[CA] [CA11] STLK Fail Lightning Issue

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

svbloom,

Q1. I've attached a photo of the plate on the unit for your reference. It is a bit tricky to read as it was hard to get a decent photo in the small space it is installed in, but I believe it is: Model: DU080, Serial #: GB4138, Supply 12V, Freq. DC. If you can let me know what would be involved in upgrading/replacing what we've got that would be great.
A1. The photo of the plate is quite legible. Unfortunately, the drive unit does not appear to be of a Raymarine design and I was unable to locate any information on the drive unit when I searched the Internet for its model. I would recommend searching it for some additional information which may identify its manufacturer. Is it a mechanical linear drive, rotary drive, or hydraulic linear drive. One of our techs ventured that it may be an older Whitlock (Lewmar) Drive. What is the vessel's displacement?

Q2. Regarding our other affected equipment, I'm also still interested to know if we need to run new wires when upgrading from ST60+the i50 & i60 units? I understand they are compatible with our current transducers, which is fantastic, but are they also compatible with our current wires (power, data, etc.) I'm trying to identify what is involved from an installation standpoint.
A2. It would be possible to interface the i50 Tridata and i60 Wind to the SeaTalk bus which had previously connected the ST60+ Instruments to one another. Assuming the ST60 Instruments are located in the same pod, then the i50 Tridata and i60 Wind would be daisy chained to one another via an appropriate length of SeaTalkng Spur Cable. The SeaTalk which presently leads to the SeaTalk bus would be disconnected from the ST60+ Instrument, and would instead be connected to a D244 SeaTalk Junction Block. An A06047 SeaTalkng Spur to SeaTalk Cable would then be used to connect the remaining spur socket of either the i50 Tridata or i60 Wind to the D244 SeaTalk Junction Block. As with the current installation, a SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter would once again be required. The p70S Autopilot Control Head will not be interfaced to the SeaTalk bus and would have to be interfaced as a spur to the system's SeaTalkng backbone should an Evolution autopilot be installed onboard. As a backbone cable will need to be run to the instrument pod (assumed) to connect the p70S to the backbone, it would be logical to then simply choose to install the i50 Tridata and i60 Wind as SeaTakng devices and eliminate the currently installed SeaTalk cabling. Accordingly, it would be my recommendation that the SeaTalk bus be replaced with a SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 backbone. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing addressing best practices installations for sailing vessels.