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NorthStar Pilot System NS3300 Reference Manual

Pilot system
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Northstar NS3300 Pilot System
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Summary of Contents for NorthStar Pilot System NS3300

  • Page 1 Northstar NS3300 Pilot System Reference Manual...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    1 Introduction ..........5 1-1 Autopilot Modes .
  • Page 3 6-4 Setup > Vessel......... . 27 6-5 Setup >...
  • Page 4 Congratulations on choosing the Northstar NS3300 PilotAutopilot. For maximum benefit, please read this manual carefully before installation and use. This manual describes how to use and set up the NS3300 Pilotand the associated equipment. This manual also explains how to operate the NS3300 Piloteffectively and provides troubleshooting and performance tips.

  • Page 5: Introduction

    1 Introduction The NS3300 Pilot is a superior quality, high performance autopilot display head. The Northstar autopilot system has the flexibility to be used with power or sail boats. The NS3300 Pilot has dedicated performance keys and a large 3.8” Color TFT display. This provides the user with exceptionally easy to use controls.

  • Page 6: Power Steering Modes

    1-1-3 Power steering modes Note regarding Jog and When the autopilot is in STBY (STANDBY) mode Follow-up mode: the helmsman must steer the boat manually. The user is to be aware However The NS3300 Pilot has two different power that while in Standby steering control modes (see section 3-11).

  • Page 7: Quickstart

    2 Quickstart 2-1 Starting the autopilot system 1. Turn the autopilot system on by pressing 2. If the autopilot is connected to multi, depth or GPS instruments, turn these on too. 3. If necessary, adjust the backlight so that the display can be easily read (press the Control Dial).

  • Page 8: Manually Steering The Boat From The Boats Helm

    2-7 Manually steering the boat from the boats helm To manually steer the boat: 1. Press the 2-8 Manually steering the boat using power steering To manually steer the boat using the autopilot to move the rudder: 1. Ensure the autopilot is in STBY by pressing the 2.

  • Page 9: Autopilot Operation

    3 Autopilot operation Button Control Dial MENU DISP POWER Dodge Right Dodge Left STBY AUTO Turns MODE Reference Manual Function Step back a menu level or return to selected pilot screen Selects highlighted items or brings up Parameters menu when in Pilot display mode Use to scroll through menus, increment or decrement selected values, follow-up rudder control and to make course changes.

  • Page 10: Turning The Ns3300 Piloton

    3-1-1 AUTO key Press to engage AUTO mode. The autopilot is now steering the boat based on the selected steering mode. Press and hold for 2 seconds to engage H-STEER mode. 3-1-2 STBY key Press to disengage AUTO mode and set STBY mode. The autopilot is not steering the boat –...

  • Page 11: Turning The Ns3300 Pilot Off

    3-3 Turning the NS3300 Pilot off When in STBY mode: • Press and hold the appear and start a 3 second count-down. The unit will turn off when the timer reaches 0. • Releasing the normal operation. • Any settings you have made are retained by the unit. 3-4 Backlight Briefly press the will appear.

  • Page 12: Changing Course

    • To sail, tack and gybe at a set angle to the Tip: It is possible to wind, choose Wind mode. change steering modes Select Wind mode by pressing while in AUTO mode. For and press example it is helpful to use Compass mode to control Note for sailing boats: the boat when setting up...

  • Page 13: Dodge

    3-8-3 Changing set wind angle in wind mode To change set wind angle (SWA) in 1˚ steps, turn the Control Dial. • turn the Control Dial counter-clockwise to change course to port • turn the Control Dial clockwise to change course to starboard Example Wind SWA = 40°...

  • Page 14: Turn Modes

    3-9-2 Dodging in GPS mode 3-9-3 Dodging in wind mode Wind SWA = 40° 3-10 Turn modes The NS3300 Pilot can follow a preprogrammed turn sequence. The autopilot has three different turn modes: Tack/Gybe: Auto- tacks the boat after a delay period. The tack angle and tack delay can be customized.

  • Page 15: Auto Tacking In Compass Mode

    3-10-1 Auto tacking in compass mode Auto tacking is intended to tack a sailing boat. The course to steer changes by the tack angle. • press • press The boat sails straight while the NS3300 Pilot counts down the tack delay. The unit gives a long beep at 60 and 30 seconds to go, a short beep every...

  • Page 16: Turns In Compass Mode

    3-10-2 Turns in compass mode To change course by 90˚ • press select 90˚ turn then press • press select 90˚ turn then press To change course by 180˚ • press , select 180˚ turn then press • press select 180˚ turn then press Press to initiate a 90˚...

  • Page 17: Auto Tacking Or Gybing In Wind Mode

    3-10-3 Auto tacking or gybing in wind mode If the set wind angle (SWA) is 90° or less, the boat tacks, if the SWA is more than 90° the boat gybes. After the tack or gybe, the SWA is the same as the SWA before the tack or gybe, but from the other side. •...
  • Page 18 Example: SWA is 120°, so the boat will gybe. The tack angle is not set to AUTO: Press then press to starboard. To cancel the gybe at any time, press End of tack, boat is at new SWA There are four possibilities for auto tacking or gybing: Tack (SWA is 90°...

  • Page 19: Power Steering

    3-11 Power steering When the autopilot is in STBY mode the helmsman must steer the boat manually. However the autopilot has power steering control modes available while in STBY mode: To Jog Steer to port: • hold down To Jog Steer to starboard: •...

  • Page 20: Keylock

    3-12-1 The alarm window The alarm window shows a list of the latest active alarms. The most severe alarms appear at the top of the list. Turn the Control Dial to stop the NS3300 Pilot from beeping. Select ‘Details’ to jump directly to the Active alarms screen.

  • Page 21: The Displays

    4 The displays Press Tip: Repeated pressing will cycle the menu selection and will automatically select after 1 second. 4-1 Display > Basic Displays a standard autopilot display with just the essential autopilot data. Display area Drive indicators Heading Info panel Set course Steering mode...

  • Page 22: Display > Pilot

    4-2 Display > Pilot Displays an advanced autopilot display with essential autopilot data. Display area Data Header Heading Drive indicators Numerical data panels Bar data panels Mode panel Left hand side: shows the steering mode (COMPASS, GPS, WIND) Pilot displays Options menu: Header Menu for configuring the data header in this display (see section 5).

  • Page 23: Display > Compass

    4-3 Display > Compass Displays a standard autopilot display with just the essential autopilot data. Display area Data Header Drive indicators Compass card Course arrow Deviation Deviation scale Mode panel Compass displays Options menu: Deviation bar Selects what data is displayed by the deviation bar. Auto Rd/CE/XTE –...

  • Page 24: Display > Data

    4-4 Display > Data The data display shows one large data cell, two smaller data cells and a data history graph. Each is these items can be configured to display a range of data types. The graph is useful for analyzing the performance of the autopilot.

  • Page 25: Data Headers

    5 Data headers Data headers are available on the Pilot and Compass screens. A data header is a customizable feature that can be used to display up to 6 different data items, such as boat speed or alarm status. The Pilot and Compass screens have separate settings for the data header.

  • Page 26: Menus

    6 Menus Many of the NS3300 Pilot features and functions are operated through menus. • To scroll through menu items, scroll through items in a list or change data use the Control Dial. Clockwise scrolls across/down or increments data. • To select a menu item press •...

  • Page 27: Setup > Profiles

    6-2 Setup > Profiles Profiles are used to store a range of autopilot settings for different sea, environmental and vessel conditions. Up to 5 user profiles may be configured (see section 8-2). Profile Select the current profile to use. 6-3 Setup > Options Options can be selected to set autopilot operating limits: Dodge angle Sets size of the dodge angle steps in degrees.

  • Page 28: Setup > Alarms

    6-5 Setup > Alarms Some of the autopilot alarms are user configurable. Alarm trigger settings can be defined to suit the boat and individual preferences as follows: Course error The alarm will sound if the vessel strays from its intended course by more than the set error. Set OFF or a value in degrees.

  • Page 29: Setup > Comms

    6-7 Setup > Comms Use this feature when the autopilot is connected to other Northstar instruments through NavBus or any compatible NMEA instrument. NMEA mode Select NMEA port mode. Input – NMEA port can receive NMEA data Slow – NMEA port outputs heading and rudder angle once per second Fast –...

  • Page 30: Setup > Simulate

    6-9 Setup > Simulate Switches simulate mode on and off (see section 3-14). Northstar NS3300 Pilot...

  • Page 31: Steering Modes

    7 Steering modes Important: • The autopilot cannot control the boat better than a helmsman. The autopilot is not intended for use in extreme weather, in adverse conditions or near other boats, dangerous waters or land. In these conditions, disengage the autopilot and steer manually. •...

  • Page 32: Engaging And Disengaging The Autopilot In Compass Mode

    7-1-2 Engaging and disengaging the autopilot in compass mode For example: Manually steer the boat to open waters. Sail straight on the intended course. Heading = 45° To engage AUTO, press AUTO: The Pilot steers the boat automatically. The NS3300 Pilot sets CTS (course to steer) to the current heading, in this example 45°, and starts steering on this course.

  • Page 33: Gps Steering Mode

    7-2 GPS steering mode The autopilot has three ways of steering the boat, compass, GPS and wind. To select an appropriate mode, see section 3-7. In GPS mode, the autopilot uses data from a GPS to steer the boat along a route or to a waypoint.

  • Page 34: Engaging And Disengaging The Autopilot In Gps Mode

    7-2-2 Engaging and disengaging the autopilot in GPS mode Manually steer the boat to open waters. Start the GPS navigating to a waypoint, either a waypoint on a route or a single waypoint. When the NS3300 Pilot is engaged, if the XTE is more than 0.05 nm or the boat heading is not within 30°...

  • Page 35: Arriving At Waypoints

    7-2-3 Arriving at waypoints If the GPS is following a route and the boat reaches an intermediate waypoint: If the Waypoint Acknowledge alarm (see section 6-5) is off, the autopilot automatically starts steering to the next waypoint in the route. If the Waypoint Acknowledge alarm is on, the autopilot shows the following alarm: The autopilot continues steering on the old course.

  • Page 36: Wind Steering Mode

    7-3 Wind steering mode The autopilot has three ways of steering the boat, compass, GPS and wind. To select an appropriate mode, see section 3-7. In wind mode, the autopilot steers the boat to a set angle to the wind, called SWA (set wind angle). 7-3-1 Wind steering data Apparent wind angle...

  • Page 37: True And Apparent Wind Speed And Direction

    7-3-2 True and apparent wind speed and direction Apparent wind speed and direction are the values measured on the boat. True wind speed and direction are the values after allowing for boat speed through the air. If the boat is moving, then the apparent wind speed is different to the true wind speed and the apparent wind direction is different to the true wind direction, as shown below.

  • Page 38: Engaging The Autopilot In Wind Mode

    7-3-3 Engaging the autopilot in wind mode Manually steer the boat to open waters. Sail straight at the intended wind angle. The NS3300 Pilot info data can display TRUE (true wind angle) or APP (apparent wind angle) (see section 3-4) AUTO: The Pilot steers the boat automatically.

  • Page 39: Wind Gain

    7-3-4 Wind gain In GPS mode, The wind gain determines how much correction is applied to reduce any difference between the set wind angle and the actual wind angle. A high setting will cause the autopilot to be strongly affected by changes in the wind.

  • Page 40: Optimizing Steering Performance

    8 Optimizing steering performance 8-1 Steering parameters The autopilot has seven steering parameters which can be adjusted to optimize steering performance. Select the Advanced checkbox to view all parameters. These parameters can be adjusted using the Parameters menu. To adjust the parameters, go to Menu >...

  • Page 41: Profiles

    steering, decrease counter rudder. • For higher boat speeds and large GPS routes, decrease GPS gain; for lower speeds and tight GPS routes, increase GPS gain. • For higher and/or more stable winds, increase 8-2 Profiles The autopilot provides five configurable steering profiles that can be quickly recalled to alter the autopilot’s performance based on changing sea, environmental and vessel conditions.

  • Page 42: Adjusting The Steering Parameters

    8-3 Adjusting the steering parameters Problem: rudder turns too frequently Problem: drifts off course to one side Problem: boat moves too far off course closely before the rudder turns to correct the course Problem: oscillations from side to side build up Problem: after a large course change, boat overshoots and oscillates before settling to new course Problem: after a large course change, boat takes too long to settle to new course This causes wear on the steering linkage and uses power.
  • Page 43 Problem: after a sideways current or wind, the correction is applied too quickly or too slowly If the boat encounters a sideways force, then it will move off course sideways. The Pilot will automatically bring the boat back to the correct heading by applying a few degrees of rudder, called trim. Trim gain sets how quickly the trim is applied.

  • Page 44: Troubleshooting

    9 Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide assumes that you have read and understood this manual. It is possible in many cases to solve difficulties without having to send the unit back to the manufacturer for repair. Please follow this troubleshooting section before contacting your nearest Northstar dealer.

  • Page 45: Specifications

    10 Specifications Electrical Supply voltage: 10.5 to 30.5 V DC. Supply current ( at 13.8 V): Without backlighting: 160 mA. With full backlighting: up to 390 mA. Other optional instruments: refer to the instrument’s operation manual. Interfaces NavBus: connection to MCU and other Northstar instruments.

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