SPX 30 Drive Stop Issue

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Peter,

The reported issue may be caused by any of the following:
- insufficient power provided to autopilot ... connect vessel to shore power and permit its batteries to become fully charged. After doing so, and while still connected to shore power, then test the autopilot by placing it in Auto mode. Should the problem abate, then it is recommended that the vessel's batteries and the charging system be tested. Should the symptoms persist when so tested, then perform tests of the ACU and drive unit to isolate the problem.
- autopilot course computer / actuator control unit (ACU) failure ... disconnect drive unit motor leads from autopilot course computer / ACU MOTOR terminals. Connect voltmeter to the Motor terminals and then place the autopilot in Auto mode ... the measured voltage should be approximately 7.5 volts for an autopilot course computer / ACU powered from a 12 VDC circuit or 13 volts for an autopilot course computer / ACU powered from a 24 VDC circuit. Should these values not be observed, then the autopilot course computer / ACU should be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.
- intermittent or failing drive unit ... while it may not assist in identifying an intermittent drive unit, the drive unit test specified within the FAQ found here may identify a failure of the drive unit. Should a fault be found with the third party drive unit, then we may be able to specify a Raymarine drive unit as a replacement if provided with some details of the vessel.