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Windlass Helm Switch

8K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  Misterkops  
#1 ·
Should the windlass switch in the helm stay on when pushed or is it design as a safety feature that you have to hold it to operate the windlass?
 
#3 ·
The arm button should latch the solenoid and the blue light in... you should not have to hold it. Push it once to latch... push it again to unlatch. The up and down buttons (and foot switches) do have to be held to function.

(This all assumes button pad and EIM setup)
 
#4 ·
That's what I thought that the large button should hold itself on but you would need to hold the up and down buttons as well as the foot button. Right now I have to hold the large button and the down or up and someone has to hold the large button while using the foot buttons. Another questions, do you have to replace the entire switch panel or can you change just the windlass?
 
#5 · (Edited)
#6 ·
As closure to my issue... we found that a fuse was missing on the solenoid. This fuse provides 12V feedback to the EIM that the solenoid is closed so it could then be locked in. How it fell out, we have no clue.
 
#7 ·
Hi,
I have a bit of a problem!
I bought a 315 Sundancer 2005, last year. I have just retrofitted a quick prince windlass. It wasn’t fitted with a windlass from the manufacturer. Now my problem is, I can’t get the anchor pad to light up. But can hear the relay in the engine compartment click. But nothing comes to life. I can’t seem to find any fuses missing. The only thing prewired is the control wires, going to the anchor storage.

I hope someone can point me in the right direction.

Regards Morten, denmark
 
#10 ·
Do you mean output in the aft eim in the engine compartment? I tried to take the box apart yesterday but it is sealed way to tight. Could you be a bit more specific?
The windlass is brand new.
So I can't find that model's exact wiring diagram but it's typically wired like this:
Battery -> Fuse->Latching Relay->Control Box->Windlass.

The latching relay is what I'm talking part, it takes an input for the helm button and an an output for the helm led. it's the relay you hear clicking when you push the power button on the helm for the windless. When you push the up/down button you hear the control box click. If you're not getting a click/light when enabling the windless it's this. If you don't get movement on the windless when pushing up/down it's typically the control box.

Hope that helps.
 
#14 ·
The EIM relay/breakers control the signals to the windless control box as well as the latching relay, the latching relay in the bildge controls power to the box, if you have the manual the wiring diagrams are in it. but I'll try my best here to describe them:

In the bildge This circuit is your main power to the windless
Battery->Fuse->(Large Lugs)Latching Relay(Large Lugs)->Windless box->Motor.

The Latching relay Has 4 or 5 lugs(connections), I don't recall the control ground path and don't have the diagrams in front of me:
12v+ Power in (big lug)
12v+ Power out( big lug)
(don't recall) in( through a fuse) input from the helm via the eim
12v+ out(Through another fuse) ouput to the helm led.

Windless box
12v+ Motor out Large lug
12v+ Motor out Large lug
12v+ Motor out Medium lug
12v+ In from the latching relay (Large center lug) Check for power here
Gnd control gnd (center blade iirc)
12v+ control in up from the helm via EIM and foot switch( they're wired parallel )
12v+ control in down from the helm via EIM and foot switch( they're wired parallel )
Motor ground is a separate connection


So all that said, if you have clicks in the EIM the helm switches are working, the next stop is the blidge to see if the signal is getting to the latching relay and if that relay is getting power. If it's getting signal and power and the fuses are ok then the relay has failed. You can do a test by jumping the the two big lugs and bypassing it.
 
#17 ·
The EIM relay/breakers control the signals to the windless control box as well as the latching relay, the latching relay in the bildge controls power to the box, if you have the manual the wiring diagrams are in it. but I'll try my best here to describe them:

In the bildge This circuit is your main power to the windless
Battery->Fuse->(Large Lugs)Latching Relay(Large Lugs)->Windless box->Motor.

The Latching relay Has 4 or 5 lugs(connections), I don't recall the control ground path and don't have the diagrams in front of me:
12v+ Power in (big lug)
12v+ Power out( big lug)
(don't recall) in( through a fuse) input from the helm via the eim
12v+ out(Through another fuse) ouput to the helm led.

Windless box
12v+ Motor out Large lug
12v+ Motor out Large lug
12v+ Motor out Medium lug
12v+ In from the latching relay (Large center lug) Check for power here
Gnd control gnd (center blade iirc)
12v+ control in up from the helm via EIM and foot switch( they're wired parallel )
12v+ control in down from the helm via EIM and foot switch( they're wired parallel )
Motor ground is a separate connection


So all that said, if you have clicks in the EIM the helm switches are working, the next stop is the blidge to see if the signal is getting to the latching relay and if that relay is getting power. If it's getting signal and power and the fuses are ok then the relay has failed. You can do a test by jumping the the two big lugs and bypassing it.
Maybe this will help, I can’t seem to wrap my head around the system.
Thank u very much though.
This is the diagram for the windlass, it is only connected with the two prewired controlwires in the anchor storage, everything else is mounted as a system for itself.
 

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#18 ·
Little confused by your first post. If the boat was factory wired for a windlass, there is another solenoid in the bilge that sends power to the main contactor (not shown in your diagram). When you press the anchor button, this solenoid closes and sends power to the main contactor at the windlass and turns on the light at the helm. The up down buttons control the main contactor.

Get in the bilge, have someone hit the anchor button and listen for the click. The click comes from the solenoid not the eim.
 
#19 ·
Understandable that’s confusing.
So far I could only find prewired control cables up/down in the anchor storage, but no solenoid(maybe I looked the wrong place) or power cables. So the new windlass power supply comes from the bow thruster, as it was the shortest way to do new wiring.

But I will go in the bilge and look/listen for the solenoid.
 
#20 ·
Did u ever find a solution to your problem? I think I’m experiencing the same issue. I hear clicking in the eim in the engine compartment but the led light for the anchor doesn’t come on the switchpad. I’ve been studying the wiring diagram and it appears the aft eim supplies power to the system and fwd eim is the up and down buttons at the helm. I haven’t jumped out the solenoid but that’s my next course of action