OpenMarine

Hi Guys

Another question - has anyone successfully adapted an automotive based motor for a chain drive / sprocket drive autopilot driver?

i.e. i was looking at it, and it seems to me that an automotive door window motor may be a good option, as they are pretty high torque (higher than the wiper motor examples i've seen).

Just wondering if anyone has played with this at all...

They have a stall torque of around 10 NM (half of the T1 Raymarine drive, which is 20 NM), but are a 2x faster (60 RPM vs 33 RPM), so you could adjust with a larger sprocket on the wheel shaft... so it seems to be "in the ballpark"...

Of course the appeal is $20 vs $1500....

I am interested in your decision. I assume from your question that you intend to make a wheel pilot with chain drive? If so, a disengage clutch will be important. The wheel pilots use a belt drive and depend on belt tension and slippage as a clutch.
A previous auto pilot was very difficult to disengage which made it sometimes dangerous.