Rudder damping levels and deadband angles
For autopilot systems which include a rudder angle reference sensor / transducer, rudder damping is used to prevent Evolution-Series autopilot system over-activity, characterized by “hunting” maneuvers. A number of rudder damping levels are available to address this behavior. Rudder damping levels relate to “deadband angles”, and can be configured using your autopilot control head (e.g. p70s/p70Rs or MFD). A higher damping level is intended to eliminate pilot and helm over-activity.
Rudder DampingDeadband anglesAutopilot set-upRudder DampingAutopilot set-upDeadband angles
Typically, the appropriate rudder damping level is the lowest acceptable value. However, it is important to be aware that the rudder damping scaling has been changed in recent versions of the ACU-Series units, which include newer processor and software versions (these units can be identified with an “A” appended to their SKU).
The rudder damping levels can have a significant impact on your autopilot performance. If you are unsure as to how to adjust these settings to best suit your autopilot system, please refer to your dealer or Raymarine product support.
The following table lists the rudder damping levels and deadband angles that are available with both old and new versions of the ACU-Series software:
Rudder damping level |
Existing Deadband angle (ACU-100, ACU-150, ACU-200, ACU-400) |
Existing Deadband angle (ACU-300) |
New Deadband angle (ACU-Series software version v3.11 or later) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
0.1° |
0.15° |
0.1° |
2 |
0.2° |
0.30° |
0.2° |
3 |
0.3° |
0.45° |
0.3° |
4 |
0.4° |
0.60° |
0.4° |
5 |
0.5° |
0.75° |
0.7° |
6 |
0.6° |
0.9° |
0.9° |
7 |
0.7° |
1.05° |
1.1° |
8 |
0.8° |
1.20° |
1.6° |
9 |
0.9° |
1.35° |
2.2° |
It’s important to check the rudder damping level currently configured on your autopilot control head, to ensure it matches your needs. The rudder damping value should be increased one level at a time until the autopilot stops hunting.