Raymarine ST1000+ issue discovered

[Seeking Solace]

When I left out of Virginia headed for Pensacola the ST1000 seemed to have a mind of it's own. It would sometimes make a "Crazy Ivan" and other times it would seemingly reset. It was not a very trustworthy piece of gear. I was constantly having to make adjustments to my course and it often would read something other than the handheld compass that I kept on board.

It's been two years. Last week I noticed that the heading wasn't changing and I went through the re-calibration process for several hours making large circles with no luck. It turns out that the Flux Gate, part # M022 had somehow gotten water ingress and corroded the terminals. After extensive testing I resolved to fix it. However, I somehow managed to drop it over the side as I exited the boat to make the repair.

After an extensive meltdown that I am sure was a sight to see I called around until I found a rep who was able to order the part. $106 after delivery fee to the supplier. I've now got the new Flux Gate installed and the compass is back to working as it should. We're headed out tomorrow or the next day to test out the auto tiller. It will be nice to have it working again and maintaining a heading while I fix a sandwich, pour a drink, or just go forward to reef a sail.

I just wanted to share this so if anyone else is experiencing issues they may want to go through their equipment and check the flux gate compass module that it hasn't experienced the same problem that mine did. Gasket seems to be fine, I've no idea how moisture got in there. It could have very well been condensation that caused it. The pcb traces were black in places and not conducting between pins 1+2. There is a service manual online for the unit that helped me to diagnose the issue.

[GILow]

This rings a faint bell. I seem to remember a similar problem description of the ST1000+ a few years ago here on CF. I was interested because I had one at the time.

One piece of advice I do remember was to make it a simple cover to protect it a little from the elements. Seemed like a good idea to me.

[Seeking Solace]

GILow, that certainly is within reason to say that keeping it out of the elements as best as possible isn't a bad idea. I was thinking of spraying it with a hydrophobic spray or possibly coating the gaskets.

Although it was an easy diagnosis and fix, it was expensive. 25% of the cost of buying a brand new unit. It is my opinion that the part is grossly overpriced.

Having a proactive approach to keeping gear working has become a priority since becoming full time live-aboards.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Seeking Solace

..

Although it was an easy diagnosis and fix, it was expensive. 25% of the cost of buying a brand new unit. It is my opinion that the part is grossly overpriced.

Having a proactive approach to keeping gear working has become a priority since becoming full time live-aboards.

A) you probably don't want to hear it now, but with a bit of luck and some reasonable electronics skills, it might have been possible to find an alternative generic flux gate compass chip and use that instead. I based my home made autopilot brain on a CMPS03 module based on the Phillips KMZ51 sensor. Crude, but surprisingly stable and, from memory, pretty cheap. But I admit, it was probably a long shot and at least going the path you went you were reasonably sure of a good outcome.

B) I honestly don't know how anyone can afford to live on a boat if they cannot do at least 75% of the work themselves.


Hydrophobic spray is certainly a good option, but a sunbrella or similar cover will last a lot longer.