2020-01-29, 10:25 PM
Hello Andreas very interested to come across this thread, thank you.
I have a 74 Nicholson 48 with a Nico autopilot. A similar setup to yours looking at the photos. The motor and gear unit is fine but something is wrong with the control. Reading through correspondence from previous owners in the boat file the autopilot never really worked satisfactorily so rather than try to fix forty year old electronics the option to build a new control unit sounds good!
On my Nico motor unit the rudder angle feedback and the travel limit switches are mounted on a unit driven by a worm screw attached to the primary socket. This part seems to be a well known weakness of the Nico.
You mentioned "There are two Reed-Contacts (Normaly Open) to tel the limits of the stearing." are these the existing switches on the motor unit or did you make up a new assembly? Does the pilot have a rudder angle sensor or it's not necessary?
Did we meet in Xabia in November last year?
Nick
I have a 74 Nicholson 48 with a Nico autopilot. A similar setup to yours looking at the photos. The motor and gear unit is fine but something is wrong with the control. Reading through correspondence from previous owners in the boat file the autopilot never really worked satisfactorily so rather than try to fix forty year old electronics the option to build a new control unit sounds good!
On my Nico motor unit the rudder angle feedback and the travel limit switches are mounted on a unit driven by a worm screw attached to the primary socket. This part seems to be a well known weakness of the Nico.
You mentioned "There are two Reed-Contacts (Normaly Open) to tel the limits of the stearing." are these the existing switches on the motor unit or did you make up a new assembly? Does the pilot have a rudder angle sensor or it's not necessary?
Did we meet in Xabia in November last year?
Nick