Maintenance, Errors, Repair
REFLECTA/5
Page D4
Mounting & Operations Manual
(replace with spare compass or order replacement compass, see below) and hand over to a qualified servce
workshop as soon as possible.
Possible other reason:
The orientating earth´s horizontal field at the place of the magnetic compass is too weak. This may be
caused by the ships position, by wrong adjustment or an insufficient compass safe distance to magnetic iron
or instruments. Furthermore the position of the adjusting magnets perhaps has been changed accidentally or
the ship´s own magnetic field has been altered by grounding, lightning stroke or welding works.
⇒
Make sure that the correction magnets are at the position as mentioned in the deviation diary.
Repeat compass adjustement and check the safe distances of the compass.
Friction Error and Swirl Error Test
The following simple examinations for onboard use will only give a provisional result for reliable compass
operation. A definite proof of faultless function can only be granted by a qualified service workshop.
1. Place the compass on a horizontal baseplate as free as possible of deflecting magnetic fields and free of
vibrations. This may be a place on board of the ship, e.g. the chart desk. Better is a place on shore where
only the earth´s magetic field is effective. If the compass test should be carried out on board the ship should
not be moving. Mark the place of the compass to make sure the same magnetic and other conditions in any
direction for the following tests. Note the heading indication.
2. Let the directional system stabilize on a certain direction. Knock slightly with your fingertip onto the cover
glass. Now use a piece of light magnetic material (e.g. a key) to deflect the compass card by 2° only. Wait
until the card has stabilized in this new orientation.
3. Now quickly pull away the deflecting magnet. Watch how the card returns to the undeflected direction. A
tolerance of less 0.5° is acceptable after stabilizing.
4. Deflect the compass card as mentioned above to the opposite direction by 2° and repeat the settling
process. Again, the compass card must return to the original direction within a tolerance of 0.5°.
5. Repeat these tests each 45° of compass orientation.
6. If the compass card returns to the respective original orientation within the tolerance of +/-0.5° on each of
these 8 directions, pivot and jewel suspension of the card assembly are, so far, in order.
7. Take the compass with both hands and hold it horizontally in front of you. Turn yourself (ideally one turn of
360° within 4´) and watch the movement of the directional system. The card should show to north the whole
turn and its movement should be steady without jerking. If the directional system is abruptly dragged with the
movement of the compass it is defective.
If friction and swirl error test are not successful take compass out of operation immediately (replace with spare
compass or order replacement compass, see below) and hand over to a qualified service workshop as soon as
possible.
Even if these tests are successful routine compass checks still have to be carried out.
Replacement compass
In case certificates have to been renewed or a replacement compass is necessary Cassens & Plath offers an
exchange service of refurbished compasses. Contact:
. State type of compass, serial
number, flag or required certificate, any detector fixed to the compass, date of last certificate & date of last
compass adjustement. C&P will send a refurbished compass to the next available stopp of the vessel and
invoice. The ship may return to C&P the old compass and we will buy it back. The ship will have a pay back
after inspection of the returned compass.
Alterations / Errors reserved
Cassens & Plath GmbH, Am Lunedeich 131, 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany, Tel. +49 471 483 999 0, Fax +49 471 483 999 10
www.cassens-plath.de
