Maxwell AutoAnchor AA570 Rode Counter — Owner's Manual

AA570 System at a Glance

• The kit is 1 AA570 console + 1 AA702 master base station; up to 2 slave base stations can be added (6 outputs each).
• The specification table says the system supports up to 3 base stations and 3 consoles; the installation and registration pages say up to 4 consoles (as printed).
• Keep all equipment at least 3ft (1m) from VHF radios, modified sine wave inverters, radar and their cables, and 6ft (2m) from SSB; AA702 cables at least 1.5ft (500mm) away.
• There must be an alternative method to operate the windlass; the windlass needs a dual direction control box or solenoid pack.
• 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. Check nothing below can be damaged and the structure is not weakened.
• 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: the sensor is tuned on first deployment (see Operation).

The sensor plugs straight into the AA702 base station. For a longer run use the 2m male/female cable (Part #9505) plus a gender changer (Part #9510) with one of the standard extension cables:

Vertical windlass – chain only

• Magnet 10mm × 8mm (#9061) standard, or 6mm × 4mm (#9009) if your windlass needs it.
• Drill 10.3mm (13/32") × 9.5mm (3/8") deep in the underside of a spoke at the bottom of the chainwheel.
• Black sensor and reed switch directly in line with the magnet; grey sensor may be up to 20mm out of line.

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, Base Station and Wiring

Base station internal connections

• All outputs are active high (+); unused outputs are automatically assigned as auxiliary outputs.
• Only one windlass per base station (2 windlasses need 2 base stations). OUT1 and OUT2 are fixed for the windlass; Up/Down buttons and the windlass location (bow or stern) can be swapped in the set up menu.
• Bow and stern thruster outputs are default locations and can be swapped in the menu; the port and starboard direction of each output cannot be changed.
• OUT 5 (white) and OUT 6 (brown) are the motor load wires – only needed for rope/chain counting.

Thruster and auxiliary outputs only work with the AA710 hand held remote (AA9408 / AA9400) or the AA730 remote; the AA570 console runs the windlass.

Power and cables

• Power the base station from the windlass control circuit 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 output loads (AA702 output maximum 3.5 Amps); add an isolating switch for the controls if the main breaker is not within reach of the helm.
• With slave base stations the master must be powered. Separate base stations may have separate supplies, but two products on the same base station must share a supply or be isolated with relays.
• Brown and white motor load wires (OUT 6 and OUT 5) go direct to the windlass motor terminals for rope & chain counting, with a 1000 Ohm resistor near the terminal (prefitted in the kit terminators). On an all-chain windlass, OUT 5 and 6 are free for other options.
• Interlock protection is built in: no diodes or interlock devices on the outputs. Ring terminals, insulated, at least 1ft (300mm) from the sensor head; cables 1.5ft (500mm) from radio equipment and tied in place.
• Star ground AA560 and AA150 consoles and AA702 base stations; run all multiple-installation wiring in parallel.
• Low current drives (PLC, AC VFD): a dummy resistor load may be needed, fitted at the equipment control, not on the base station – Part #9083 on the wiring page, #9515 in the diagnostics (as printed).

Registration and Set Up

• Each console and base station has a unique ID and must be registered to the others. The registration switch is inside the base station; the ID (e.g. 801D) is on the white label next to it and matches the last 4 digits of the bar code outside.
• Base station LEDs: System (red) steady = power on, flashing = registration active (times out after 5 minutes), slow pulse = sensor connected while the windlass turns. Network (green) steady = master, off = slave. Comms (yellow) flashing = data received.
• Register a console: turn all consoles off, power all base stations, open the master, switch the console on, press and release the registration switch (green stays on, red flashes); registration is automatic and takes up to 30 seconds. Register each console separately with the others off.
• Add a slave base station: consoles off, both lids open and powered; hold the slave's registration button 6 seconds until the green LED goes off, then press and release the master's button. Done when red stops flashing on both. Keep the windlass on the master.
• Remove or replace a base station: deregister it from the console Set Up menu (Modes → base station ID → Not Found → Deregister). Deregistering a master means setting up the system again from new.
• Used base station: hold its registration button 15 seconds until all three LEDs flash (complete factory reset), then register it as new. Used console: Reset Registration in its menu, then register it as new.
• Wireless channel (default channel 2): change only to escape interference, close to the base station, with all other consoles off; it can take up to 20 seconds and two attempts. Slaves follow the master automatically.

Modes: with the AA702 powered, open the Set up menu (console off, hold the two scroll buttons together) → Modes → select each base station by ID and allocate its functions. Each windlass needs its own base station on Output 1 and Output 2; identify each windlass by its position on the boat for a twin windlass set up. If the selection message stays longer than 30 seconds the base station may be unpowered or too far away.

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 AA570

• Display: rode deployed, direction, chain or rope, windlass speed and signal strength (affected by distance and by steel, carbon or alloy structure between console and base station).
• Twin windlass: hold the Mode button 1 second at a time to cycle between windlasses, or select from the menu.
• Sensor tuning: with the anchor docked and the count at zero, deploy in one continuous press until "Tuning done" (up to 10 turns).
• Manual: hold Up or Down; release to stop. At the docking distance the windlass stops and beeps – hold to finish with care.
• Automatic: set a rode-to-be-released value, select Auto, then press and release Down to deploy or Up to retrieve to the docking distance. Any button stops the windlass.
• A failure of the wireless link means loss of control through the AutoAnchor: keep another way to run the windlass and know where the main breaker is.
• No user serviceable parts: check cables, sensor wear and alignment, and the magnet; reset the sensor after any change. Clean with a damp cloth only.

Troubleshooting

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

Technician diagnostics are in the Set up menu (Windlass → Diagnostics): sensor Signal A must be between 4.6V and 4.9V on this unit; each solenoid wire needs a load of more than 10mA (12V DC) or 20mA (24V DC).