ST4000 Help needed

[AMEX]

Dear all

I have a Bavaria 32, 4 years old which came with an autopilot Raymarine ST4000.

On my last sail, the autopilot appeared unresponsive, very sluggish to say the least, basically out of puff.
I have since checked the connections and when reading the In voltage to the ST4000, I have 13.3 V.
On the other hand, when I check the Drive outpout from the ST4000 (and sending command signals), I read between 3 and 9 Volts.
This, I conclude, is where comes the problem but still;, if anyone of you has an idea, I ll be glad to received any advice you may have on that topic.

Perhaps unrelated, I have also noticed that the compass, when calibrated (manually, not through a swing), holds a correct heading for a while then rapidly indicates nearly 180 degres off.

I am about to send back the unit to Raymarine to have it checked, yet, maybe there is a simple fix or check I could carry out.

Best regards and thanks for your opinions.


David

[argofred]

Raymarine does not support and service the st 4000 here in the states anymore. Things different over across the pond? Can't comment on your problem but the original owner of my boat had the foresight to buy spares for everything including motor, belt drive and control head. Best of luck.

[AMEX]

Thanks Argofred for the precision.

Safe sailing

[wwilson]

AMEX,

Have you used the Raymarine web to pose your questions to the manufacturer? I have found them very responsive and helpful. If you haven't tried it yet, here is their URL: Raymarine Marine Electronics - Support Home

Some of your problem, specifically, "the compass, when calibrated (manually, not through a swing), holds a correct heading for a while then rapidly indicates nearly 180 degres off." is similar to a problem that I experienced. It may be the control head. If so, repair is possible though the vintage of the ST4000 may not allow. The newer control heads are compatible with past issue corepacks.

In any event, try to get your info from Raymarine if you can.

On your other, related post, look for the corepack (including compass) near the nav station - perhaps behind / in the proximity of the electrical panel if there is room?

Wayne

[AMEX]

Thanks for the linkwwilson. Added to my favorites .

I have managed to speak to a Raymarine technician. For me to know and for those who might need to, the input of 13.3 V (or about) is of course normal but so is the low outpout. In fact you only get the max outpout when tacking through the autopilot. Small corrections will send weaker voltage.

Did all the testing and it looks fine, from a voltage perspective... Off to the Raymarine link now .


Thanks again

David