Old Raymarine autopilot

[bill424]

It's time for another game of identify this old equipment: I'm (still) in the process of buying a sailboat and have yet more electronics I'd like to know more about.

This is apparently an autopilot controller, but my surveyor said he hadn't seen one in just under forty years of doing the job.

It controls a chain driven system that's in the lazarette but my pics don't show how it's attached to the quadrant.

Any ideas?

[DougR]

If it’s a chain drive system, it’s unlikely that the chain is attached to the quadrant directly. More likely the rotary drive is powering a section of chain which is part of the cable assembly which runs between the helm and the quadrant.

Or sometimes the chain is driving the helm shaft directly, and that controls the quadrant thru the normal pull/pull cables.

[Hartleyg]

That's an antique for sure


The controller would look good on the wall of a seafood restaurant (or a sci-fi movie set) - but the drive might be useful - if you've seen chain over a sprocket, then it's probably in the line with the cables from the binnacle to the quadrant, and its just a big geared DC motor - which would work with a modern controller just fine.
Our olde Gulfstar had something similar - one of those shaft-drive optically-coupled nightmares for a controller - but the drive worked A-OK with the new controller we fitted.


Hartley
S/V Atsa

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Hartleyg

That's an antique for sure


The controller would look good on the wall of a seafood restaurant (or a sci-fi movie set) - but the drive might be useful - if you've seen chain over a sprocket, then it's probably in the line with the cables from the binnacle to the quadrant, and its just a big geared DC motor - which would work with a modern controller just fine.
Our olde Gulfstar had something similar - one of those shaft-drive optically-coupled nightmares for a controller - but the drive worked A-OK with the new controller we fitted.


Hartley
S/V Atsa

Or perhaps on the next Golden Globe race if its within the allowed antique equipment?