[DG] [DG11] autopilot oscillates back and forth

[Kmac]

The short subject line is the ultimate problem I am trying to troubleshoot, however I have encountered several other issues in the process. I have an E120 & E80 connected via Seatalk hs. I also have 3-ST60+ daisy chained displays connected via a spliced spur cable/seatalk cable to the Seatalkng converters yellow port, currently the E120 is connected to the instruments through the last ST60+ and the MFD's Seatalk port. The P70 is connected via a backbone cable and 'T' connector to the converter. The EV1 and ACU400 are connected directly to the converter via spur cables. I also have a RS130 GPS connected to the network with a 't' connector and spur cable and a rudder ref unit connected to the ACU. The autopilot system worked fine for about 4 days after I purchased the boat and then the oscillations started.

I have read 100's of the previous posts and the first step always seems to be to update the software in the autopilot system and MFD's. This is where the first problem occurs. The MFD's updated just fine, but the master MFD is not recognizing any of the autopilot instruments and does not populate any of the fields when I choose the update for a particular instrument (P70, ACU400, EV1).

I read in another post that the MFD should be connected to the Seatalkng network with an adapter cable into the Seatalk2 port and the ST60+ should not be connected to the MFD directly. I purchased another 'T' connector, backbone cable and adapter cable to try that, now the MFD in diagnostics does not recognize any instruments, however all of the instruments appear to be working correctly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Derek - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hi Kmac
Thank you for your enquiry.

To carry out the software update to the EV pilot and equipment connected to STng backbone it would be best to temporarily ONLY connect the master EClassic display to the STng network. The suggestion would be to make this connection temporary, disconnect the SeaTalk from this display also, ( to prevent a data loop ) and to leave the SeaTalk part of the system powered down.

Carry out the Software update via this temporary connection and confirm the EV pilot , p70, ACU and converter are all now updated.

Then reconnect your network as previously, connect the master E Classic back to Seatalk, leave the STng adapter cable plugged in to the Master E Classic, ( for future software updates), but disconnect it from STng to prevent a data loop.

Check you system now operates all correctly as it should.

With the software update complete, the autopilot can then be recalibrated, this FAQ found here will help identify potential reasons the pilot drive oscillates, check the PILOT CAL LOCK is OFF when you do your calibration, since this will give you access to features like RUDDER DAMPING which can be increased to stop the oscillation.

Regards

Derek

[Kmac]

Hi Derek,
Thank you for your reply. I made the changes to the cabling as specified, however the E120 still does not recognize any Seatalkng devices connected when I go to the diagnostics menu item. They are all powered on and seem to be working. The E120 does show the autopilot icon in the top left of the screen without the red X, I guess that means it knows its there.

I am wondering if there is an issue with the EV1 and ACU400 being connected to the system through the Seatalk-Seatalkng converter, could that be the problem? The P70 is connected to the backbone cable from the converter as well. If that is not a problem is it possible that the Seatalk2 port on the E120 is defective. Is there a way to test this?

Once again, thank you for your help!

[Derek - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hi Kmac,
Thanks for the feedback,

So if the E120 is connected only via STng, check the backbone is correct with the terminators on the correct places, a steady 13v on the power to the backbone.

Try disconnecting the E120 and leaving just the pilot on the backbone, does the pilot operate correctly, display all the correct data? If yes, then try the other E Classic display and temporarily set that to master and test if it will perform the update. It would be a good idea to isolate the E80 completely except for the STng, so disconnect the network connection too, also temporarily disconnect the ST to STng converter so that all the system is connected through a short backbone and with no other items in the network.

Thanks
Derek