Wiring questions from a slow learner

[Joe Myerson]

My robo-mate, that is my Raymarine ST-2000 tiller pilot, has been out of commission for three seasons now. I've been able to get along by heaving-to to reef and running forward to raise or lower the main, but my attempts to fix the problem have been unsuccessful. However, this year I think I've figured out the problem: a short-circuit in the cable from the battery bank.

When the A/P stopped working, I was getting an error code of "2000," which meant the pilot wasn't getting enough voltage to run. I assumed it was corroded contacts, so I replaced the socket, cleaned the battery connections, and kept getting the same error code.

At the beginning of this season, I decided to try again, eliminating the wiring to my chartplotter, not because it hadn't worked in the past, but because I really didn't think it was safe to use the pilot that way. So, eliminating the connections to my plotter, I tried again. This time there was no message on the screen at all. The screen was blank, and the A/P was clearly not getting ANY current.

A feeble lightbulb went on: I had never checked the in-line fuse. Sure enough--it had blown. I put in a new fuse, plugged the A/P in, nothing. Checking the fuse: it, too, had blown.

I replaced the fuse, checked the cable for current (yes, my multimeter told me there was current), but when I plugged the device in, still nothing. The fuse seems to be intact.

So, here are my questions, from somebody who should have checked the fuse in the first place:

1) Should I replace the entire cable, which is not that difficult?

2) How can I effectively hang the cable inside my boat every two feet? My old cable hangers have all shaken loose, and I assume that the resulting banging around has caused a break somewhere in the cable.

One more thing: The existing cable is Ancor Marine #14 with two wires. That is what the manual specifies, but I wonder if this wire is available with single-strand copper wire, and if that would help.

Thanks, and I hope to see as many of you as possible in Mystic next month.

--Joe

[Bob Ohler]

Joe,

Replace the entire length of the 14/2 wire.
Use only tinned, multi-stranded wire to supply the electricity to your tiller pilot. Single strand (solid) wire should not be used in marine applications.

I have had some success with wire ties held on place with adhesive back wire holders Ancor #'s 199233, 199234, 199235, 199236, however, wire tires with the screw hole and a short pan head sheet metal screw installed do work better than the adhesive backed style. There will however be instances when you cannot install a screw.

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks, Bob. The existing wire is 14/2, multi-strand and that's what I'll replace it with.

I had used Ancor stick-on wire holders, but they have all shaken loose. In desperation, I stuck a few, for other applications, onto the bulkhead using 3M adhesive (Not 5200!). May try the same.

Even though Raymarine recommends 14/2 wire, the ends barely fit into the terminals in the supplied plug, and the drawing in the manual shows single-strand wire being used. That's why I wondered about the wire size.

I'm pretty sure that after the cable shook loose and banged around under my afterdeck, something broke inside.

--Joe

[Sea Hunt Video]

Joe:

I was not aware you have had an issue with your Raymarine ST-2000.

There are still a couple of months left in the 2017 sailing season for you New Englanders. I would be happy to ship you my Raymarine ST-2000 with the remote control for you to use for the remainder of the season - assuming you are not able to quickly resolve your current issue.

As you know S/V Bali Ha'i is currently on a trailer at my home. As the result of several matters it does not look like I will get her back in the water before November 2017 at the earliest. My ST-2000 is sitting in its box in my garage.

Let me know if you want me to ship you mine for you to use. I'll pay the shipping up to Mass. You pay the shipping back to Miami in Nov/Dec.

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks, Roberto.
My ST-2000 is fine, I think. The problem is with the wiring, which I am replacing in the next few days.

I hope you find a less hurricane-prone home port and that your medical issues are resolved. If I were ever to leave New England, I think I'd settle for someplace in North Carolina, like New Bern or Oriental, but then I'm pretty much of a dyed-in-the-wood New Englander.

Best,

--Joe

P.S. Any chance of seeing you in Mystic next month?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Joe:

No worries. I hope rewiring solves the issue. If not you are welcome to use my ST-2000.

As for annual meeting, as much as I would like to attend, visit with some old friends and meet some new ones, unfortunately the meeting comes in the middle of "H" season for South Florida. As I told Cathy M. in another thread I cannot make air, motel, car reservations and have it all canceled because Mother Nature decides to bless us with a "H" in the middle of September. Maybe next year

[Oswego John]

Joe M.

I'm concerned with the fuses blowing on your tiller pilot. As Bob Ohler suggests, I would remove the old wire and replace it with new.

#14 AWG wire allows you tu use up to 15 amps. Your correct fuse size should be well below 15 amps.

I have always found, one of the biggest causes of problems when using multistrand cable is in the terminations. If not terminated with care, stranded cable can often have short "whiskers" sticking out at termination points. If a whisker from one polarity should accidently touch a whisker or ground of another polarity, unimaginable and sometimes undetectable problems arise that are at the very least, difficult to detect.

The safest way to terminate stranded wire is by crimping the ends with a terminal that has a plastic skirt covering the area between the crimped terminal and the cable. Sometimes, a terminal can't be used as when the conductor has to be wrapped around a screw.

In that case, using a wire skinner, (not a knife) remove about an inch and a half of insulation from the conductor.Wash your hands to remove any oil or grease. If using original cable, make sure that the stranded wire is bright, no trace of cupric oxidation. Twist the stranded wire fairly tightly Apply soldering flux to the bare copper. Gently heat the stranded end with a soldering gun or a propane torch. Go easy on the heat. Heat only enough to allow solder to flow. Careful, too much heat will cause the strands to re-oxidize again.

Using needle nose pliers, bend the tinned wire into a horseshoe to wrap around the terminal screw head. I try to wrap the connector with a good plastic electrical tape, i.e. 3 M tape. This helps protect the connector from the elements.

Good luck,
O J

[Steve Laume]

I would check the connections, very carefully, before I started to run new wire. Especially since you said you had some difficulty getting all the strands to fit. You can do a visual inspection and you could also check for resistance with a multi meter if you bring any old spare piece of wire with a clip on one end to complete the circuit of each wire. I doubt a little flopping around would have cased much damage to your cable. The blown fuses sound like you are shorting at a connection or something is wrong with the AP itself.

I love wire ties. I don't use the sticky ones but I do use the screw in type. I also like to drill small hole in the liner material if it is in a place where I can run a tie through it and tuck the wire run up under the edge. I have done this with all the wires in the main cabin. The little bit of tie tha shows is hardly noticeable, the wires are accessible and the ties are easily replaced.

Having a working AP will be well worth the effort it takes to figure this out, Steve.

[tartansailor]

Hi Joe,
How long is the cable?
You might want to consider voltage drop
over its length.
Dick

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks, everybody, for your suggestions.
Here's today's no-progress report:

I replaced the cable, only to find that I didn't have current flowing through the new set-up. So, doing the work carefully at home, using marine-grade butt connectors wrapped in shrink-wrap, I got a full current reading.

However, the cable-ends simply do not fit into the connectors in the Raymarine socket--even though the manual specifies size 14 wire. I finally resorted to carefully trimming some of the wires at the end that feeds into the socket--and I was able to get them into the tiny holes and tighten them in place with the almost-invisible set screws. (This took repeated tries, as my eyes aren't what they used to be, and I was doing this onboard a rocking boat.)

There is full current where the wires go into the socket--but NONE at the other end.

It's possible that my socket is corroded. I'm bringing my set of micro files out to the boat this morning to see if I can clean the contacts. If not, I'll replace the socket (Raymarine Part D338, available from Defender).

As for cable hangers, I'm using the screw-in types. It's a tight space, lying on my back with a drill, but I should have the cable secured to industry standards.

So, as of this morning I have a working cable, but not a functioning AP.

Another question: I have not used the AP for three seasons. Could it have somehow stopped working?

Best to all.

--Joe

PS Don't forget to come to the CDSOA general membership meeting in Mystic, CT.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Joe:

My offer of using my ST2000 still stands. You can use it for the remainder of the season and then ship it back to me in Nov/Dec. Then, over the cold, freezing miserable winter months you can go back to solving the electrical issue with your ST2000.

Let me know