Maxwell AutoAnchor AA560 Rode Counter & Windlass Control — Owner's Manual

AA560 at a Glance

• Fits most vertical windlasses, drum winches and most horizontal windlasses; the windlass needs a dual direction control box or solenoid pack.
• There must be an alternative method to operate the windlass.
• The AA560 will not count correctly if the windlass selection is wrong or the windlass is not standard (e.g. a different chainwheel or motor).
• Install the console at least 3ft (1m) from VHF/radar equipment and cables and 6ft (2m) from SSB; cables at least 1.5ft (500mm) away. Unshielded sensor cable compromises EMC and may invalidate the warranty.
• Installation by a qualified marine electrician, to USCG, ABYC, NMMA and BMEA requirements.

Magnet and Sensor Installation

• Magnet polarity: irrelevant with the grey AA sensor (#9067) or a reed switch; with the black AA sensor (#9008) the south pole (marked side) faces the sensor. Seal the magnet under at least 1mm of epoxy.
• Vertical windlass sensor hole: 10.3mm (13/32") through the deckplate if not factory drilled, and 10.3mm through the deck in line with it.
• Fitting the sensor: never force or hammer it. Keep it clear of the chainwheel and at least 300mm (1ft) from battery and motor cables; secure with neutral cure silicone or a strong adhesive (e.g. Sikaflex 291 or 3M 5200).
• Reed switch sensors: 10mm × 8mm magnet (#9061), 3–5mm gap, field connector needed; accurate for all-chain, approximate on rope/chain retrieval – replace with the grey sensor (#9067) for rope and chain.
• Plug and play sensor tuning: once installed, the sensor is tuned on first deployment (see Operation).

Maxwell horizontal windlasses (HWC, HRC6, HRC8)

• HWC (chain only): predrilled for the AutoAnchor sensor and magnet; drill the deck and fit the sensor as for a vertical windlass.
• HRC6 & HRC8 (rope and chain): you need the HRC sensor and magnet kit (#SP102909 as printed); the windlasses are predrilled. Disassemble: unscrew the 5 M6 × 40 cap screws holding the case together, remove the starboard cover, remove the pressure arm, unscrew the M10 × 30 cap screw used to adjust the clutch, then remove the outer clutch cone, outer belville washer, chainwheel, inner belville washer and inner clutch cone.
• Magnet (#SP4119): insert into the predrilled hole and cover completely with at least 1mm of epoxy to seal it from salt water.
• Sensor (horizontal sensor #SP4124): slide the wire into the downward facing hole in the sensor pocket until the sensor sits in the pocket and the wires protrude below the windlass; secure with neutral cure silicone or a strong adhesive (e.g. Sikaflex 291 or 3M 5200). Drill a 3/8" (10mm) hole in the deck for the wires using the template supplied. Reverse steps 1–5 to reassemble.
• The horizontal sensors have no plug: use an AutoAnchor field connector (Maxwell Part # SP4164) or solder and seal all sensor wires.
• Maxwell windlass deckplates: if factory drilled, remove the plug to insert the sensor; if not, drill a 14.5mm hole at the dimple mark. Slide the sensor into the black fitting adaptor so its top is flush with the adaptor, and push the assembly into the deckplate from the top – no adhesive needed.

Console, Power and Cables

• Mount the console where the operator can see anchor and windlass, on a flat surface. The front is waterproof but the cable boot on the back breathes: protect the back from moisture.
• Drill the 4 holes from the drilling template; no sealer or glue (the rubber grommets seal), and no metal studs – use the nylon bolts supplied, hand tight only.
• Template (printed in the manual): 13.5mm wiring hole, three 5.5mm holes, recommended clear area 140mm × 130mm. Print at 100% before drilling.
• Up to 3 AA560 consoles can be fitted, and the AA560 can share the windlass with foot switches, remotes and other AutoAnchor products (T-adapters and 2m extension cables available).
• Power the AA560 from the windlass control circuit together with all other windlass controls – never from the motor positive near the windlass. Link the negatives of multiple battery banks.
• Fuse/breaker on the control circuit rated for the loads on the outputs (AA560 output maximum 4 Amps); add an isolating switch for the controls if the main breaker is not within reach of the helm. Disconnect power when wiring.

Sensor cables and connectors

The plug and play sensor extension cable is 2 core tinned shielded cable; screw connectors firmly together. The warranty does not apply if the sensor cable plugs are removed.

Wiring

• Interlock protection is built in: do not fit diodes or interlock devices on the windlass outputs.
• Battery and motor cables: ring terminals, insulated, at least 1ft (300mm) from the sensor head. Seal terminals with CRC [3013] Soft Seal or CRC [2043] Plasticoat 70; tie all cables in place, 1.5ft (500mm) from radio equipment.
• Motor load wires (brown and white): not required on an all-chain windlass. For rope & chain they go direct to the windlass motor terminals, with a 1000 Ohm resistor near the motor terminal (the load terminators in the kit have it prefitted).
• Multiple AutoAnchor products: star ground the consoles, no other high current paths between them, all wiring run in parallel.
• Low current drives (solid state switching, PLC, AC variable frequency): a dummy resistor load may be needed, installed at the windlass control, not on the AA560. The manual gives the part as #9515 (specifications and diagnostics) and #9083 (wiring page) – as printed.

Setting Up the AA560

Turn the AutoAnchor off, then hold the two scroll buttons together to open the Set up menu (General, Windlass, Diagnostics, About).

Appendix 1 – Chain and Rope per Revolution (Maxwell Windlasses)

Chain only windlasses

Rope & chain windlasses

If your windlass or chainwheel is not listed, measure the chain and rope per turn as described in Set Up.

Operating the AA560

• Display: rode deployed (feet, metres or fathoms), direction, chain or rope, windlass speed. Settings survive power loss; counting continues if another control (e.g. foot switches) runs the windlass.
• Lock: hold Mode for 2 seconds to unlock; it relocks 5 minutes after last use or at switch-off. Hold On/Off 2 seconds to turn off.
• Sensor tuning (first use, after factory defaults or a sensor reset): with the anchor docked and the count at zero, deploy in one continuous press until "Sensor tuning" changes to "Tuning done" (up to 10 turns of the windlass). If you lift your finger, start again.
• Manual: hold Up or Down; release to stop. At the docking distance the windlass stops and beeps – press and hold to finish with care.
• Automatic: needs a rode-to-be-released value (Mode twice → Set auto). Mode → Auto, then press and release Down to deploy to the target ("Auto target reached"), or Up to retrieve to the docking distance. Any button stops the windlass. Set the value to Off to disable.
• Menu (unit on): Clear to zero, Logs, Backlight, Reset sensor (then redeploy to retune).
• In an emergency shut off the windlass power at the isolating/breaker switch. Always make sure the anchor is fully docked and secured before moving the boat.

Maintenance

• No user serviceable parts. Check cables and connections, the sensor head for wear and alignment with the magnet, and the magnet for wear or corrosion. Reset the sensor after any sensor repair or change.
• Clean the console with a damp cloth only – no chemicals or abrasives, and never wipe the screen dry.

Troubleshooting

Messages flag external wiring, installation or set up problems – not a fault in the AutoAnchor.

Technician diagnostics (Set up → Diagnostics)

• Grey sensor, chain only (bottom magnet): Signal A (red wire, sensor supply) 4.6V to 5.0V; Signal B 0.5V–4.6V (minimum working 0.5V); below 0.5V Signal C takes over down to 100mV.
• Grey sensor, rope/chain (top magnet): Signal C minimum 100 mV on chain pulses.
• Black sensor, chain only (south pole to sensor): Signal A moves between 2.6V and 4.6V.
• Reed switch: black wire to the reed switch; Signal B 0.0V to 5V. NPN proximity sensor: Signal B 2.5V–4.6V.
• Solenoid wires need a load of more than 10mA (12V DC) or 20mA (24V DC); an idle voltage above 2.0V on a PLC or AC VFD control calls for the dummy resistor load.
• Load wires show nearly zero volts at idle when correctly connected. "Red sensor wire grounded" means it is overloaded below 2.5 volts: unplug one plug at a time to find the short.