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Robertson AP45 Autopilot
General Information
Simrad Robertson AS
Egersund - Norway
Page 1-1
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
Today Simrad manufacture a complete range of autopilots for all types of vessels,
from leisure boats up to advanced steering systems for merchant marine vessels.
Our factory for these products – branded Robertson – is located in Egersund, on
the south/west coast of Norway. The company’s involvement in autopilots began in
1953 with equipment for the North Sea fishing fleet.
In 1982 the world's first microprocessor based autopilot, the Robertson AP100, was
introduced and shortly after the AP9 and AP40 systems followed.
The AP45 autopilot described in this document is based on the experience with the
AP40 and the AP9 models. A series of improvements based upon this experience
has been implemented in the new model and special attention has been paid to
simplified operation.
The standard AP45 system consists of the following units (refer to Fig. 1-1):
1. AP45 Control Unit with accessories
2. Heading sensor
3. Rudder Feedback Unit with transmission link
4. Junction Unit
Fig. 1-1
AP45 System layout - Basic system with options
All settings and operation of the autopilot take place on the control unit. In
addition to push buttons it has two LCD-displays and a course selector knob on
the front panel. The control unit is made of seawater resistant aluminium and has
a polyester coating to protect it against the environment. The main electronics are
located in the control unit, and connection to other system components are by high
quality connectors to facilitate reliability and easy maintenance.
The AP45 autopilot can be used with one of three different types of heading
sensors:
Introduction
System description
AP45 Control Unit
Heading Sensors