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JR North JR North is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Mar 2007
Posts: 388
Default Bennett "AutoTab" Control?

This is an example of poor thought process. Why should you even need a
software update, even if it's readilly available, in order to make a
retail product perform correctly, the way it's supposed to, and think
this is an OK way to address poor quality control? It's one thing for
a software update to improve fuctionality, or add new functions or
features, expand a database, etc. It's quite another to have one to
correct a functional defect the product should in no way have in the
first place. Has the company paid you to beta test it's product?
JR

On Sat, 03 May 2008 11:51:53 -0700, -rick- wrote:

Josh Assing wrote:
Has anyone tried this?

I bought one and have issues -- last I heard was that bennett was checking with
the engineers and would get back to me "tomorrow" (that was last week)

I'm having two issues with it. I'm hopeful the brain-trust here can come up
with a solution.

Issue 1: pitch/roll

The roll is spot on -- I can walk or redistribute weight and in a matter of
seconds; the boat is re-trimmed to be flat.

However, the pitch has a bow-down bias. In otherwords, it puts the tabs down to
level the boat side-side, but never releases; so the result is the bow will end
up getting stuffed down after a bit.

Issue 2: canceling auto control

the unit is supposed to auto-cancel when you manually adjust. This works fine,
most of the time.

It "learns" when it's at the end of the stroke -- ie: it tries to put it down
more, doesn't sense an attitude change, so it stops trying after about a minute.

Once it "gives up" trying; it won't auto-release from auto-control. ie:
manually adjusting it should release it; but it doesn't -- you've got to power
it off and back on in order to get it to release.

Anyone have:
A) any ideas
B) similar problems


I can't help on that unit/model but I'd like to point out
that after having similar software control system issues
with an auto-pilot I will never again buy an expensive
electronic system without ensuring it has the capability of
easy and inexpensive software updates.

HOME PAGE:
http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
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