st5000 type 1 pump?

[Duetto]

hi all,

we have a 2003 mainship pilot 34 which didn't come with an autopilot. it has seastar hydraulic steering. i am exploring adding a autopilot. the boat has rl70c chartplotter, pathfinder smart heading system (fluxgate & gyroplus2) and st60 rudder indicator. it doesn't have a course computer and there is no trace of a pump or ap controller.

i read the doc on the st5000 autopilot controller and it seems to show it directly connected to and controlling the pump. if that's the case, i'd need an st5000 and a type 1 pump AND being able to get a hose from the helm to the pump reservoir. if i need a course computer plus the above parts then the project is off.

does anyone know if i can use the st5000 directly with the pump?

 

[Turtle Blues]

yes the st5000 incorporates what was previously the controller and the drive computer. It is wired to and drives the pump.

 

[boomerang]

A type 1 pump is a type one pump no matter what it's connected to. An ST5000 would drive a type one but it can be connected to any computer corepack or j-box ,provided it's not a tiny course computer and too small to drive the pump.For your boat, a type 1 is fine. You can buy a Raymarine EV150 or EV200 autopilot system & it'll be a perfect match. A simrad, Sitex or garmin will drive it too. You'll just need to make sure you get your dealer to match you up for the correct system to operate the type 1 pump

 

[Duetto]

thanks for the response. i thought that the autopilot systems that you're referencing are not compatible with seatalk 1. i'm trying to live within the seatalk 1 world to make the install as simple as possible. yes, i know i'm working with 25 year old technology.

 

[boomerang]

I wouldn't concern myself too much with trying to make a pilot talk to your instruments via seatalk. You would be $$ ahead if you bought a Raymarine EV150 pilot sans the pump. They don't come with a rudder feedback but you could probably use your existing one ,piggybacking the rudder transducer to the pilot and the ST60 display simultaneously.
Your RL plotter uses nmea 0183 and seatalk but the ex150 only communicates via nmea2000. If it were me, since it sounds like you're on a budget, I'd just use the pilot as a stand alone autopilot and be happy with it holding a heading. There are converters to change seatalk to nmea & vice versa but again, it seems like you are trying to save money.