Raymarine ST1000 straight to 12v?

[zachduckworth]

Hi everyone,
A buddy gifted me his Raymarine ST-1000 auto tiller. The only problem is that the plug has been cut off the power cable. There are only two wires inside the outer casing, pos and neg. Is there any reason not to just stick the wire through a gland, then to the shunt of my batter monitor with a fuse in the wire? That would be easier and cheaper than buying a new cable and the power plug. I don’t use instruments at this moment, just tablets and phones (not a racer!). Thanks!

[Pete7]

You could, or use a Bulgin deck plug and matching connector on the ST1000 wire. That way it's pretty water proof and easy to disconnect to store away.

Not cheap, but you really don't want corroded wires on the tiller pilot as that will be a nightmare in sue. There other types available too.

https://www.indexmarine.com/product/...connector-kit/

[JeffBurright]

Yes, you could do a direct wire, but I'd recommend you at least get a 2-wire trailer connection plug from an auto parts store to allow you to disconnect and stow the tiller unit when not in use. Leaving it out in the cockpit all the time you might find inconvenient, plus it'd be out in the weather when not in use, decreasing its overall life.

I use one of these plugs on my homebrew autopilot's tiller actuator: LINK. It seems like it can stand up to the elements, but I still snake the power cable under the lid of my cockpit locker and make the actual connection down in there. I use the same plug for my wheel pilot too and just dangle the connection under the motor box in the open cockpit.


PS - did your friend gift you the seat socket and tiller bracket too? If not, those might take some ingenuity on their own.