Pypilot working on my Nicholson 44

[xfactor99]

Andreas ==>

Thanks for all this information.  I too am replacing on old Robertson, and have the same NECO drive motor (only mine is 12 VDC) and the same, I assume, motor controller in the blue box mounted to the motor.  All this on our 1974 42' Solaris catamaran.

My big question is:  Do you find  that the drive motor eats up the batteries -- sucking them down on long continuous use of the autopilot?

I am considering replacing the motor with a more efficient modern one, like:

https://makermotor.com/pn01007brkt-50-rp...h-bracket/  (with appropriate sprocket for the #40 chain).

This new motor is rated at a "Rated Load: 60 Watts"

Any ideas or suggestions? 

(Obviously, the easiest thing to do is what you have done and just keep the old NECO motor....but...power usage?)

Thanks,

Kip

Hi Kip,

here mi ideas/suggestions, but have in mind that i´m not an electronic master ....

The neco drive is an masterpeace of work, and if you decide not to use it you might sell it at ebay for a good price.
It consists of the geared Motor, an electromagnetic clutch and the motor dirver in the top box and sometimes end of travel swiches in the round side cover. More information you have here, great work by Daniele Fua.

http://www.nicholson38.org/wp-content/up..._35DR8.pdf

The old neco motordriver cosists of three relays, two for the amature and one for the clutch, you have the shematics in the above link.

I dont know if your motor driver is still orignal. I have changed mine  into an pololu driver (mentioned in erlier posts) and an SSR Relay for the clutch. I think this is a important power save compared to the old relays of the neco.

So if you decide to use the old neco driver you will be fine with an raspberry and an arduino, but you will need some transistors/mosfets to engage the old relays of the driver, as I guess they draw more milli Amps than the arduino will give !!

Or you change to a modern motordriver, like the pololu or seans (hidraulic?) one. This gives also the posibility to use PWM so you will be able to reduce power consumption  eaven more.

You will have to know enough of electronic and how to deal with the compund wound motor of the neco and its shunt and series coil. 

You use an new motor:
I would then go for an Hydraulic ram drive, but it is expensive.

Your makermotor is missing a CLUTCH to engage/disengage the drive. 
I don´t know if the 60W is strong or fast enought, if you make it faster you will lose strength (vice versa).
I think there are also 90W ones.

If you want to go long distance cruising mayby you go both ways and as you have to rasperrys y and have two indipendent systems to have redudancy.

Last the coment to the power usage, I´m happy with the Pypilot/Neco. The clutch uses permanently maybe 0,5 A and the motor only when driving 3-4A. As I have 400W solar pannels it is enough for me ..... I might still reduce more if I go deeper into the PWM for the clutch and the driving of the motor.

I guess that the powersave of a new motor consists in the driver electronic not in the drive itself, for a given strength/spee you will need the Watts ....

Hope this hepls
Andreas