S100 Remote

[[email protected]]

I have a Raymarine EV0 autopilot with S100 remote connected to it via a ST to STng converter. The S100 is unreliable at best. It will miss course alterations using the left or right arrow keys upwards of 20% of the time even though the S100 beeps acknowledging the input. On occasion it will miss two consecutive 1 degree course corrections and then the EVO will do a 20 degree course correction in the same direction. When doing a long key press for a 10 degree course change, it will accept the input move 10 degrees and then promptly cancel the course change and revert to the previous heading. Also on occasion when giving it a one degree course correction it will do the 1 degree and then do another 10 degrees. I have restricted my use of the S100 to course corrections of only a couple of degrees and then only in full view of the P70R.

The network is configured as:
Seatalk: S100, Autohelm Speed Instrument, Autohelm GPS, Autohelm Depth Instrument, ST to STng converter (Version 1.21)
Seatalk NG: EV-1 Course Computer (Version 2.17 ) , ACU-400 (Version 2.17)
NMEA 2000: Garmin 4212 MFD, Raymarine a68 (Version 17.45), AMEC AIS, Actisense NGT-1, Garmin GPS-17, Raymarine P70R (Version 3.05)
The EV-1 and ACU-400 are connected to the device ports on the ST-STng converter and the backbone port is connected via a backbone cable to the NMEA 2000 network backbone. The NMEA 2000 network provides power to the ST and STng networks.
The S100 remote shows 3 bars on the signal meter even when only inches from the base station. The actual distance in operation is less than 7 feet.
I have been unable to update the ST-STng converter to the latest software listed on the Raymarine web site as the a68 does not recognize the files I have downloaded as software. It recognized all other files in the a68 update.

My impression is the ST-STng converter doesn’t have the processing power to handle the autopilot inputs, in other words it misses the inputs.

Tom

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Tom,

As no prior reports have been received, it is unlikely that there is a compatibility issue with the S100 / Evolution autopilot combination. Please note that the SmartController and S100 are functionally equivalent SeaTalk based autopilot remotes with respect to the autopilot command features. I too have an Evolution autopilot which, along with all other Raymarine components, has been updated with the latest product software ... I have not experienced limit problems with the SmartController's dodge feature which you have described. Accordingly, the problem may be rooted in one of the following:
- low battery power in the S100 ... change its batteries and re-test

- update the software within the ST-STng Converter. Unlike prior software update .zip downloads which had been designed to be installed as the MFD was booting up, the new software update .iso downloads are designed to be installed by a MFD which been fully booted. After the Limitations of Use message has been acknowledged, then the microSD memory card containing the software update .iso file(s) will be inserted into the MFD's memory card reader. After doing so, the Check Card For Updates feature (HOME->SET-UP->MAINTENANCE->CHECK CARD FOR UPDATES) will be used to initiate the software update process. Please additionally note that the a/c/e/eS/gS-Series MFD v17.45 software update file included a .iso file to update the ST-STng Converter. When using the .iso files within the v17.45 software update download to update Raymarine peripherals, the software microSD containing the v17.45 software update files must be inserted into the MFD's memory card after the Limitations of Use message has been acknowledged. The MFD poll the SeaTalkng and Ethernet network to identify all networked products, their respective software versions, whether an update is available for each product, and provide an option to then update the software of the selected devices.

- rule out compatibility issues with third party products by temporarily disconnecting them from the STng backbone and re-test the S100 after having addressed the items listed above.

[[email protected]]

The a68 does not recognize the downloaded file as a software update following your procedure. I did not insert the SD card with the software update until after the MFD had booted and I acknowledged the warning message. At this point I don't know what to do. Am I getting the wrong file. I downloaded the one for the "a" series.

On the other items.

This is a new installation, the batteries in the remote are new. The remote when held next to the base station still only shows 3 bars.

I cannot disconnect 3rd party products. Both the MFD and P70R are connected to the NMEA 2000 backbone. While I could disconnect them from the ACU/EV-1 I cannot operate for long in that condition. While it may prove an incompatibility it would also show that the S100 is not suitable for its intended purpose since it is not logical to assume it will always be used in an all Raymarine network.

The problem I am identifying is not with the dodge feature. It is with accuracy of the remote to execute an input. It is hardly any better than rolling dice. It might take a 1 degree course correction and it might not. It might miss two 1 degree course corrections and then give you a 20 degree correction. In other words, any time you push a button you are not exactly sure what the result will be.

The key is probably in the wireless signal. You would think at 2 inches you would get 5 bars not 3. I don't know whether the communications is digital or analog. If analog then signal is more likely the issue. If digital, then the processor in the base station may have a problem.

Tom

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Q1: The a68 does not recognize the downloaded file as a software update following your procedure. I did not insert the SD card with the software update until after the MFD had booted and I acknowledged the warning message. At this point I don't know what to do. Am I getting the wrong file. I downloaded the one for the "a" series.
A1: It is recommended that you ensure that the downloaded ray_Adapters_20151028.upgrade.iso file is copied into the root level directory fo a microSD memory card which has been cleaned of other files. Following boot-up, insert the card and use the command HOME->SET-UP->MAINTENANCE->CHECK CARD FOR UPDATES to start the update process.

Q2: This is a new installation, the batteries in the remote are new. The remote when held next to the base station still only shows 3 bars.
A2: Contrary to the document for the S100, it is designed to represent full signal strength as three bars, not five as is shown within the document.

Q3: The problem I am identifying is not with the dodge feature. It is with accuracy of the remote to execute an input. It is hardly any better than rolling dice. It might take a 1 degree course correction and it might not. It might miss two 1 degree course corrections and then give you a 20 degree correction. In other words, any time you push a button you are not exactly sure what the result will be.
A3: The feature which you are describing is referred to as the dodge feature (+/-1 & +/-10 commands) ... these dodge commands may be executed via an autopilot control head or wireless autopilot control head and are intended the change the course heading to be steered by 1 or 10 degree increments. The key to getting this feature to function properly is to configure its Mode properly. When configured to its default setting (Fishing), the behavior described may occur. Should the vessel be a power or sailing vessel, then the S100's mode should be changed accordingly to the corresponding mode.

Q4: The key is probably in the wireless signal. You would think at 2 inches you would get 5 bars not 3. I don't know whether the communications is digital or analog. If analog then signal is more likely the issue. If digital, then the processor in the base station may have a problem.
A4: See the response to Q2.

[[email protected]]

I changed the mode on the S100 to power and it now works correctly without a software update for the ST to STNG converter. It begs the question, what is the fishing mode for since it doesn't seem to work properly.

Tom

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Tom,

Fishing mode is designed for execution of fishing patterns in conjunction with the S1000 autopilot.