Operation; General; Engaging The Clutch; Autopilot Mode - Simrad Navico Wheelpilot WP10 Manual

2 Operation

2.1 General

The Wheelpilot powers up in Standby Mode, indicat-
ed by a flashing LED next to the STBY AUTO key.
The two direction LEDs above the Port and Starboard
keys are always dimly lit, which provides night illu-
mination for the keypad. All functions are confirmed
audibly by a ÒbeepÓ and visually by the LEDs, so the
status of the unit can always be confirmed at a glance.

2.2 Engaging the clutch

The Wheelpilot will not drive in any mode unless the
drive clutch is engaged first. The clutch is controlled
by the lever on the left side of the unit (Fig 2.1). When
the lever is in the upward position, the clutch is disen-
gaged, and the wheel is free to turn by hand. To
engage the clutch, push the lever down fully until it is
flush with the motor housing. The wheel will then be
held firmly by the Wheelpilot - hand steering will not
be possible until the clutch is disengaged.

2.3 Autopilot Mode

To lock the vessel onto the current heading, simply
steer a straight course, engage the clutch and press the
STBY AUTO key to switch to Auto Mode, indicated
by the LED next to the STBY AUTO key lighting per-
manently (Fig 2.2).
To lock the pilot onto the desired course, simply steer
the correct course and then engage the autopilot. The
wheel should always be in the centreline position
before engaging the Wheelpilot.
If the STBY AUTO key is pressed and held, the pilot
will beep a second time and lock onto the previously
used heading (this feature will not be available if the
unit has just been switched on).
To disengage the pilot, press the STBY AUTO key and
lift the clutch lever. Always switch the pilot to
Standby mode when disengaging the clutch.

2.4 Adjusting Course

While in Autopilot Mode, precise course adjustments
can be easily made -
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Clutch Off
Clutch On
Fig 2.1 - Engaging clutch
TACK
STBY
STBY STBY
AUTO
AUTO
Fig 2.2 - Engaging autopilot mode
TACK
STBY
STBY
AUTO
CAL
Fig 2.3 - Course adjustment to Port
To make a 1¼ adjustment, press either the Port or
Starboard key once. This is confirmed by a single beep,
and the relevant Port or Starboard LED will flash once.
To make a 10¼ adjustment, press and hold the key, con-
firmed by a double beep and a double flash of the Port
or Starboard LED (Fig 2.3).

2.5 Autotack

The Wheelpilot has a built-in autotack facility, allow-
ing easy tacking of the vessel when single or short
handed. An autotack is only possible when in
Autopilot Mode.
To initiate autotack, press and hold the Tack key, fol-
lowed by either the Port or Starboard key, depending
on which direction you wish to tack (Fig 2.4). The
WP10 has a factory preset autotack angle of 110¼.

2.6 Rudder Movement (Gain)

The Wheelpilot uses highly advanced steering soft-
ware, which constantly assesses how the vessel is being
affected by the prevailing conditions. By adjusting its
own performance, the pilot is able to maintain the most
accurate course for these conditions, just as a human
pilot would. Thus, in a rough sea the pilot is not over-
worked and battery drain is kept to a minimum.
The pilot will make corrections to compensate for
heading errors, in order to keep the boat on course.
The amount of rudder correction made is set by the
Gain (sometimes referred to as the rudder ratio).
The Gain setting can be compared to driving a motor
vehicle - at high speeds, very little wheel movement is
necessary to steer the vehicle (LOW gain). When dri-
ving at slow speeds, more wheel movement is neces-
sary (HIGH gain).
Fig 2.5A shows the effect of setting the Gain too low:
the boat takes a long time to return to the correct
heading. Fig 2.5B is ideal, where errors are quickly
corrected. Fig 2.5C occurs when the Gain too high,
causing the boat to ÒSÓ, or oscillate around the cor-
rect heading. Excessive Gain (Fig 2.5D) causes
instability of course, leading to increasing error.
To adjust Gain, please refer to section 3.3.
TACK TACK
STBY STBY
AUTO
TACK TACK
STBY STBY
AUTO
Fig 2.4 - Initiating Starboard autotack
A B C D
Fig 2.5 - Effects of Gain setting
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