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3.0 OPERATION

3.1 BASIC PRINCIPLES

The following description of the 

 5000

principle of operation will help in providing a

complete understanding of its controls. The
control unit houses an extremely sensitive 

setting electronic compass. When the autopilot

is in operation, deviation from course is

continuously monitored by the compass and
corrective rudder is applied by the drive unit to
return the vessel to course. The amount of
applied rudder is proportional to the course
error at any time, and thus when the original
course is restored the rudder will be
neutralised. The amount of the rudder applied

for a given off-course error is adjustable to

match both the steering characteristics of the

vessel and speed through the water. A vessel
with a small rudder for example, will require

more corrective helm than a similar sized vessel

with a larger rudder. Similarly, a high speed

power boat will require considerably less

corrective helm at planing speeds than it will at

lower displacement speeds (Fig.1 8.)

The characteristic which distinguishes the

 5000 is its ability to make automatic

correction for changes in trim or weather helm.

When changes in trim occur the set course can
only be maintained by the application of
permanent rudder offset to restore balance.

Many automatic pilots are incapable of this and

will allow the vessel to bear on to a new

heading to achieve a new state of balance.

Under these circumstances the Autoheim 5000

detects that the original course has not been
restored and will continue to apply additional
helm in the appropriate direction until the

vessel returns to the original heading. This
facility ensures that the originally set course is

held irrespective of changes in balance that
may occur during the course of a passage.

3.2 CONTROLS

3.2.1 CONTROL UNIT

Fig.1   shows the position of all controls. Each

control has the following functions:

OFF

Push to de-energise the autopilot. The electro-

magnetic clutch in the drive unit is disengaged
for manual steering.

SET

Push to energise the compass circuit and
initiate the automatic compass setting

sequence. The compass is finally set to the
manually steered heading when both the red

and green pilot lights are extinguished.

DUTY

Push to fully energise the autopilot for

automatic steering duty.

REMOTE

Push to transfer basic automatic pilot control to

the auxiliary control unit.

SEA

Rotate to adjust compass sensitivity to suit sea

conditions. In position 

 the compass is fully

sensitised for operation in calm sea conditions.
Clockwise rotation to position ‘7’ progressively
densensitises the compass for operation in
rough sea conditions. Adjustment of this
important control is fully discussed later.

R U D D E R

Rotate to adjust rudder response. In position ‘0’

rudder movement is minimised. Clockwise
rotation to position ‘7’ progressively increases

the amount of applied rudder. Adjustment
technique is fully discussed later.

STEER

Rotate counter-clockwise or clockwise to alter

course to port or starboard respectively. Each

scale division represents 5 degrees of course
alteration. The steer control will rotate
automatically when the control unit is switched
to 

Set.

The controls on the rear case are used to

adjust the auto-pilot’s response to suit the

particular installation and the vessel’s steering

characteristics.

Each control has the following functions:

GAIN

Presets the overall system gain to compensate

for variations in the mechanical reduction

between the drive unit and the rudder and the

vessel’s steering characteristics. For initial sea

trial purposes this control is set according to
the recommendations given in Fig.1 8.

PHASE SWITCH

The phase switch is located on the internal

PCB and is accessible by removal of a blank

rubber grommet from the rear case. The phase
switch reverses the direction of 

corrective

rudder action and its setting procedure is

described later.

NB Recommended gain control settings for

hydraulic drive installations are given in
the hydraulic drive unit instructions.

Summary of Contents for Autohelm 5000

Page 1: ...Distributed by Any reference to Raytheon or RTN in this manual should be interpreted as Raymarine The names Raytheon and RTN are owned by the Raytheon Company ...

Page 2: ...Installation and Operating Handbook ANNOGUE Autohelm ...

Page 3: ...e vessel moves off course giving the Autohelm 5000 the smooth steering capability of an experienced helmsman The basic system comprises a Drive Unit and Control Unit inter connected by a pluggable multi core cable A complete range of optional remote control accessories are available which are also pluggable to the Control Unit After fitting the system it is only necessary to make a single adjustme...

Page 4: ...mote control facilities Hand held remote control unit type DO73 may be plugged directly into the Control Unit auxiliary socket DRIVE UNIT 20 AMP FUSE DC SUPPLY Fig 1 Basic System 20 AMP FUSE DC SUPPLY A simple remote control installation is illustrated in Fig 2 The auxiliary control unit repeats the basic working controls of the main control unit and is suitable for extending autopilot control to ...

Page 5: ... control unit case is splash proof but not watertight and is therefore intended for mounting in a dry and protected position Two sockets are provided on the rear case for connecting the drive unit and remote control system I 1 r i 142mm 5 VI Rotary controls for course alteration rudder response and sea state are grouped on the control unit facia together with the push button primary working contro...

Page 6: ...xiliary socket Type DO93 is fitted with a waterproof plug for connection to a waterproof deck socket 1 15 REMOTE SOCKET The remote socket provides a watertight socket for the hand held remote control The socket is supplied with 6 metres of 3 core cable terminating in a plugfor direct connection to the Auxiliary Control Unit 1 1 6 CABLE EXTENSION The cable extension facilitates the lengthening of a...

Page 7: ...g linkage failure and this is an important safety feature In addition minimisation of working parts improves the overall efficiency of the rudder drive system and reduces lost motion to an absolute minimum All vessels with hydraulic steering systems will require a hydraulic drive unit 2 Holes 12Smm 0 5 diameter 1 2 1 ROTARY DRIVE UNIT The output shaft is driven by a continuously rated servo motor ...

Page 8: ... average Suitable for vessels up to 12 volts 550lbs 225Kg 1 2in sec 30mm sec 12in 300mm 27 5in 700mm 1 Oin 260mm 500lb in 570Nm 1 Z 3 amps 40ft LOA 12m 51 mm 2 0 _ _ JJ 1 1 700mm lZ7 5 I I mm 0 7 RADIUS 260mm 10 0 j r 1 2 3 HYDRAULIC DRIVE UNIT The hydraulic drive unit consists of a precision gear pump with integral valve block driven by a continuously rated servo motor A special pressure balance ...

Page 9: ... Installation in steel hulled vessels invariably presents difficulties and the advice of a compass adjuster should always be sought Sarling yachts with a single external steering position are a special case where it is 8 essential to operate the autopilot via a weathsr proof auxiliary control unit The auxiliary control unit would normally be mounted in the cockpit adjacent to the steering position...

Page 10: ...vary significantly in steering characteristics Selection of the correct chain reduction ratio is not over critical however and any slight mismatch can usually be corrected later during sea trials by an adjustment to the gain control on the control unit Standard 3W pitch chain is recommended for the chain drive Sprockets of 13 15 17 19 and 25 teeth are available as standard accessories Bore and key...

Page 11: ...venient attitude without risk of oil leakage The drive unit s sprocket may also face any direction since steering sense can be corrected by means of a phase switch located in the control unit Finally the chain should be tensioned until it is just tight and contributes negligible lost motion to the drive system Total lost motion between the driven sprocket attached to the steering system and the ru...

Page 12: ... bolt is fully tightened and the nut locked by means of the locking tab provided The standard ball end fitting will allow for a maximum angular misalignment between the pushrod and the tiller crank plane of rotation of up to 5 Accurate angular alignment is extremely important and under no circumstances should the above extreme limits be exceeded The body of the drive unit is mounted by bolting to ...

Page 13: ...ive amplifier is mounted by first removing the cover marked Autohelm and bolting or screwing to a suitable vertical bulkhead through the four holes in the base Fig 14 There are three basic types of hydraulic steering system Fig 12 Typical connection points for the drive unit are shown in each case In all cases it is strongly recommended that the steering gear manufacturer be consulted The drive un...

Page 14: ...e hardover position Trapped air will severely impair correct operation of the autopilot and the steering system and must be removed During the installation of the system it has not been necessary to keep track of the connection sense to the hydraulic steering circuit since operating sense of the autopilot can be corrected if necessary by reversing the polarity of pump drive motor connections see s...

Page 15: ...upply cable to the drive unit should be kept as short as possible and have a conductor area of 1 O sq mm per metre run to minimise voltage drop Example Length of cable Conductor area Cable size Up to 2 5m 2 5 sq mm 50 0 25mm Upti4m 4 scpnm 56 0 3mm The two supply cables must run directly from the vessel s battery or alternatively from the main distribution panel and a 20 amp fuse or overload trip ...

Page 16: ... Push to de energise the autopilot The electro magnetic clutch in the drive unit is disengaged for manual steering SET Push to energise the compass circuit and initiate the automatic compass setting sequence The compass is finally set to the manually steered heading when both the red and green pilot lights are extinguished DUTY Push to fully energise the autopilot for automatic steering duty REMOT...

Page 17: ...flying lead may be plugged into any one of the remotely positioned waterproof sockets and should be switched to Auto for normal automatic steering operation The autopilot may be overriden by switching to Manual and the vessel then power steered by means of the control wheel The automatic trim system continues to operate in the manual steering mode and a straight course will be steered when the boa...

Page 18: ...movements but at a much slower rate If left in this condition the wheel will eventually rotate hardover If however the vessel is moving through the water the progressive application of additional helm will eventually return the vessel to its original course with the necessary standing helm applied This can be simulated by rotating the steer control back to the original course position The progress...

Page 19: ... against the end stop check there is no visible movement of the actuator mounting pedestal or the structure supporting it 0 Rotate the Rudder control in the opposite direction and repeat the checks with the rudder driven hardover inthe opposite direction Hydraulic System 0 Proceed as for the rotary drive unit l Check that all unions are tight and there is no seepage of hydraulic fluid l Select Dut...

Page 20: ... then power steer the vessel by the control wheel Switch back to Auto and the vessel will return promptly to the original heading 0 When the autopilot is set to Duty return to manual steering may be instantly achieved by switching to Set or Off on the main control unit It is very important to remember that manual control can only be obtained on the auxiliary control unit if the main control unit i...

Page 21: ...T Sailing craft average hull speeds do not vary greatly and thus the Rudder control setting can remain fixed most of the time Initial testing should be carried out at setting 4 Sailing craft however are particularly stable when sailing close hauled and under these conditions it is usually possible to reduce the Rudder control setting to minimise rudder movement and hence power consumption Converse...

Page 22: ...ng can be obtained by ensuring that sail balance is maintained Bear in mind the following important points 0 00 notallow the yacht to heel excessive y 0 Ease the mainsheet traveller to leeward to reduce heeling and weather helm 0 If necessary reef the mainsail a little early It is also worth mentionina the more obvious and that is that an autopilot cannot anticipate Sailing downwind in breaking se...

Page 23: ...ve lost motion backlash in the steering gear and correct if necessary Lost motion at the wheel should not exceed 5 of the total wheel movement from lock to lock 3 Check that all inter connecting cable sockets are fully tightened and free from corrosion 4 Check that external waterproof sockets are capped when not in use and periodically spray with WD40 or similar to protect from corrosion 5 Check t...

Page 24: ...Nautech Limited Anchorage Park Portsmouth Hampshire PO3 5TD England Telephone 0705 693611 Fax 0705 694642 Telex 86384 NAUTEC G ...

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