The Navico WP30 hasn't been made in 15 years or so. It is/was an excellent wheel pilot for boats under 15,000 lbs or so. Wish they still made them.
The big advantage of the WP30 is that it is a self contained unit. The compass was built into the unit mounted on the pedestal. It did not require an external compass. In its simplest form, all you had to do was supply 12 vdc power and press one button and it was steering to course. Add NMEA 0183 input and it steers to wind and waypoint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOopONhR-uQ In my opinion, the algorithms it used to steer were superior to other wheel pilots. It compensated well for sea state, etc. and did not require rudder position indicator data. I've logged many, many miles on Touche' with the WP30 and still love it. So much so that I bought a second unit off eBay for a spare. Used it this week in steer to course, steer to waypoint and steer to wind mode. Worked great. Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 9:34 AM Shawn Wright via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > Interesting idea. I was also an IT guy (retired), but prefer to keep > things simple and manageable. > > I'm not familiar with the WP30 (is there an earlier thread on this?), but > I also have an older autopilot controller, a ComNav 1420, currently driving > a Raymarine wheel pilot motor. I don't have any other electronics (have > used Navionics so far), but will need to get radar and a chartplotter soon > for a planned trip to Haida Gwai and around Vancouver Island. I don't use > the AP much, usually in calm weather motoring only, as the drive motor/belt > system is pretty weak. The ComNav 1420 does support NEMA 0183, so it might > be worth keeping. > > What I'd really like to find is a more open system like Maretron with a > SI-Tex TCP/IP radar, but I understand those radomes are no longer made. I'm > not a fan of spending $$$ on vendor locked in electronics with a limited > lifespan. This SV Delos video on YT shows a very nice system that allows > for managing all functions from a tablet or PC, which appeals to me, but I > haven't located a source for a network radar at a reasonable cost yet: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJUSrbKS1-A > -- > Shawn Wright > shawngwri...@gmail.com > S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 > https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto > > > On Fri, Oct 4, 2019 at 9:16 PM Francois Rivard via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > >> Hi Bill, >> >> There are a few ways to skin that cat. I'm also an IT guy, we live for >> workarounds :-) >> >> Skin the cat #1 To Navico's point: It would probably be somewhat of a >> feat to get the Zeus2 to recognize a 20 + year old WP 30 as a bonafide >> NMEA2000 modern day autopilot. Someone could spend months researching >> , write some fancy code to fool the Zeus, build that into an Arduino board, >> plug it in between, spend quite a few $$$ on ancillary stuff, and fool with >> it for untold hours to make it work. --- > not my speed. >> >> Skin the cat #2: Spend about $2,800 - $3,200 to get a proper controller >> CPU / hydraulic or $$ mechanical under the deck steering quadrant driving >> system, build the fiberglass mounts needed, drop the rudder to fit, etc, >> etc. For all that you get to use the cool Zeus autopilot functions / >> screens and have a robust blue water ready autopilot system. Most likely >> the thing to do for serious offshore work / not necessary for land locked >> Lake Lanier Georgia. >> >> Skin the cat # 3: Play it safe and spend 200 bucks / buy the Actisense >> NMEA Buffer SBF-3-BAS to make sure you don't fry your 1,000 bucks + >> chartplotter, ( >> http://www.allgadgets.co.uk/marine/pc/Actisense-NMEA-Buffer-NBF-3-BAS-p532.htm) >> and hook-up the Autopilot to use it's own Steer to wind function or follow >> waypoints dictated by your routes in Zeus. >> >> You don't necessarily have to use the Zeus autopilot functions. Using the >> video / NMEA0183 cable connected to Zeus and running it as designed it will >> broadcast all the necessary wind / depth / speed / heading / cross track >> / waypoint information to NMEA0183. The old WP30 is actually designed to >> listen to that broadcast info and react accordingly (It's supposed to do it >> quite well). You just make sure your Zeus is on and configured to >> broadcast then you hold the "Standby" WP30 button for a few seconds, and >> click both left and right arrows (On the WP 30 controller) at the same >> time. Done! Now the WP30 is a slave tho whatever Zeus is broadcasting and >> everything is working as designed by Navico 20+ years ago. >> >> Option #3 Works for me. >> >> Best of luck with the project. >> >> Francois Rivard >> 1990 34+ "Take Five" >> Lake Lanier, GA >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each >> and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - >> use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >> >> _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > >
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
