EV200 drive error ?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum SeaCraftJ2,

Please excuse the delay in this response. When properly installed, Evolution autopillot components should be and have been previously proven to communicate with NMEA 2000 certified third party products. The Evolution autopilot components and the third party NMEA 2000 certified products should each be interfaced as spurs to a powered and properly terminated SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone. Communications between the two systems may be verified by checking for whether third party equipment which has been configured to display rudder angle (only if a rudder reference transducer has been interfaced to the ACU) or Heading (after verifying that the Evolution autopilot is the only source of heading within the system). Should these data items be populated on the third party device, then they would be deemed to be communicating. Similarly, should the COG or SOG data items (both require that the vessel be moving) be populated, then the autopilot would be deemed to be communicating with the third party GPS sensor. Please verify such communications.

Regarding the software update to the EV-1 Sensor Core, please click here to view a FAQ addressing this subject.

Regarding the Drive Fail or Drive Error message, please indicate whether the drive moved the rudder/motor/drive in the correct direction when the Dockside Wizard was executed and if not, whether you then either reversed the leads connected to the ACU's motor terminals or reversed the drive polarity via the Dockside Wizard. Please indicate whether upon completion, you took the boat out for a cruise and completed the Detecting Magnetics (determines the vessel's deviation table) ... if so, what is the maximum detected deviation value specified within the autopilot's diagnostics? Please additionally indicate the make/model of hydraulic pump which has been interfaced to the ACU-200. Should there be any concerns of compatibility causing the reported problem, then the third party products should be temporarily unplugged from the SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone and the autopilot should then be tested again in Auto mode. Should the Autopilot perform similarly to when it had been interfaced to the third party products, then it would be recommended that the ACU-200 and EV-1 Sensor Core be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.