Navpilot 300 issues

[CaptRon]

My new Navpilot worked fine for about a month and then suddenly started the issues.
First it would lose communication with the processor, then detect again and work fine. With time, this became more and more frequent and not always reconnecting. Then started a different communication error between the processor unit and control head with the rudder indicator flashing to one or the other direction. Now the new thing is that the control heads just switch themselves off. One moment everything is fine, the next - it’s off.
Sometimes both control heads switch off (not at the same time) and sometimes one will stay on.
On one occasion, one of the control heads got stuck on a communication error and wouldn’t reset nor be turned off. None of the buttons effected it. Had to be shut off from the breaker on the dc panel.
Any advice will be welcomed as the dealer that sold and installed it doesn’t want to fix it and I am due to start an ocean crossing in a week or two.
Thank you in advance!

 

[FishTech]

I would check the NMEA 2000 system. The control heads and processor communicate with each other across that bus. The control heads also rely on the power from it.
The quick basics to check are:
(With power on)
9-16VDC present on the red and black power wires.
(With power off)
~60 ohms across the blue and white data wires.
>0.5 ohms across the black and shield wires.

Ensure that there is not a sting of tees connected in a manner that allows them to flex or make a rainbow shape. That is probably one of the most commonly found problems with installations.

If you are not familiar with NMEA 2000, the link below is a good guide.

https://furunousa.com/-/media/sites/furuno/document_library/technical_info/interfacing_and_installation/interfacing_and_installation/furuno_can_bus_network_design.pdf

 

[Johnny Electron]

Heading sensor and Transducer performance on new TZT3

Thx again Gentlemen! I’ve passed this on to the installer and will post more pics/feedback asap.

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