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Old 19-02-2015, 15:51   #1
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Help With ST50 Depth Fault

One of the gigs on the boat after refit is constant flashing of the depth with zero indicated depth.

The manual says this is a transducer fault. The transducer was working fine at haulout and I do have a spare (new) which I hooked up while on the hard with the same result.

I think I have the pinouts wrong.

The indicator/guage has red, shield and yellow - I am sure that's power, ground and seatalk bus.

The transducer has blue, black and shield. The original transducer had 2 wires and this is a later model transducer. The Raymarine FAQ site indicates that transducer black and shield are both connected to gauge shield and blue is connected to red.

That's how I have it wired. So I know I get power but I don't get signal. Here's a shot underway last Wednesday.

Any thoughts or wisdom of what to try next?
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Old 19-02-2015, 15:52   #2
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Usually it's the display, not the transducer.


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Old 19-02-2015, 16:13   #3
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Yeah - That's what I didn't wanna hear - LOL...


All the buttons work on the gauge so I am hopeful it's not faulted inside.
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Old 19-02-2015, 19:24   #4
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Flashing depth is normally a transducer fault and/or uncertain reading. You might also try the Raymarine tech forum...good source of troubleshooting on older instruments.

http://raymarine.ning.com/
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Old 19-02-2015, 19:30   #5
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex-Calif View Post
The transducer has blue, black and shield. The original transducer had 2 wires and this is a later model transducer. The Raymarine FAQ site indicates that transducer black and shield are both connected to gauge shield and blue is connected to red.
We have an ST40 depth gauge. The Airmar transducer it came with has blue, black and shield like yours, and these go to 3 separate terminals. I couldn't quickly find the ST50 diagram but I'd guess there's 3 terminals there too.

So I'd suggest trying to get more info or advice on the transducer wiring. You might also take your ST50 to a store or tech to test with a known-good transducer just to confirm it's ok or not.
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Old 20-02-2015, 07:56   #6
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Do you trying it on the hard? It simply won't WORK.
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Old 20-02-2015, 12:53   #7
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex-Calif View Post
One of the gigs on the boat after refit is constant flashing of the depth with zero indicated depth.

The manual says this is a transducer fault. The transducer was working fine at haulout and I do have a spare (new) which I hooked up while on the hard with the same result.

I think I have the pinouts wrong.

The indicator/guage has red, shield and yellow - I am sure that's power, ground and seatalk bus.

The transducer has blue, black and shield. The original transducer had 2 wires and this is a later model transducer. The Raymarine FAQ site indicates that transducer black and shield are both connected to gauge shield and blue is connected to red.

That's how I have it wired. So I know I get power but I don't get signal. Here's a shot underway last Wednesday.

Any thoughts or wisdom of what to try next?
sounds like the depth display has died. there is a breather pin hole at the bottom of the display and salt water eventually gets in and corodes the circuit board. this makes the displays do weird things. unscrew the back and have a look.
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how long has this been going on and why wasn't I told about it earlier.....
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Old 22-02-2015, 20:54   #8
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Re: Help With ST50 Depth Fault

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex-Calif View Post
One of the gigs on the boat after refit is constant flashing of the depth with zero indicated depth.

The manual says this is a transducer fault. The transducer was working fine at haulout and I do have a spare (new) which I hooked up while on the hard with the same result.

I think I have the pinouts wrong.

The indicator/guage has red, shield and yellow - I am sure that's power, ground and seatalk bus.

The transducer has blue, black and shield. The original transducer had 2 wires and this is a later model transducer. The Raymarine FAQ site indicates that transducer black and shield are both connected to gauge shield and blue is connected to red.

That's how I have it wired. So I know I get power but I don't get signal. Here's a shot underway last Wednesday.

Any thoughts or wisdom of what to try next?
First, and foremost, the depthsounder cannot work when the boat is out of the water.

If the unit powers up, means that the power connection is probably fine.

Verify power to unit is between 11 and 15 Vdc.

With power applied, place your hand firmly on the transducer face and slowly slide it across. You should feel it pulsing.

If not, you have one of 3 possible faults:

1. Defective display head (not transmitting).
2. Transducer wiring/cable fault.
3. Defective transducer.

Best bet would be to put a scope on the transducer connection. You should get a transmit pulse (about 300V p-p) every 1/2 to 1 second.

If it is pulsing, you have one of three possible faults:

1. Weak echo (check transducer installation).
2. Wrong frequency transducer.
3. Defective display head.
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