SPX-5 as backup to EV-200

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Bob,

Prior to the introduction of the MFDs running LightHouse II and LightHouse 3 software, i50/i60/i70 instruments, Raystar 130/150, Evolution autopilots, etc., Raymarine marine products were not designed to operate within a system featuring multiple sources of any one type of data (ex. GPS, heading, depth, wind, etc.). Should a system feature legacy Raymarine products introduced prior to those specified above, then the system should be restricted/configured to only permit one source of such data within the system.

Q1. Do I need to re-install the old heading sensor or will the heading data from the EV-1 work with both ACUs? The EV-1 seems to be the better sensor so I'd rather use it for both ACUs.
A1. Yes. SPX autopilots were not designed to utilize data from a SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 heading source. While it is possible for SPX autopilots to utilize a 10Hz NMEA 0183 heading source, system performance will typically be better with the fluxgate compass designed for use with the SPX autopilots.

Q2. Can the P70 control both pilots via the SeaTalk ng backbone? Can the second pilot be on Standby or must it be powered off?
A2. Please note that the EV-1 CCU not only functions as an Evolution autopilot's heading sensor, but also at the autopilots course computer. In contrast, the SPX autopilots combine the course computer and ACU within a single component. The two autopilot course computers (i.e. EV-1 / ACU and SPX) must not be simultaneously interfaced to the system. Control over which autopilot would be used within the system would typically be accomplished by switches or manually plugging/unplugging the component's SeaTalkng cable.

Q3. I have a switch between the ACU-200 and the tiller drive (I currently use a non-Raymarine autopilot as a backup). Will I need to isolate the EV-200 and SPX-5 further?
A3. See the response to Q2. As when used the third party autopilot, it would be recommended that switching be used to control which of the autopilots is controlling the drive unit.