Autopilot msg "DRIVESTOP" Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 in Technical Discussion Forum

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Autopilot msg "DRIVESTOP" Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2

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tomcharron2

Autopilot msg "DRIVESTOP" Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2

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Posts: 187

Dec 13 10 8:44 AM

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"DRIVESTOP" Have you ever seen this on your Autopilot Controller?

Here is the whole Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 laid before you ready for repair and cleaning!

Well after 9 1/2 years of use my Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 stopped dead and displayed

"DRIVESTOP".

Problem is most likely CARBON FOULING OF THE BRUSHES AND COMMUTATOR of the LINEAR ELECTRIC DC DRIVE MOTOR!!! You likely can repair your own unit w/o spending the $600.00 bucks Raymarine charges....It is fairly simple. Here is my experience with Pictures to assist.

MiVida has logged over 1000 hours of use on this Raymarine autopilot w/o problem over 9.5 years! Sailing on the Pacific from SF to San Diego, up to Bodega Bay, out to the Farallon Islands and all over SF Bay and the Sacramento and Napa River Deltas....over 1000 hours of autopilot use which was flawless. Until last week when the Linear Drive stopped working!

Interesting that I could make the linear drive move if I 'jiggled' the helm after giving a command to change course. But the drive would not function to keep on course.

Also I (when in port) went below with my remote and gave command to change course (10degrees) and then tapped the drive unit with a rubber mallet with the unit giving proper response of the linear drive.

Thus I deduced that the drive was malfunctioning. Not the clutch as I could hear it engage and disengage when placed in 'auto' and returned to 'standby'.

So I checked with Raymarine and found they wanted $600.00 to look at the unit and repair. A new unit costs over $1600.00. Thus I decided to take the Linear Drive Type 2 to my home shop and open it up for diagnosis and hopefully, repair and restoration by my hands. Before doing that I searched the web for info, discussed with my good friends at Farallone Yachts (Roger and Dina Goodsell) and my sailing friend attorney and civil engineer Jim.

It seems that after years of use the Linear Drive motors of the Raymarine Type 2 units build up a lot of loose carbon on the burshes and commutator which inhibits the functioning of this stepper motor.

I cleaned the whole unit, blew all the carbon dust from the disassembled motor, cleaned the brushes (only about 50% worn) and reassembled the whole unit....

Reinstalled and now all is functioning normally....saved $600.00 bucks for a job that needed only compressed air, electrical device cleaner and the tools and shop to carefully disassemble and reassemble the unit!

BTW: I wanted to install new brushes...but could not (to date) find any listed with Raymarine....will try again this week by phone....(need to have spares when the 50% used brushed bite the dust)!

I have checked Raymarine Q&A and no mention is made of this carbon build-up problem (although on the web search there are a few mentions of same...and one mention of this problem on a thread on this discussion board too. You can use the search fx ... look for "Aging autopilot drive" there is a good response from Colin there posted on this issue).

Attached I post pics of the dissassembly of the unit for all to see what is in this little box! (Pics are always better than words!)

Here are the progression pics of opening the unit and exposing the motor etc.

To get inside the unit remove

1.) the two hexhead set screws pictured in the second frame

2.) the two brass hex posts in the aluminum plate to which the motor is attached

3.) the hex head screws in the aluminum plate to which the motor is attached.

4.) the hex head screws which hold the motor to the plate

5.) the flat head screws which hold the motor together

Look closely at the blow up pictures below and you can see the motor brushes and all the screws and linear drive component hardware laid out on the bench. CLICK on the PICs for BLOW UP VIEW!

Brushes 50% worn but reusable (carbon on the unit easily blown off and cleaned with electric cleaner from Radio Shack)

All components laid out for your visual inspection

Comments appreciated.

Hope this helps someone somewhere to not be stranded in a foreign port or anchorage and not face having to helm the vessel manually back to homeport or otherwise!

TomCharron

MiVida C42 #631

OYC

Gate 7

Alameda, California

Edited 13 times by tomcharron2 Dec 13 10 9:35 AM.

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sashay567

#1

[-]

Posts: 350

Dec 13 10 9:13 AM

Tom, nice job documenting the disassembly with pictures. I did the same thing on John & Gilly's Destiny while anchored in Turtle Bay during the '07 Ha Ha. In addition to carbon issues from the brushes in the drive, one of the motor magnets epoxied inside the motor body had detached and was rattling around inside the motor. Cleaned the motor and re-expoxied the magnet, and we had an autopilot again.

BTW, the Raymarine part number for the Type 2 motor brushes is n034 - T2 motor brush kit. Per the Raymarine website, MSRP is $48.00 USD. As you found in the internet, this is a very common but very simple failure mode for Raymarine linear drives.

Rodney Kidd, C-42 #567 Sashay, 2 Cabin Fin, Marina Village, Alameda, CA

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tomcharron2

DC Motor Brushes Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 (n034-T2)

#2

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 13 10 9:47 AM

Rod:

Thanks for the comments.

Thanks for the info on the brushes replacement part number.

Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 P# (N034-T2)

The web search was 'dead end'

I'll call Raymarine today and see if they can supply...

I guess the Raymarine does not want to condone 'amateur' disassembly of their drive units by giving out info on brushes and carbon buildup....a rather simple task which extends the life and use of this unit for not too much effort and very little cost.

Thanks for the internet and this discussion board...

TomCharron

MiVida

C42 #631

Edited 1 time by tomcharron2 Dec 14 10 9:21 AM.

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tomcharron2

Symandalay's Post Aging autopilot drive.......

#3

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 13 10 10:21 AM

symandalay	Thought you all might like to see this post by Symandalay...Colin a few posts in the past! Here is Colin's post on the brush/carbon issue for the Linear Drive Type 2... TomCharron MiVida C42 #631	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 243 03/12/09 14:47:04	Peter and Rick, We sold the boat a few months back and I no longer have the part number but changing the brushes was not a big job. The first time I opened it up, the warranty had expired and we were in the Bahamas and the autopilot quit, saying "Drivestop". Nothing to lose, so I took the cover off which reveals the motor and the belt drive. I took the end cap off the motor and it was packed with carbon dust. I cleaned it all up and then it worked fine for another couple of years. I ordered the replacement brush assembly which cost about $50 (actually worth about $10). I repeated the procedure and installed the brushes without much problem other than being a fiddly job with the potential of losing small screws, etc. Best to disconnect the wires and take the unit to a nice workbench if you can, but the first time I did it in place. The rear of the motor is actually on the same side as the linear drive which made it accessible on my boat. I did not replace the belt but it should be pretty easy once you have the cover off. Getting the parts from Raymarine may require some persistence since they prefer you to send the unit in for them to repair. I never saw a parts diagram or list. My total cost was the $50+ I spent for the brushes. Ours was ten years old when we sold the boat and there was not much clunking going on. It worked well actually. If you open it up you may well see why there is backlash. Could be the drive has come loose from the assembly. Everything is basically mounted to an aluminum casting that is centered between the front and back covers. Good luck, Colin Colin Mandalay Guide to Cruising here http://symandalay.googlepages.com/home

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pdrimmer

#4

[-]

Posts: 289

Dec 13 10 6:28 PM

You folks are terrific.

I started to get "Drive Stop" errors after 11 years. This will be my next project as soon as it gets warm.

Would it be possible to send me an e mail of the pictures so I can more easily print them.

Thanks again.

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tomcharron2

Linear Drive pictures

#5

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 13 10 9:33 PM

Paul:

To view and print/copy pictures of the Linear Drive easily. smiley: glasses

1.) click on the picture of MiVida (stern view with dingy on davits)in the left portion of this post(under my name 'tomcharron2').
2.) click on the "view my images"
3.) click on the album/slideshow 'Raymarine Linear Drive type 2"
4.) click on each picture and print with your printer.

Good luck on the restoration of your 11yo linear drive.

Please feel free to contact me for any questions.
TomCharron

Edited 6 times by tomcharron2 Dec 14 10 9:29 AM.

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sailordan2

#6

[-]

Posts: 117

Dec 14 10 8:14 AM

Great information. This would be a great article for the Mainsheet. Would you consider submitting it?

Sailor Dan
SV Lydia Grace C42 #429

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tomcharron2

RAYMARINE PARTS PHONE NUMBER

#7

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 14 10 9:18 AM

Was successful in ordering Brushes from Raymarine this am....

Motor Brushes for Linear Drive Type 2 Stepper Motor (PN....."N034-T2")

$48.00 plus shipping a tad expensive......for such a simple lump of carbon attached to a wire!

units were 'out of stock' but backorder supposed delivery late in December 2010.

For those who need parts from Raymarine...

......after calling many numbers w/o access success @ Raymarine

I lucked out and found this number which gave direct human access this am....

Call:

1.) 603-881-5200

2.) ext 2444

3.) press '6'

4.) parts person should come on

When I receive these brushes I will post pictures of same and also try to find other source of supply which is reasonably priced!

Hope this helps someone in need of parts from Raymarine...at home or in some distant port!

Tomcharron

MiVida

C42 #631

OYC

Alameda, Ca

Edited 3 times by tomcharron2 Dec 14 10 9:27 AM.

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captrick

#8

[-]

Posts: 277

Dec 15 10 10:05 AM

Thanks Tom. This is very useful info since my AP is 11 yrs old. I always assumed it was brushless. Your info gives me the courage to do some PM. It's a shame RM doesn't sell repair parts.

Rick 704-3

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tomcharron2

BRUSH REPLACEMENT PICTURE FOR RM LINEAR DRIVE T-2

#9

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 22 10 3:09 PM

Raymarine Linear Drive T-2 (dc stepper drive motor)

Follow up on Raymarine replacement Brushes (photo of the brushes sent to me by Raymarine)

$48.00 + shipping...

PN "N034" for T2 drive.

Seen below and labeled with numbers '5113' on both replacement brushes.

I plan to install these soon and will take a few more pics of the process.

Happy Holidays to all!!!

TomCharron

MiVida C42 #631

OYC

Alameda, California

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Doug Boyd

Thanks SO much Tom (and others) !!!

#10

[-]

Posts: 49

Dec 23 10 4:09 AM

This is one of the most useful threads I can recall. I have a failing T2 drive on Miracles, the replacement for the FIRST failed drive, which I happily still have in storage. Just received my absurdly expensive first set of motor brushes from Raymarine. Am I sick because I look forward to the surgery over the holidays?

Cheers,

Doug

Doug & Peggy,
'Miracles'
#418, 2-Cbn Pullman, Wing Keel
Baltimore

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tsoko

Another Source?

#11

[-]

Posts: 30

Dec 23 10 7:30 AM

I did a little bit of searching on the internet, and came up with the following. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but if someone wants to risk a few bucks instead of shelling out $50, it might be worthwhile. Starting with a search for 5113 brushes, I found the following thread:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f13/autohelm-type-2-linear-drive-carbon-brushes-46454.html
That gave me the dimensions, 6x10x20. An online converter gave me .2362"x.3937"x.7874". I found a supplier with those dimensions for a carbon brush. They look to be same as pictured, except the wire comes out of the corner, instead of the middle. They HAVE to be less than $25 each! :-)
http://www.repcoinc.com/bdetails/REP3141.html
Hope this helps someone.

Tom Soko
"Juniper"
C400 #307
Noank, CT

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captrick

Brushes

#12

[-]

Posts: 277

Dec 23 10 5:06 PM

Another possibility is to get the closest SAE size, 1/4x7/16x3/4 and trim/sand them down to size. McMasterCarr has a pair with spring and wire for $15+shipping but they may be available elsewhere. I have not checked Repco availability or price. Also can't tell from Tom's picture how brush is mounted and loaded. There must be a spring somewhere.

Rick 704-3

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tomcharron2

Linear Drive T-2 Brushes Picture (in place on motor end cap))

#13

[-]

Posts: 187

Dec 24 10 12:35 AM

Rick

This is the Best Pic I currently have of the brushes in place on the motor end cap for the T-2 Linear Drive.

I'll post some better pics when I replace these with the new brushes I received this week from Raymarine

Tom

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symandalay

#14

[-]

Posts: 305

Dec 24 10 4:02 AM

tsoko wrote:
I did a little bit of searching on the internet, and came up with the following. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but if someone wants to risk a few bucks instead of shelling out $50, it might be worthwhile. Starting with a search for 5113 brushes, I found the following thread:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f13/autohelm-type-2-linear-drive-carbon-brushes-46454.html
That gave me the dimensions, 6x10x20. An online converter gave me .2362"x.3937"x.7874". I found a supplier with those dimensions for a carbon brush. They look to be same as pictured, except the wire comes out of the corner, instead of the middle. They HAVE to be less than $25 each! :-)
http://www.repcoinc.com/bdetails/REP3141.html
Hope this helps someone.

Those are probably $48 for a hundred smiley: laugh

!

Colin

Mandalay Guide to Cruising here http://symandalay.googlepages.com/home

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nevermind

#15

[-]

Posts: 1

Aug 11 13 10:19 AM

tomcharron2 wrote:
"DRIVESTOP" Have you ever seen this on your Autopilot Controller?
Here is the whole Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 laid before you ready for repair and cleaning!

Well after 9 1/2 years of use my Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2 stopped dead and displayed "DRIVESTOP".
Problem is most likely CARBON FOULING OF THE BRUSHES AND COMMUTATOR of the LINEAR ELECTRIC DC DRIVE MOTOR!!! You likely can repair your own unit w/o spending the $600.00 bucks Raymarine charges....It is fairly simple. Here is my experience with Pictures to assist.
MiVida has logged over 1000 hours of use on this Raymarine autopilot w/o problem over 9.5 years! Sailing on the Pacific from SF to San Diego, up to Bodega Bay, out to the Farallon Islands and all over SF Bay and the Sacramento and Napa River Deltas....over 1000 hours of autopilot use which was flawless. Until last week when the Linear Drive stopped working!
Interesting that I could make the linear drive move if I 'jiggled' the helm after giving a command to change course. But the drive would not function to keep on course.
Also I (when in port) went below with my remote and gave command to change course (10degrees) and then tapped the drive unit with a rubber mallet with the unit giving proper response of the linear drive.
Thus I deduced that the drive was malfunctioning. Not the clutch as I could hear it engage and disengage when placed in 'auto' and returned to 'standby'.
So I checked with Raymarine and found they wanted $600.00 to look at the unit and repair. A new unit costs over $1600.00. Thus I decided to take the Linear Drive Type 2 to my home shop and open it up for diagnosis and hopefully, repair and restoration by my hands. Before doing that I searched the web for info, discussed with my good friends at Farallone Yachts (Roger and Dina Goodsell) and my sailing friend attorney and civil engineer Jim.
It seems that after years of use the Linear Drive motors of the Raymarine Type 2 units build up a lot of loose carbon on the burshes and commutator which inhibits the functioning of this stepper motor.
I cleaned the whole unit, blew all the carbon dust from the disassembled motor, cleaned the brushes (only about 50% worn) and reassembled the whole unit....
Reinstalled and now all is functioning normally....saved $600.00 bucks for a job that needed only compressed air, electrical device cleaner and the tools and shop to carefully disassemble and reassemble the unit!
BTW: I wanted to install new brushes...but could not (to date) find any listed with Raymarine....will try again this week by phone....(need to have spares when the 50% used brushed bite the dust)!
I have checked Raymarine Q&A and no mention is made of this carbon build-up problem (although on the web search there are a few mentions of same...and one mention of this problem on a thread on this discussion board too. You can use the search fx ... look for "Aging autopilot drive" there is a good response from Colin there posted on this issue).
Attached I post pics of the dissassembly of the unit for all to see what is in this little box! (Pics are always better than words!)
Here are the progression pics of opening the unit and exposing the motor etc. To get inside the unit remove 1.) the two hexhead set screws pictured in the second frame 2.) the two brass hex posts in the aluminum plate to which the motor is attached3.) the hex head screws in the aluminum plate to which the motor is attached.4.) the hex head screws which hold the motor to the plate5.) the flat head screws which hold the motor together
Look closely at the blow up pictures below and you can see the motor brushes and all the screws and linear drive component hardware laid out on the bench. CLICK on the PICs for BLOW UP VIEW!

Brushes 50% worn but reusable (carbon on the unit easily blown off and cleaned with electric cleaner from Radio Shack)

All components laid out for your visual inspectionComments appreciated.
Hope this helps someone somewhere to not be stranded in a foreign port or anchorage and not face having to helm the vessel manually back to homeport or otherwise!
TomCharronMiVida C42 #631OYCGate 7Alameda, California

Hi,
My clutch on Raymarine unit T2S is out of order.
Where it's possible to by a new clutch?
Thanks.
JP

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peter

SAME

#16

[-]

Posts: 471

Aug 13 13 5:57 AM

One of the most useful things is this site. I had one drive rebuilt and it is not worth the money!!!!! I now have one drive as a back up that when one goes bad , a quick swap and a good cleaning and the other goes in storage. nothing worse than going on an extended cruise and having to hand steer.

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Autopilot msg "DRIVESTOP" Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2

Autopilot msg "DRIVESTOP" Raymarine Linear Drive Type 2