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Yellowfin Electronic Systems - 06 June 2014
2. Hydra & Hercules Pilot
The “Pilot” is an autopilot for steering the boat to a course. The Pilot includes a linear actuator or solenoid, the “Hy-Pro Ram”, to swing the rudder. A dedicated “Pilot Computer” aka "Halcyon processor" receives sailing and navigation parameters from the Fastnet. The Pilot Computer controls the Ram.
A "Halcyon" flux gate compass, mounted under the chart table, feeds a dedicated input on the Main Processor.
The Halcyon processor is currently disconnected from the Main Processor because was outputting errors that caused the Main Processor to display alarms on the FFDs.
The Ram is physically disconnected from the rudder and is corroded.
The Halcyon processor connections needs to be overhauled and restored.
Restoring the autopilot could be facilitate single and double-handed racing. The Autopilot display with control buttons is located on the side of starboard cockpit seat facing aft. It is difficult to see and operate; relocation should be considered.
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1. Hydra 2000 Instrument System
The “Hydra” model targeted cruising; “Hercules” targeted racing. Both models have the same Main Processor. Hercules offered an optional Performance Processor.
B&G abbreviates Hydra/Hercules 2000 as “H2000”. “HS 2000” was a powerboat counterpart to the H2000 line. The HS 2000 User Manual can aid understanding Hydra 2000 manual because topics overlap but the expression is different.
The H2000 System includes wind, speed, and depth sensors that feed the Main Processor with analog or “linear” signals. Wires from the sensors attach to posts on a terminal strip in a junction box. Multi-core cables return each wire to a designated “linear input” terminal on the Processor (home-run topology).
The Processor computes sailing parameters from sensor signals. The Processor outputs the parameters as digital sentences on a proprietary network data bus called “Fastnet”. Wire pairs in the cable send the data to the junction box.
In an instrument pod above the companionway, there are two terminal screens, called “FFDs,” that display sailing parameters. One screen is a “NMEA FFD”, the other is a “standard” FFD. Multi-core cables from the FFDs attach to the network in the junction box. The standard FFD has a 6-core cable; the NMEA FFD has 8-cores, the additional wires being violet and blue.
The NMEA FFD features a NMEA 0183 interface. It accepts 0183 sentences as input, notably GPS speed and position sentences from a Furuno GPS discussed below. The NMEA FFD translates 0183 sentences to Fastnet sentences that are returned as inputs to the Main Processor. The Processor uses GPS data to calculate true wind speed and angle parameters for display on the FFDs.
The NMEA FFD also repeats 0183 input sentences on its NMEA output port.
The Main Processor does not have NMEA ports, but the Hercules Performance Processor does (not installed on Yellowfin). The Performance Processor also has RS 232 I/O for a PC, and RAM for storing boat polars.
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