Autopilot Troubleshooting

[DefinitelyMe]

Looking for advice on troubleshooting a B&G Hydra autopilot. I'm getting nothing on the control unit at all. When I open up the black box processor thingy I'm getting voltage in but not detecting voltage anywhere else. What should I be testing to find where the fault is?

Cheers!

[DefinitelyMe]

Any ideas at all?!

[Exile]

Wish I could help (other than a bump), especially since I have the same AP. I'm assuming it's the older (pre-Navico) HydraPilot? And you're referring to the CPU for the AP, not the main instrument computer? I'm having some trouble with my AP as well but nothing like you've described. I hope someone with more experience or expertise will chime in.

[smac999]

the control is either nmea 2000 if newer or robnet if older?

it should turn on even if pilot is not working. as the bus should have power. it will just error that no pilot is seen.

likly you are missing power on the bus, or the remote is dead.

you'd have to know which bus it was, and what else was on it. to go further.

[Topspin]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

When I open up the black box processor thingy I'm getting voltage in but not detecting voltage anywhere else. What should I be testing to find where the fault is?

Cheers!

Any fuse inside the thingy (sometimes fuses are soldered) close to the power input ?



-Richard

[DefinitelyMe]

Yes there is a fuse but the fuse is good.

Yes, it is the older, pre-NEMA2000 system.

I guess my first question is: I'm getting power in to the big black box (the CPU I think?). Should I also be getting power out even when the pilot is not operating?

Nothing on the screen of the display/control unit but I can't test whether it is getting power or not because the wiring for it is sealed.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by smac999

the control is either nmea 2000 if newer or robnet if older?

it should turn on even if pilot is not working. as the bus should have power. it will just error that no pilot is seen.

likly you are missing power on the bus, or the remote is dead.

you'd have to know which bus it was, and what else was on it. to go further.

Which Bus are you referring to? There are lots of little black boxes with wires going in and out of them, presumably to distribute power, signals etc.) where it is needed. None of them have any voltage anywhere when I open them up and test across the various wires.

[Exile]

On my pre-Navico B&G HydraPilot which uses NMEA 0183, the little black boxes you're referring to are terminal blocks for the various instrument displays, incl. the AP control head. Do you also have B&G instruments, for e.g. Hydra 2000? If so, then there should be two large black boxes with easily removable covers on the front. On my boat, the larger of the two is the main computer for the instruments and it's mounted behind the nav station. The smaller of the two is the AP CPU and it's mounted in a hanging locker btwn the nav station and the AP ram itself.

From my own recent troubleshooting efforts, I learned that (generally speaking) intermittent glitches/failures are usually connection issues, while complete failures are more likely a problem with a CPU or an instrument display. When it comes to connection issues, I've had some success removing & reinserting (after cleaning if necessary) connectors or bare wires. Apparently there can be unseen corrosion, or even "tin-whiskering," that can sometimes get resolved by simply removing/reinstalling wires. Also, if you have a B&G manual onboard there are color codes listed therein which can help identify AP wires. Manuals are also available for download online.