Lit # 4H06
Revised 8/18/2006
5
tab retraction, whether the tabs are up or not, and will set the tab position indicators to the “tabs retracted” indication which is
one blinking LED at the top of each 8 LED indicator. The tabs are now ready to use.
3.
Refer to the “Oval Description” on page 2 for how to use the “Oval” to control the tabs.
4.
When a given trip has ended, turn off the switch outlined in item 2 above. Turning the switch off will cause both tabs to fully
retract and the indicators to be set at the fully retracted indication of one LED blinking. In this position, the retracted actuator
ram is protected from fouling and the retracted tabs are ready for the fork lift.
Alternative Wiring and Operation
Per the industry standard, set by most U.S. trim tab manufacturers some years ago, the Lectrotab control switches are set up to be
pushed directly according to what the helmsman needs the boat to do. If the bow is high, push the upper portion of both switches
DOWN to make the bow go DOWN. If the bow is high on the left, push only the LEFT switch DOWN to make the LEFT bow go
DOWN. Pressing the lower part of the rocker switch causes the bow to come up. This is the way the rocker switches, or buttons, on
the “Oval” are marked. Refer to the illustration on page 1 or page 2.
The tab position indicators. It is important to know that to make the left bow go down, the right tab must go down. (Deploying the
right tab at the stern causes the right stern to rise and the left bow to lower.) The “Oval” indicators are where the tabs are: left
indicator, left tab; right indicator right tab. As a result, when the LEFT or “Port Bow Down” button is pressed, the RIGHT tab goes
down and the RIGHT indicator depicts this movement.
But some like it different. If the wire pairs from each tab actuator are interchanged, the left button will actuate the left tab and the
right button the right tab, but the indicators will still be opposite the buttons. If the two wires from each actuator are interchanged, the
tabs will go down instead of up when the tabs are turned off, so don’t make that change with the “Oval”. But in any case, the position
indicators always respond to the opposite buttons and that can’t be changed. In summary, we think it’s best to leave the “Oval” wired
as presented in these instructions so that, from a safety standpoint, all Lectrotab boats operate the same, and most popular, way.
Calibration/Programming
Some Background:
The “Oval” tab position indicator operates on a time basis. With our mechanical approach, as opposed to the
hydraulic approach, the Lectrotab actuator inherently moves the tab at a predictable rate of time so that a simple timer can effectively
keep track of tab position. The simplicity of this allows the Lectrotab indicators to operate without a feedback transducer of any sort;
no additional device is needed inside, or strapped on the outside, of the actuator. Such devices, needed with all hydraulic type trim
tabs, have been notoriously short lived and unreliable. But there will never be a Lectrotab position indicator feedback transducer
failure, because there ISN’T one.
Lectrotab now offers actuators with 4, 6, and 8 second stroke times; so the “Oval” is programmable accordingly. For example, when
using a 4 second stroke time actuator, the 8 LED’s which make up each indicator must light up at the rate of 2 per second so that all 8
are lit to show the tab fully down in the 4 seconds it takes the 4 second actuator to lower the tab. All “Ovals” are shipped programmed
for 8 seconds. To change the timing for other stroke times, proceed as follows:
1.
Make sure the trim tab main power is ON (see page 3, point 1).
2.
Make sure the trim tab switch is OFF. (see page 3, point 3).
3.
Press “Port Bow Down” and hold for at least 2 seconds, and then turn the trim tab switch on (see page 3, item3). Some
indicator LED’s will begin to flash. Release the button.
4.
The number of LED’s flashing indicates the timing. For example, if 8 LED’s are flashing, the “Oval” is set for 8 seconds for
use with 8 second stroke time actuators, etc.
5.
To decrease the timing, press “Starboard Bow Up” and one LED will extinguish each time the LED’s blink. To increase the
stroke timing, press “Starboard Bow Down” and one additional LED will come on each time the LED’s blink. Make this
adjustment until the number of LED’s lit is equal to the trim tab actuator’s stroke time in seconds. Choices are from 4 to 12
seconds in 1 second increments.
6.
To exit, press and hold the “Port Bow Up” button for 2 seconds. This will save the setting in permanent memory, and will
not be lost if the main power is turned off. Also the “Oval” will execute full retraction of the tabs and the indicators will
confirm tabs up with one LED blinking.
7.
Turn the tab switch off and confirm a full tab retraction sequence, after which the “Oval” will shut down.
