This subject was covered in my blog of some time back,the reason was its said that the Brooks and Gatehouse ACP1 12volt,12amp auto pilot control box is the same as the ACP2, which is 12 volt and 24 volt with a load of 24amps,which in my own case is the required unit to drive a 16amp rudder drive motor.
Read the story on this link,its not so straight forward as some may have us believe?
http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2010/10/b-network-acp1-drive-units.html
My reasoning after being told what it was that would not work, I had was to think up a system that will allow the ACP1 to handle the increased loads,without sending my unit to a specialist for an upgrade to ACP2 but how to do this?
While I may be a Joiner by trade and a boat builder as time demands,I am also very interested in marine electronics and dont mind having a go myself,if I can sort out the circuits as logical moves,normally I can find out what part of a radio or marine gear is causing a fault,even if I can not the repair it?
Connected and showing a No Pilot message,which then defaults to Error 15,with a audible alarm too.
In this case it was not a repair,it was the design of a new circuit,which is well outside what I can do but well inside what my good friend and many time crew member Notty can do,he does fire detection designs as a part of his job.I asked Notty to do a design for me where the output signal from the ACP1 was sent to a powerfull relay before it went to the electric drive motor,this way the motor takes what ever amps it needs via the new and external relays and the load is removed from the ACP1 unit.
Thanks to Dave at Bates Firetron for the gift of those relays!
Making the actual relay set was Notty's job,I then was given that,plus the design layout and its connections and rather than set the equipment up on a boat,I have opted to do it in comfort on my bench,I must say that was a great idea,we now have power via a small nicad 12volt battery,time to test the set up and see if the idea works?
For ease of working on the bench, I will use a spare Autohelm 4000 drive motor unit to see the drive working,we are really looking for a left and right signal (port & starboard) which the ACP1 does anyway,with a remote fluxgate compass and an autopilot control connected we should see success?
Yes,they will be available for sale if you want one.
Roy
Read the story on this link,its not so straight forward as some may have us believe?
http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2010/10/b-network-acp1-drive-units.html
The test bed unit,I will next connect a Hornet 4 control box,wind speed and direction unit,boat speed,then wire in the six thin wires on the fluxgate compass on the right of the test unit.
My reasoning after being told what it was that would not work, I had was to think up a system that will allow the ACP1 to handle the increased loads,without sending my unit to a specialist for an upgrade to ACP2 but how to do this?
While I may be a Joiner by trade and a boat builder as time demands,I am also very interested in marine electronics and dont mind having a go myself,if I can sort out the circuits as logical moves,normally I can find out what part of a radio or marine gear is causing a fault,even if I can not the repair it?
Connected and showing a No Pilot message,which then defaults to Error 15,with a audible alarm too.
In this case it was not a repair,it was the design of a new circuit,which is well outside what I can do but well inside what my good friend and many time crew member Notty can do,he does fire detection designs as a part of his job.I asked Notty to do a design for me where the output signal from the ACP1 was sent to a powerfull relay before it went to the electric drive motor,this way the motor takes what ever amps it needs via the new and external relays and the load is removed from the ACP1 unit.
Thanks to Dave at Bates Firetron for the gift of those relays!
Making the actual relay set was Notty's job,I then was given that,plus the design layout and its connections and rather than set the equipment up on a boat,I have opted to do it in comfort on my bench,I must say that was a great idea,we now have power via a small nicad 12volt battery,time to test the set up and see if the idea works?
For ease of working on the bench, I will use a spare Autohelm 4000 drive motor unit to see the drive working,we are really looking for a left and right signal (port & starboard) which the ACP1 does anyway,with a remote fluxgate compass and an autopilot control connected we should see success?
Yes,they will be available for sale if you want one.
Roy
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