Auto Pilot controller

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bryant

Active member
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Messages
44
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
looking to buy a Ranger Tug R25
Originally had a problem with a constant "Engine Gear Pressure Input High" . The marina mechanic was able to fix that problem by resetting the sensors. However this brought on another problem. Now when I turn on the auto pilot I get Searching for the Auto Pilot Controller". Went through the set up for the GPS but couldn't find anything referring to auto pilot controller. If anyone knows what that is and how to connect it to the auto pilot that would be great. If at all possible I would love to avoid another bill from the marina mechanic
Thanks Bryant
 
Hello,

In regards to the "searching for autopilot controller" this can be related to several different things. I usually go to the most common and easiest solution first. My first suggestion is to unplug both the N2K wire and power wire off of the back of the autopilot display. Wait about 30 seconds and plug them back in. If this solves the issue, I believe it was a simple matter of resetting the nmea 2000 power.

If that doesn't do it, I would open up the settings tab and find your nmea 2000 communications to see if both the display and ecu are being recognized with the pilot turned on. If not, I am guessing there is a problem with the wiring. The other one to check which I have seen many failures with is where the box and pump are located (usually in the cockpit). Check to make sure the 4 wires didn't get damaged going into that control box.

Let us know what is found please.

Thank you,
 
similar to Andrew's recommendation if I don't turn on the autopilot at the same time as the Garmin plotter it can sometimes get a bit confused on the NMEA network and then never find the controller its searching for. restarting the house battery network by switching off the breaker resolves the problem
 
I will try you suggestions and let you know what I find.
Thanks
Bryant
 
With mine it is usually the batteries in the controller. I usually have to replace the batteries once a year.
 
My boat is a 2019 Cutwater 28. I have had the similar auto pilot controller problem. The auto pilot controller seemed not able to register to the chart plotter consistently. After bunch of trial and error, I found if the auto pilot controller isn't seen from the chart plotter, I just need to power cycle the auto pilot controller.

What this tells me there is a bug in Garmin's NMEA 2000 bus handling. Like all buses, the NMEA bus needs a bus master. This bus master is likely to be the chart plotter in my situation. When a non-master device first gets onto a bus, it typically does a broadcast telling everybody on the bus of its existence. When the bus master receives this broadcast, it registers the device. In my case, it is the chart plotter registering the auto pilot controller after receiving its broadcast. However, during a power up cycle, if the bus master powers up later than its slave devices (i.e. the auto pilot controller), the chart plotter will miss the opportunity to register the auto pilot controller. It is 50-50 chance for the chart plotter to complete its powerup cycle ahead of the auto pilot. Hence, the 50-50 chance to not seeing the auto pilot controller on my boat.

I am looking at this from how a typical bus operates. Once the bus master receives the slave device registration, it replies with an acknowledgement message. From there, both of them talk. If the slave device does its initial broadcast and without receiving any acknowledgement from the master, it should keep broadcasting. In my C28 situation, the auto pilot probably does one time broadcast and that's it. That's why power cycle the auto pilot controller fixes this problem.

Long and complex explanation....

Frank
 
Great responses all. At least now I have a plane of attack. Would have been nice to have schematic to see how equipment links together. Let you know how I make out.
Bryant
 
pretty sure all these components are just on the NMEA network which as Frank says raises the complexity because now we are talking about network protocols on a BUS connection and not just direct wire connections. - think - devices on your home wifi all talking to each other over a common network vs plugging your headphones into the stereo
 
One more thing to consider. Our Garmin system is older but I think the basic autopilot design is quite similar.
Per Garmin: “The message "Searching for Autopilot Controller" is displayed when the GHC display is not receiving a signal from the Course Computer Unit (CCU).”
For us, the Searching for Autopilot Controller intermittent problem was caused by an intermittent failure of the CCU to have power. At rendezvous, it took Andrew Custis crawling around in the wiring behind the helm to find a faulty inline fuse holder. The fuse was good but the fuse holder itself was faulty. Andrew knew it was a power to the CCU unit problem because there wasn’t the normal CCU status light on.
Thanks again Andrew! The autopilot has been working flawlessly since the bad inline fuse holder was replaced four years ago.
 
also on some of the older boats and Im not sure if its still true, but the power for the NMEA network was provided by the fusion radio and may be on the limits of requirements for the NMEA network and may contribute to this cause.

could be worth exploring.
 
also had an issue with the controller. Garmin recommended opening the connectors to the control unit next to the pump and spraying with contact cleaner. Did this twice and the problem went away.

Stuart
 
Year or two ago had lots of searching for controller. Cleaned and reseated connectors on display, nothing. Powered down house and turned on often solved. Cleaned and reseated CCU , nothing. Cleaned ECU, Box bu pump, think one of them was hit by tool box in lazerette. Anyway no problems for over a year. ECU connectors seemed to do it. Blinks red when bad, green when good good luck.
Bill
 
Want to thank everybody for their inputs on my Auto Pilot issue. Finally found the power cable to the ECU was disconnected. It was a bit difficult to find because there was a shelf built in front of and over the top of the ECU. Once I reconnected the cable everything worked fine. Again thanks to everyone for their input.
Bryant
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top