Raymarine Gyro Sensor Upgrade for $25

[rhumbunctious]

Originally Posted by Segran

I have had the non-G S1 autopilot for 6 years and never found it to be reliable or even useful in cross waves/wind. After making the above gyro board and installing it I am now more than pleased with the S1! If you do the same, don't forget to go to Dealer calibration and Autolearn. The S1 will then make a few turns and "learn" the optimum settings. This makes a world of difference!

Thanks! It's always great to hear first hand experience. I'll be making this mod to my S1 in the very near future.

[stara]

I have now finished my Gyro project. Used Sparkfun Gyro Breakout - MLX90609 - 150 °/sec and some bits from local electronics store. Installed in a box and mounted in centerline in engine room under cockpit. Conducted seatrial and result was impressive: very accurate steering also in waves under spinnaker.

Some pictures here:




Big thank you Fulup, Portanna and others making this possible!

[George64]

Originally Posted by stara

I have now finished my Gyro project. Used Sparkfun Gyro Breakout - MLX90609 - 150 °/sec and some bits from local electronics store. Installed in a box and mounted in centerline in engine room under cockpit. Conducted seatrial and result was impressive: very accurate steering also in waves under spinnaker.

Some pictures here:
Big thank you Fulup, Portanna and others making this possible!

looks great!!

I'm trying to achieve something with Arduino Uno and the LSM303. So far I get nmea strings as output The only thing that bothers me, the heading is nog stable while laying flat and untouched on the table.

How did you reduce the 'noise' from the output?

Regards, George

[George64]

The enclosed link shows a video of my setup for a electronic compass with NMEA output. The system has a tilted output and for noise reduction I used a moving average. Hardware used:
- Arduino Uno
- LSM303

To do: build a rs232 to tty converter

Tilted Compass - YouTube

[svfinnishline]

For the less adventurous, I have found a retailer who sells this gear for 132 euros:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/ws/eBayISAPI....E:L:OC:GB:3160

or

ray giro raymarine - TECHNOLOGIE SEYMO

No connection to the seller, other than I just brought the gear - will report after delivery and installation.

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by George64

The enclosed link shows a video of my setup for a electronic compass with NMEA output. The system has a tilted output and for noise reduction I used a moving average. Hardware used:
- Arduino Uno
- LSM303

To do: build a rs232 to tty converter

Tilted Compass - YouTube

Nice. Could we get some more details?

[George64]

An update. To create TTL output from the Arduino board, I build the circuit board according to this drawing:
prosje.be/CO/Schemas/RS232-to-TTL3.png

The moving average filter does not work too good, so some other sort of smoothing is required. On various forums I see topics referring to the Kalman filter. Since I'm not a C++ programmer, this is quit a challenge for me. Any help is highly appreciated.

To give you an example of the data stream while the compass is laying flat on the table:

$HCHDG,109.00,,,,*7A
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,97.00,,,,*4C
$HCHDG,109.00,,,,*7A
$HCHDG,120.00,,,,*71
$HCHDG,132.00,,,,*72
$HCHDG,132.00,,,,*72
$HCHDG,132.00,,,,*72
$HCHDG,120.00,,,,*71
$HCHDG,120.00,,,,*71
$HCHDG,120.00,,,,*71
$HCHDG,120.00,,,,*71
$HCHDG,132.00,,,,*72
$HCHDG,144.00,,,,*73
$HCHDG,144.00,,,,*73
$HCHDG,144.00,,,,*73
$HCHDG,144.00,,,,*73
$HCHDG,156.00,,,,*70
$HCHDG,156.00,,,,*70
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D
$HCHDG,156.00,,,,*70
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D
$HCHDG,180.00,,,,*7B
$HCHDG,180.00,,,,*7B
$HCHDG,180.00,,,,*7B
$HCHDG,180.00,,,,*7B
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D
$HCHDG,168.00,,,,*7D

As you can see, not a very stable course.....

Cheers.

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by George64

An update. To create TTL output from the Arduino board, I build the circuit board according to this drawing:
prosje.be/CO/Schemas/RS232-to-TTL3.png

The moving average filter does not work too good, so some other sort of smoothing is required. On various forums I see topics referring to the Kalman filter. Since I'm not a C++ programmer, this is quit a challenge for me. Any help is highly appreciated.

To give you an example of the data stream while the compass is laying flat on the table:


As you can see, not a very stable course.....

Cheers.

Maybe you should start a new thread. I suspect there will be a good amount of interest in your project it just needs to be out there.

[CaptainHyperjoe]

I have an S1 without the gyro. I was about to crap on this auto helm until I read this post. Would someone like to build me a gyro to connect to me S1 and send it to me for a fee? I would be willing to pay $100 plus shipping on top of what the parts cost via paypal. Message me if this will work for you. I would expect this unit to be first tested on your boat first to ensure it works.

Thanks

Joe

[CaptainHyperjoe]

OR can someone link the parts that I will need for this project. It appears if I screw it up, the $25 it would cost to attempt is not that much of a loss. Thanks

[fulup]

You can use a MLX90609 or a ADXRS613 it is reported as working and they are still easy to find. If you do not feel confident enough for cabling by youself, the easiest way is to ask to an electronic shop near by. They are only 5 cables to connect, and it is very simple.
I'm too lazy to translate the orriginal post from French to English by I reply to English comment. In the mean time googletranslation with picture might be good enough Google*Traduction

[Etragesser]

Did your gps gyro work for your raymarine unit. I would like to install one on my machine.

[gaw111]

This thread has not had any new entries in awhile. I'm trying to do a gyro for my S1. The gyros that were mentioned here are no longer available. I have ordered a couple to test out and see if they will do the job. One cost $3.00 and the other cost $30.00. If either of them work, I will post the results. Or if anyone has been able to accomplish this, please, let me know what you used.

I love messing with stuff like this, so I hope it works.

[fulup]

gaw111,

Thank you for this test proposal.

The fact that components stop being available very quickly is the main problem for a simple cheap Gyro solution. Until recently the IDG5000 was still available in few shops. But this one like previous ones seems now impossible to buy.

Conclusion: if you find a way to integrate two new components, please let me know, and I will add your solution on top of the list, with no doubt sailors will be interested.

[fulup]

Last minute news;

EVAL-ADXRS624Z as been reported as working perfectly by UWE on Gyro pour Raymarine S1/S2/S3 Ã* 25€

It is not the cheapest solution, but at 60€ price remains acceptable for most sailors. This being said, any other working solutions especially, especially if cheaper remains very interesting.