These old instruments worth resuscitating?

[JeremyFowler]

My electronics/techo knowledge is very limited so advice welcomed please.
As per the photo which I will now attempt to attach, is it worthwhile attempting to get these functioning again? I'd have to connect up a heap of wires again I'm sure. The most important one for me would be the speed indicator, it is fed by a paddle wheel sender unit that has 2 (disconnected) wires coming from it.
The depth sounder has been superseded by a stand alone unit. (interesting that this one had such a shallow limit - 10m)
Cheers!

[sailormed]

Do not resusscitate marine (and non-marine) electronics. The only worthwile exception to this rule is in my opinion the resuscitation of the Apollo Guidance computer used for the moon landings by a group of very talented and driven amateurs.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by sailormed

Do not resusscitate marine (and non-marine) electronics. The only worthwile exception to this rule is in my opinion the resuscitation of the Apollo Guidance computer used for the moon landings by a group of very talented and driven amateurs.

I have no problems with people resuscitating beautiful brass instruments and putting them on display.

As for the ones the OP showed, nope.

[Jim Cate]

Those look like Signet instruments which were, in their day, top of the line kit. The knot meter is a very simple unit electronically and should work if you simply hook the two wires from the paddle wheel unit to the main unit. IIRC the only use for 12 V was the lamp, so not necessary for day time use.

The wind instrument wiring is a bit more complex with five wires from the masthead unit IIRC, and does require 12 V to the main unit. Do you still have the masthead part?
If so it is worth trying, since such instruments are pretty expensive to replace.

The depth instrument is not worth fooling with, for replacements can be had inexpensively and the dial type display isn't particularly useful IMO.

I used Signet instruments for decades and found them to be reliable and reasonable to use.

Jim

[starcruiser]

Sailormed, the paddlewheel speed sender I think is a waste of time. It will work for a while, but once a barnacle becomes encrusted in there it will stop turning.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by starcruiser

Sailormed, the paddlewheel speed sender I think is a waste of time. It will work for a while, but once a barnacle becomes encrusted in there it will stop turning.

Simply putting a thin coat of antifouling paint on the paddlewheel has kept mine going for some 45 years now. Yes, they can still foul when the boat is stationary for a while, but they are designed to be easily removed for cleaning... and for storage if the boat is left for more than a few days.

You may not think it worthwhile, but others (like me) think that STW is a useful bit of data and paddlewheel sensors are still the most economical means of getting it.

Jim

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Simply putting a thin coat of antifouling paint on the paddlewheel has kept mine going for some 45 years now. Yes, they can still foul when the boat is stationary for a while, but they are designed to be easily removed for cleaning... and for storage if the boat is left for more than a few days.

You may not think it worthwhile, but others (like me) think that STW is a useful bit of data and paddlewheel sensors are still the most economical means of getting it.

Jim

Agree. I can see no reason at all why one should not try to repair older gear. Of course don't dump more into the fix than it would cost to buy new but otherwise, go for it.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Those look like Signet instruments which were, in their day, top of the line kit.

I still have a Signet digital knot meter and depth finder on my Tanzer 22. The knot meter is in their shop right now for repairs.
Signet Marine Traditional Sailboat Instruments

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

I still have a Signet digital knot meter and depth finder on my Tanzer 22. The knot meter is in their shop right now for repairs.
Signet Marine Traditional Sailboat Instruments

Yep, but the digital knotmeter is quite a different thing than the old analog models in that it has a circuit board, an LED and "real" electronics inside.

The analog one has a diode, a capacitor and one or more resistors, one of which is a pot for calibration... the meter movement... and that's all!

Jim

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by JeremyFowler

As per the photo which I will now attempt to attach, is it worthwhile attempting to get these functioning again?

I think they're gorgeous and in apparent good condition. Speaking personally, I would take a stab at getting them to work, but I have a background in raising the (electronic) dead and I'm a bit nuts that way.

In your shoes... if you don't have the time, interest and some electronic chops, you'd be better off with new kit. But you might be able to sell that stuff to someone who does. Check your club or marina for another boat with the same stuff but in worse shape .

[JeremyFowler]

Thanks for all the advice!
I'll give it a go with the speedo at least, seeing that it is just the 2 wires that do the driving apparently. That is the one most needed when trimming sails etc.
I'll try make the wind speed and direction indicator work, although I doubt that will be successful. Nothing to lose but time and patience...

[Clivevon]

Hi. I'm not techy either so I found a man who can do at £50 per hour + VAT. Mounts up quick. Hurts the wallet but saves me the aggravation.

If your instruments dont work there are only 3 possible reasons I can see - the instruments, the wiring, or the power supply. Are you sure you know which one or more of those is causing the fault? Might be worth checking that first?

I googled Midas & found this website in NZ. https://misystems.co.nz/midas/
Maybe worth asking them for some guidance? Good luck.

[Clivevon]

4 reasons - the sensors might be shot too...

[fred4936]

I would put some effort into trying get them to work. If you get them working for a nominal or zero expense, great! if not, you have not lost anything. They seem to be good quality, so check all the wiring and go from there.

[nuku34]

Yes, these are Midas, still made in NZ. The owner of the company is very good at answering questions.

On my Cavalier 32 (NZ designed and built '73), I have the analogue speedo/distance and depth units shown in the photo plus a wind speed unit. They are 30+ years old and all work perfectly (but the yacht has always been well maintained and the instruments are in a "pod" under the dodger.

Manuals are available for download from the Midas website.
Assuming no really bad water damage, I'd try to fix them.