Problems with Installation Raymarine SPX30 Auto Pilot

[Ultimate]

Hi everybody,
as there is no technician support at all here on Galapagos, I very much hope that you can tell, what I did wrong with the Installation of a new SPX30 for my existing Auto Pilot. I have installed everything, and the pilot is reacting. However…
1. when I turn the ap on, it shows the rudder position in standby. I turn the wheel to stbd. and back and get the warning: NO RREF. In auto mode I can see the rudder position without problems. 2. Do I have to ground the device? (HR hull is fibreglass) If yes, where do I have to connect to - and what size is the cable? 3. The compass shows approximately a 180 degrees wrong angle. Do I have to change cables or is it possible to calibrate?
Great thanks in advance for all answers, thoughts, ideas!

[osprey877]

I'm sure you've already checked this, but is there any ferrous metals near the compass? I had similar issues with my AP compass reading until I discovered my spouse had stowed some tinned goods next to the fluxgate compass

[Ultimate]

Correct, we checked that… there are cables (spare parts) near, but they have been there before (with old SPX30). However, removing the cables does not have any infuluence on the compass.

[Bill O]

Here is a link to the installation manual http://busse-yachtshop.de/pdf/raymar...30-install.pdf

From my quick read, you do need to ground the unit to make it work correctly (manual pg 31). They suggest a stranded 4mm or greater for the grd wire.

Try attaching the ground and see if this fixes a your problem.

Also make certain the compass and rudder reference are wired into the computer correctly (pg 37 and 38)

[deblen]

http://busse-yachtshop.de/pdf/raymar...30-install.pdf

[goboatingnow]

In my experience of several Raymarine installs a seawater dc ground isn’t needed and in fact I have never connected the ground point to anything

You should see rudder angle in standby , if not I’d suspect something is wrong with the rudder angle sensor. You can check this with a meter on resistance mode. ( it’s either a 5 or 10 k pot )

Have you performed the installation and calibration routines .?

[Tehani]

Originally Posted by Ultimate

Hi everybody,
as there is no technician support at all here on Galapagos, I very much hope that you can tell, what I did wrong with the Installation of a new SPX30 for my existing Auto Pilot. I have installed everything, and the pilot is reacting. However…
1. when I turn the ap on, it shows the rudder position in standby. I turn the wheel to stbd. and back and get the warning: NO RREF. In auto mode I can see the rudder position without problems. 2. Do I have to ground the device? (HR hull is fibreglass) If yes, where do I have to connect to - and what size is the cable? 3. The compass shows approximately a 180 degrees wrong angle. Do I have to change cables or is it possible to calibrate?
Great thanks in advance for all answers, thoughts, ideas!

- It seems that the rudder sensor is not properly connected. Respect the colors of the cables.

- Surely you have set the fluxgate oriented towards stern.

J.L.

[Ultimate]

Thanks! I will download manual, and ground SPX… this could be the problem

[Ultimate]

Ok, that makes sense, and I will check this with a meter on resistance mode. ( sorry, ELT is not my specialisation… what do you mean by 5 or 10 k pot ?)

[Ultimate]

Yep, fluxgate is oriented towards stern. We changed cables already in everything direction, and we dont know, what other options there are… ?

[Ultimate]

Yes, we installed everything according the SPX30 manual. So far we have done dealers callibration only. But dealers callibration on display (existing) is different then dealer callibration according spx30 manual. might this be the problem that they are not matching (Even if same model)?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Ultimate

Ok, that makes sense, and I will check this with a meter on resistance mode. ( sorry, ELT is not my specialisation… what do you mean by 5 or 10 k pot ?)

Th3 Ray rudder sensor is simple potentiometer, usually 5k ohms or 10 K ohms , you can measure its resistance and see of it changes as the rudder moves

[Ultimate]

Great, many thanks. That helps a lot!

[sck5]

Also check the polarity on the rudder sensor. I had a baffling set of symptoms that all went away when I switched the two wires and got it right.

[Ultimate]

hi Everybody, many thanks for all tips & advices! we
- installed everything according the SPX30 manual,
- checked that no metals are near the compass,
- cables all correct,
- measurement of rudder sensor as well as fluxgate compass is ok (within tolerance).
The only thing we didnt check is the grounding (because we do not have a grounding plate). Can we instead ground on the cupper plate of the battery? Can we do anything wrong by this? Can we damage the SPX30 if we do anything wrong? Thanks for your thoughts in advance!