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I have no idea if it works, possibly not. Keep in mind ultrasonic doesnt work in heavy rain well and also might not give very good or accurate wind direction especially in light winds. So it may not be all that suitable for an autopilot.
The cups can spin again most likely you just need to spray them... Did they sit outside without the ability to spin? Can you disassemble it? Does the vane work?
I am hopefully going to offer superior 3d printed wind sensors soon, I have used hall sensors and fully ceramic bearings that cannot rust and have not contacts or wear.
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Given that the price for the ultrasonic unit is quite high and the likelihood that it won't meet the autopilot requirements, I guess it would be better to use the analog version. I hope I can fix it. I look forward to seeing your new version. Thanks.
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Yes, I am intrigued by ultrasonic because of no moving parts but my issues remain:
1) power consumption (probably not a deal breaker, but certainly higher than standard vane)
2) inability to work in heavy rain
3) bad wind direction resolution in light wind
Just how bad #3 is, really would determine how useful it is. Perhaps even having both types of anemometers could be useful using the vane in light wind/rain and the ultrasonic in strong enough wind. The ultra sonic has the advantage of much faster rate, and not having a vane that can oscillate from boat motions. It would be really interesting to know, but considering the cost I cannot afford to buy one, and as far as I know all serious autopilots continue to use the vane type.
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There is a fourth question:
4)What does an ultrasonic weather vane measure when a sailboat heels a lot?
A mechanical weather vane then always gives a consistent measurement in relation to the wind angle on the sails.
But with an ultrasonic weather vane, what's the mistake? No manufacturer communicates the error of its sensors tilted to the wind. The few racing boats that have tried ultrasonic sensors have found that these sensors are too damped. They then tested faster sensors but it seems that this was not satisfactory because regatta boats no longer have such sensors.
I tried to get information from the manufacturers who all refused, which is quite suspicious.
Some nautical magazines have tested different wind vanes, but always without any heel. It's weird.
In the meantime, I prefer to avoid having an ultrasonic windvane coupled with the pilote.
