Q)
How do I find the DMI MARINE facility? Can I drop off repairs or stop by to pick
up parts?
A)
It is easy to find us. First make your way to the Bourne Bridge and onto the
Bourne Rotary, take the exit for Rt. 28 South towards Falmouth & Woods Hole.
Three miles from the bridge on the right hand side of the highway you'll see a
large white sign for Portside Liquors. Turn
starboard onto Portside drive. Then take your next left onto Commerce Park Road.
Half way down this road on the left hand side you'll see our blue sign for
DMI Marine. Come on
in and drop off your instrument for repair, or buy parts you may need for your
boat and don't be scared by Spike, he is a playful Old English Bulldog who is
just as happy to see you as we are.
Q)
I received the DMI SX-120 speed sensor for my old S100KL knot log. Thanks.
But I have a couple of questions.
1)The cable is not long enough to reach from the thru-hull to the instrument. Is
it expected to splice in the additional cable needed?
2)Also - the cable is finished off with a female-end. The transducer input on
the instrument is also female. Is the solution to find a male/male adapter or do
I need to splice a new adapter to the cable?
A)
This is a common question.
When you remove the old SX-120 you will find it is wired exactly the same as the new one, meaning there will be the same 10' cable with a female BNC on the end. There is an interconnect cable between your knotmeter and speed sensor [SX-120]. The interconnect cable consist of a 30' run of coax cable
with male BNC connectors on each end. One end mates with your knotmeter, the other end mates with the SX-120. No splicing, adapters or cutting needed. Just disconnect the old one, connect the new one and you are done.
Q)
I have a Datamarine wind machine. The wind direction works fine, but the wind speed
only shows zero’s on the LCD. The wind cups continue to spin and I have performed the
ohm test in the back of the manual but do not see a problem. Any suggestions?
A)
Even though the wind cups are spinning, the problem most likely is in the masthead
unit. The wind cups attach to a shaft which in turn rides on a bearing inside the wind speed
section of the masthead. When the bearing wears out it takes out the wind speed, the cups
still spin (or may spin slowly) but no speed is generated. The ohm test only tests cable
connections, not the internal workings of the wind speed section.
Q)
I received my repaired Masthead unit back from service over the winter and I
left it in the box until I was ready to install the unit in the spring. Now when
I went to remove it I noticed some oil had leaked from between the wind vane and
the body
onto the cardboard. Is this ok?
A)
Yes this is normal. The top portion of the Masthead unit is a sealed cylinder
containing the wind direction motor which is damped with a heavy weight fluid to
prevent erratic motion in light winds. There is an oil seal around the wind
direction shaft that protrudes from the top of the cylinder but some fluid may
still leak past this seal when the unit is laid on it's side. When storing the
mast head unit it should set in the upright position as it is when it is mounted
on the mast, this will prevent fluid leakage. The oil that leaked out is excess
fluid and will not affect the operation of the masthead unit.
Q)
My depth sounder read MSD18.8 is this a problem in my instrument or the
transducer?
A)
There is a MSD reading that is shown in the older depth sounders which means
there is not a response from the transducer. This could be a fault in the
instrument or the transducer. The MSD18.8 reading is definitely in the
instrument. This reading means that all the segments of the LCD are displayed at
once. Just replacing the LCD may not be enough since the circuit that drives the
LCD may have failed causing the LCD to fail. Replacing the LCD without testing
the drivers could result in the same failure next season. By sending in your
instrument for service we can check the LCD drivers, plus align and calibrate
the transmit and receiver gain plus replace any corroded hardware making your
depth sounder as good as it was when it left the factory.
DMI Marine, Inc.
18 Commerce Park Road
Pocasset, Ma 02559
main phone number: 508-564-7491
fax number: 508-564-7497
email: dmi@dmimarine.com
