/clearance on your wheel back cover. Mine looks nicely fit. Pad up the clearance with self vulcanising tape may help. As for your settings that runs after powering down, perhaps you could set it under Dealer Cal. That will be permanent till you change it again. Twitchy little bugger it is !! I've started looking for a spare belt just incase this wheel wears out the belt.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Ken...

just spent two four hour runs under power (no wind) dealing with my S-1 going through oscilliations that got greater with each correction.

Apparently need to reset my rudder gain and sensitivity in Dealer Cal. Will let you know what settings work when issue is resolved.

 

[kloudie1]

Don't know if this applies, Dan but my 4000+ did the same thing until I put a rudder reference sensor on. I tried for 3 years to get the thing to drive by itself and got it to where it would go straight for a few miles.. but then it would go nuts.. I know that Ray Marine says it is fine without, but in the case of my 34, the unit could not be tuned to work unsupervised.. All is good now..

 

[Les]

This may not be relevant but I've had a X-5 now for almost three years. At first the deviation was quite large, swinging from one side of the course to the other however in the last year, it's deviation is very small. Hardly runs at times.

My talk to the installer who also helped me set it up says that the computer unit has to learn the boat--the more it learns the boat the less operation it needs. Makes sense for me and appears to be working on my boat.

 

[Ken13559]

Les, that would be Autolearn I suppose. I guess I'll have to live with an active wheel till it learn to "behave". BTW how long before you see improvement?

 

[tyson_troy]

I'm having the same issue with huge course changes. I finally got it to work after several months. I kept getting a motor stall warning. I moved the control unit and re-routed the power cables and it passed the at sea test. When I activated the pilot it started to steer huge course changes. I'm thinking I may need to re-swing the compass and go through the sea trial process again. It may also be the location of the compass which, is located in the bilge under the floor boards. I may be getting interference from something that is metallic.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Claude...

I had a problem with my old 4000 that was metal related. It would turn 30* to starboard when you sat the metal framed cushion on that side of the stern seat near where it was located.

My autopilot was working fine last season. This past weekend in using it a lot, it developed the "swagger". The S-1 has a fluxgate compass down in the bilge and a rudder sensor attached to the cable wheel on the rudder post under the aft cabin ceiling cover. On the display it shows the rudder centered when it is, so it hasn't detached itself.

I did notice that the digital compass heading displayed was about 40* off what was shown on the GPS and compass (allowing for the magnetic deviation of the compass, it was still way off).

I'm going to try to solve it this weekend with a reboxing of the autopilot's compass and revising the rudder settings. It doesn't have the X-5's gyro feature so it can't "Autolearn" the boat--all adjustments to its behavior must be made manually, according to the manual.

I've got nothing better to do next Saturday than to idle around in circles while the "computer" figures out where the compass says it's pointing.

 

[Les]

Ken, Yeah, autolearn. I wonder if I could import that into kids. It took my autopilot about three months to settle down but I believe it still is learning my boat a year or two later. I'm heading out for a five hour mostly motor trip this Wednesday and will be on the X-5 most of the way with course changes. I'll watch the little sucker and see what it is doing. However, I really don't expect it to work that much. Small changes as we putter along. I'll try to remember to get back to this group and report in.

 

[Ken13559]

Les, I believe your kids will learn better and faster than the X-5. Have a good trip. See ya back here.

 

[johdenu]

With the autopilot engaged, press -1 and +1 simultaneously to get the rudder response page up. Then use -1 or +1 to adjust the response down or up. Mine is set to 5 when I power up which results in very tight course control. I frequently set it to 3 or 4 to lessen the wheel activity.

 

[Ken13559]

With the autopilot engaged, press -1 and +1 simultaneously to get the rudder response page up. Then use -1 or +1 to adjust the response down or up. Mine is set to 5 when I power up which results in very tight course control. I frequently set it to 3 or 4 to lessen the wheel activity.

Thought I've dial mine way down to 1. I'll check it this weekend and set accordingly if it's not 3 or below. Thanks.

 

[Les]

Opps, almost forgot to get back to you all. I did the twenty one nautical trip from Bellingham To Friday Harbor last Wednesday in my H27. It was a beautiful day, flat calm, but no wind so it turned out to be a motor boat ride the entire way. And most of it was with the X-5 steering the boat.

Observations are that the X-5 is doing a lot of very small corrections but I doubt if it is using that much power. Our course according to the GPS was very straight, not like the wide swings when I first started using the X-5. Personally, I can't fault my X-5 in any way. It is doing what I want it to do.

However, I do not know what the response time is on my unit. When I get back to Friday Harbor I'll try to remember to look at what it is set at. I suspect it is a 5 given the amount it is working. Thanks for the heads up on this feature.