Autopilot tacking

[daknecht]

I have a EV-1 ACU-100,P70 wheel pilot on my boat. I added an e95 chart plotter this spring and updated all the software in May. In case it is relevant, in the process of updating, the EV-1 was not recognized and had to be sent back to Raymarine to be updated. The autopilot works fine in locked mode. However, the autotack no longer works correctly. First, it tacks very very slowly. Then it overtacks to about 60° apparent (from 38° apparent). It then very slowly comes back to a more correct heading but during that time, the off course alarm is going off. Sometimes it would come back to the correct heading and other times it would go past head to wind. It is set to wheel pilot and sailboat and I have tried both performance mode and cruising mode and it did not seem to make any difference. What should I do to get it working correctly again?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum daknecht

Q1) If your system features an a/c/e/eS/gS-Series MFD then please produce a Diagnostics...html file and attach this file to a response to this thread.

Q2) Please confirm that the reported issue is associated with Vane mode Auto Tack and not Auto Turn.

Q3) Please specify the model and manufacturer of the sailing vessel?

Q4) How maay turns of the wheel are required from hard over to hard over

Q5) What is the hard over time when operating in auto mode?

Q6) What vessel Hull type is it set to? ... you may want to consider changing it to Sail slow turn. (this would increase the pilot gain)

Q7) What is the source of the Wind data?

Q8) Is the pilot receiving boat speed

Please understand that in Vane mode the Auto Tack function will turn the boat through the wind to mirror the wind angle on the opposite tack. There will be some overshoot and then it will trim up to the correct wind angle.
Adjusting the Response levels in Vane mode adjusts the pilots performance steering to a given wind angle. Performance mode should mean the pilot will steer more accurately to the wind ... it sounds as though you have already attempted this.

[daknecht]

The problem has occurred in both vane mode and normal direction lock. I saw information about adjusting Response, but I could find no settings for that in the Setup.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

daknecht,

Should Calibration Lock be set within the autopilot's Vessel Settings, then some of the autopilot's configuration settings may not be re-configured. However, Response Level should be listed within the Main Menu (MENU) of the Evolution autopilot, irrespective of whether Calibration Lock has been configured ON.

Thanks for the information regarding vane mode and normal direction lock. Seven other questions were asked within my prior response. Please provide answers to these other questions in order that we may provide further assistance.

[daknecht]

[quote='Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator' pid='12167' dateline='1499441631']
Welcome to the Raymarine Forum daknecht

Q1) If your system features an a/c/e/eS/gS-Series MFD then please produce a Diagnostics...html file and attach this file to a response to this thread.
I could not find this file on site. Please provide a complete link

Q2) Please confirm that the reported issue is associated with Vane mode Auto Tack and not Auto Turn.

I could find no mention of Auto Turn in any manual I have so I don't know what that is. I am pushing 1 and 10 to Auto Tack.

Q3) Please specify the model and manufacturer of the sailing vessel?

C&C 34+

Q4) How maay turns of the wheel are required from hard over to hard over

1.25

Q5) What is the hard over time when operating in auto mode?

has varied from 30 seconds to never completed

Q6) What vessel Hull type is it set to? ... you may want to consider changing it to Sail slow turn. (this would increase the pilot gain)

Not sure what this refers to. It is set to Sail and I have tried Cruise and Performance with no change in tacking behavior. I don't remember seeing "slow turn" as an option anywhere. I just remember seeing sail and catamaran. Will check on Wednesday when on boat.

Q7) What is the source of the Wind data?
Tac Tic masthead through T122 to SeatalkNG

Q8) Is the pilot receiving boat speed
Currently paddle speed is not on network. Only GPS speed.

Please understand that in Vane mode the Auto Tack function will turn the boat through the wind to mirror the wind angle on the opposite tack. There will be some overshoot and then it will trim up to the correct wind angle.

Has worked like this sometimes but usually not.

Related to this: the manual says: "For vessels without a rudder reference transducer — a default of 30 degrees is displayed, and can be changed as required." I don't have a rudder transducer so how does the pilot know how far it can turn the wheel? Also, what does 30 degrees mean? Rudder angle to hull? How do I know what the correct setting is for my boat?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

daknecht,

Q. I could not find this file on site. Please provide a complete link
A. Should you click on the Diagnostics...html file link within my initial response it should direct you to the FAQ addressing how to create this diagnostic file from your system ... I have verified that this link is correct and operational. The complete URL for the linked FAQ is: http://forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php?tid=1881.

[daknecht]

Attached is the diagnostics file. I decided to attempt a Factor Reset and redo the calibration after saving this file. I did the reset and the dockside calibration. My manual says that I would then go to Seatrial calibration but there was no menu option for this so I am unsure how to proceed. Thanks- Dave

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

David,

Thanks for including the requested diagnostics file, as I had a concern about the software levels within your autopilot components. As suspected, the software within your EV-1 Sensor (v2.17) is not current and it is recommended that it be updated with v2.18 or later EV-1/2 software as the next action to be taken in correcting this specified behavior. Ther is no command to be issued to "sea trial" the vessel. Following the software update, a Pilot Factory Reset should be performed to be followed by a short cruise. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing this subject.

[daknecht]

Yesterday, I did the software update, performed the Dockside Wizard and then took the boat out for a short cruise. The autopilot seemed to be working much better- courses were stable and autotacking worked very nicely, so I think that problem is solved. But I never saw the "the latest p70/p70R Autopilot Control Head software now includes the "Detecting Magnetics" feature" described in the FAQ you linked me to. The autopilot heading is also quite far off from the compass. The sensor core is not near any motors or magnetics (it is in at the very rear of the boat in a locker) so I can't imagine what might be interfering. What steps should I take now? Thanks- Dave

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

David,

Did you execute the Pilot Factory Reset command after updating the autopilot's software?