Lewmar AutoAnchor AA560 Chain Counter Owner's Manual (PDF)

OWNER'S MANUAL

Sensor and magnet fitting, console and wiring, set-up for chain-only, rope/chain and drum winches, automatic deployment, and the troubleshooting messages for the AutoAnchor AA560 V2 chain counter and windlass control.

DocumentLewmar AutoAnchor AA560 Chain Counter Owner's Manual

FormatPDF · 19 pages · 1.0 MB

LanguageEnglish

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Specifications Sensor & Magnet Wiring Wiring Diagrams Set Up Operation Troubleshooting Products

Lewmar AutoAnchor AA560 Chain Counter — Owner's Manual

Technical Specifications

	AA560
Power supply	12V/24V DC (maximum 30V DC)
Current consumption	70mA
Output current, max.	4A at 12V and 24V DC
Output current, min.	10mA at 12V; 20mA at 24V
IP rating	IP67 from the front, with the back protected from moisture
Operating temperature	23°F to 140°F (-5°C to 60°C)
Rode, chain only	Stainless or galvanised steel
Rope & chain	Minimum 10ft (3 m) of galvanised chain; good-quality nylon anchor rope, Type 66 or equivalent

Before You Fit It

Fits most vertical windlasses; a horizontal windlass may need a sensor holder or a custom sensor.
The windlass must have a dual direction control box or solenoid pack, and an alternative way to run it.
Install by a qualified marine electrician; set up for the exact windlass and test before use. A non-standard chainwheel or motor makes the count wrong.
Keep the console 3ft (1m) from VHF/radar equipment and cables and 6ft (2m) from SSB; run its cables 1.5ft (500mm) clear.
Low-current drives (PLC, AC variable frequency): a dummy resistor load (Part #9515) may be needed, fitted near the windlass control.

Sensor & Magnet

Magnet: seal it in its hole under at least 1mm of epoxy. Polarity only matters with the black AA sensor (#9008): south pole (marked side) faces the sensor.
Sensor hole: 10.3mm (13/32") through the deckplate and, in line, through the deck. Don't hammer the sensor; keep it clear of the chainwheel and 300mm (1ft) from battery and motor cables; bed it in neutral-cure silicone or Sikaflex 291 / 3M 5200.
Vertical, chain only: standard magnet 10mm x 8mm (#9061), or 6mm x 4mm (#9009); 10.3mm hole, 9.5mm (3/8") deep, under a spoke in the bottom of the chainwheel. Black sensor and reed switch must line up exactly; the grey sensor tolerates 20mm misalignment.
Vertical, rope & chain: magnet in the top of the chainwheel (move a bottom magnet), 10mm x 8mm (#9061) or 8mm x 6mm (#9052) on smaller windlasses; the rode must run between sensor and magnet, sensor at the stern end of the deckplate, up to 10mm off centre.
Horizontal, chain only: 6mm x 4mm magnet (#9009) in a 6.5mm (1/4") hole, 5mm (3/16") deep, in the edge of the chainwheel; sensor holder #9070 if needed. Rope & chain on a horizontal windlass must be fitted by the windlass manufacturer.
Drum winches: 10mm x 8mm magnet on the shaft or drum side, gap 5mm–40mm and constant; grey 3-wire sensor (#9067) recommended.
Reed switch sensors: need the 10mm x 8mm magnet and a 3–5mm gap; fine for all-chain, but fit the grey sensor for an accurate rope/chain count.

Gap: Chain Only (Vertical & Horizontal)

Sensor	Magnet	Gap
AA grey sensor #9067	6 mm × 4 mm	min. 3 mm – max. 30 mm
AA grey sensor #9067	10 mm × 8 mm	min. 3 mm – max. 50 mm
AA black sensor #9008	all magnets	min. 3 mm – max. 8 mm
Reed switch sensor	10 mm × 8 mm	min. 3 mm – max. 5 mm

Gap: Rope & Chain (Vertical)

Sensor	Magnet	Gap
AA grey sensor #9067	8 mm × 6 mm	min. 30 mm – max. 44 mm
AA grey sensor #9067	10 mm × 8 mm	min. 35 mm – max. 50 mm

Console, Power & Wiring

Console & Power

Mount where you can see anchor and windlass, on a flat surface, back protected from moisture. Four holes from the template; no sealer or glue, nylon bolts hand tight.
Up to 3 AA560 consoles can be fitted; star-ground them and run multiple installations in parallel.
Power from the windlass control circuit, with the other windlass controls; never from the motor positive at the windlass. Link all battery-bank negatives.
Minimum voltage to start: 10V DC (12V system) / 20V DC (24V). To keep running: 6V DC / 12V DC.
No diodes or interlocks on the outputs: interlock protection is built in.
Seal terminals with CRC [3013] Soft Seal or CRC [2043] Plasticoat 70.

Cables

Run	Total length	Cable
AA560 to power supply & solenoids	less than 10m (33ft)	1.5mm² (AWG16)
	10m (33ft) – 20m (66ft)	2.0mm² (AWG14)
	20m (66ft) – 40m (132ft)	3.0mm² (AWG12)
Motor load wires	up to 30.5m (100ft)	1.0mm² (AWG18)

Brown and white motor load wires are needed only for rope & chain counting; they go to the motor terminals through the supplied 1000 Ohm resistor terminators.
Sensor extension cable (2-core tinned, shielded, male plugs): 6.5 m #9500, 10 m #9501, 15 m #9502, 20 m #9503, 25 m #9504, 35 m #9514. Gender changer #9510; T junction #9506 with 2m cable #9505 for dual installs; field connectors #9507 / #9508.
Removing the sensor cable plugs voids the warranty.

Wiring Diagram Selection

Windlass	Diagram (contactor / control box)
Sprint 1000	A (12V 0052531 or 0052508), B (12V 0052509 / 24V 0052510)
Sprint 1500	A (12V 0052507 / 24V 0052508), B (12V 0052509 / 24V 0052510)
Sprint 3000A	A (12V 0052507 / 24V 0052508), B (12V 0052509 / 24V 0052510)
A/man Power	C (12V 68000318 / 24V 68000319), D (12V 68000129 / 24V 68000130)
V2, 3 & 5 / Concept1	C (12V 68000318 / 24V 68000319), D (12V 68000129 / 24V 68000130)
V4 / Concept3	F (12V 18000200 / 24V 18000237), G (12V 68000320 / 24V 68000321)
Pacific V4000	E (12V 0052529 / 24V 0052530)
Pacific V6000	E (24V 0052530)

Sprint 900, Atlantic, Atlantic A, Atlantic C, AP700, AP1000 & AP1200: diagrams A or B (contactor 0052531 is not suitable for these).
Atlantic B & Concept / Ocean2: diagrams C or D. Sprint 3000: diagrams C or E.
Pre-2004 and custom-build Lewmar windlasses: ask Lewmar for a specific diagram.
Every diagram uses guarded rocker switch 68000593, a 3A resettable breaker/switch for the AA560, the grey sensor on grey screened cable, deck switches 69000016 (up) / 69000017 (down) and remote 68000524.

Diagram A

Diagram B

Diagram C

Diagram D

Diagram E

Diagram F

Diagram G

Set Up

Windlass Settings

Set-up menu: unit off, hold the two set-up buttons together.
Docking distance: default 1.5m or 4ft, minimum 1m or 3.3ft; retrieval stops here.
Total rode length: chain plus rope; default 60m or 196ft, minimum 10m (33ft), or OFF to run as a counter only.
Chain per turn: mark chainwheel, chain and deck with tape, free the chainwheel, turn it one turn by hand and measure the chain paid out.
Rope per turn: pull rope through for 10 turns of the chainwheel and divide by 10. Preset rope/chain windlass profiles can be chosen with "Use preset".
Drum winch: total rode length, inside diameter (rode fully out) and outside diameter (rode fully in).
Sensor: leave on Standard unless you have a motor-driven reed sensor (then set the gearbox ratio). Swap controls if you want Up = Out; it does not fix wiring errors.
Metric inches: 1/8 = 0.1, 1/4 = 0.3, 3/8 = 0.4, 1/2 = 0.5, 5/8 = 0.6, 3/4 = 0.8, 7/8 = 0.9.

Sensor Tuning & General

With everything installed and the anchor docked, clear to zero and deploy in one continuous press until "Sensor tuning" changes to "Tuning done" (up to 10 turns). Lift your finger and you start again.
Default rode is chain only; selecting rope and chain without the right sensor/magnet shows "Sensor installation not compatible".
General menu: language, units (feet, meters, fathoms), key beep, lock (leave it on), factory defaults (clears all settings and logs).
After any sensor repair or change: dock the anchor and reset the sensor.

Operation

Hold Mode for 2 seconds to unlock; the lock resets 5 minutes after last use or at switch-off.
Manual: hold Up or Down; releasing stops the windlass. On retrieval it stops at the docking distance and beeps; hold again to finish, carefully.
Automatic: display must read 0.0 before deploying. Mode selects Auto, press Mode again for Set auto to enter the rode to release; press and release Down to deploy, Up to retrieve to the docking distance, then Up to finish.
Any button stops the windlass in automatic mode. In an emergency cut power at the isolator/breaker.
Auto release stops 10ft (3m) short of the total rode on board setting. Stopping is accurate to +1 chainwheel revolution.
Counting continues if another control (foot switches) runs the windlass. Settings survive power loss.
Menu (unit on): clear to zero, logs, backlight, reset sensor.

Automatic functions carry an inherent risk: you still supervise every anchoring operation and secure the anchor before moving the boat.

Troubleshooting

Message / symptom	Cause and action
Auto mode disabled	No sensor pulses; sensor not compatible with rope/chain; load wires not connected; a solenoid wire off; no rode-to-release value; total rode set to OFF.
Battery voltage too low	Check connections and cable size for voltage drop; view battery data in Diagnostics.
Motor externally controlled	Another control in use; solenoid common ground missing or swapped; large ground potential difference.
Power supply wired incorrectly (beeps)	Power back-feeding from outside the control circuit, e.g. AA560 and deck switches on separate supplies.
No sensor pulses detected	Windlass must run above 5 metres per minute; check set-up, magnet and sensor condition, gap and alignment.
Sensor not compatible with rope and chain	Grey sensor required, magnet in the top of the chainwheel, load wires connected.
Sensor tuning never finishes	Not "Tuning done" after 10 turns: check the sensor installation.
Solenoid disconnected, shorted or stuck	Test with another control; check the solenoid wiring for open or short circuit.
Erratic count / "Sensor unstable"	Rode running uncontrolled, interference, damaged sensor or wrong cable; all wires including the drain connected, shielded cable only.
Count pauses on retrieval	Rope/chain only: the rode is changing from rope to chain; not a fault.
Stays at zero out, counts on the way in	Solenoid up and down wires swapped.
Up deploys, Down retrieves	Motor or solenoid wiring reversed (re-check brown/white wires too), or controls swapped in the menu.

Maintenance: no user-serviceable parts. Check cables and connections, sensor head wear and alignment, and the magnet for wear or corrosion. Clean the console with a damp cloth only, never chemicals, abrasives or a dry cloth on the screen.

Need a part that isn't listed? Ask us to source it and quote the part number from the PDF.