All a bit remote

Ages and ages ago, we figured that the wired pendant controller for our Steelhead crane was a single point of failure. The little micro switches in them have a poor reputation, especially if you go around dropping the thing or getting it wet. Having the crane immobilised whilst you try to dismember and repair the pendant or play around with jumper wires to bridge a failed switch was not appealing.

There is an alternative wireless solution but the equipment is wildly expensive from the Steelhead folks. You can buy the controller direct from the manufacturer Kar-Tech and make up your own wiring loom for it and that is a little less eye watering in price at $590 US.  Add some wires, three Deutsch connectors and you are in business. The kit looks like:

Pretty thing isn't it! We found one on eBay that had been bought by another Nordhavn 47 owner and used for his "identical to ours" crane. It had been back to the manufacturer for a repair and was away when they sold their boat. Hence it was available.  We happily bought it and then found that the nice Steelhead folks wanted to sell a new faceplate to us so there was space inside it to tuck the wireless receiver! What?? They even sent a technical drawing of it too:

Funny how they never mention that would be needed on their (feeble) spares website or in many emails about failing controllers with the Nordhavn Owners Group members. To add insult to injury, the plate they supply would be bare metal too, not finished in white 2 pack paint like the rest of the crane.

Together with Roland, the Steelhead engineer guru who has featured in here before, we figured that the receiver could be hidden up inside the jib of the crane and the original faceplate retained if the pigtail connector we needed to make up was long enough. We made up a Y lead so we could use either of the wireless or wired controllers.

Fitted into place the wireless controller just refused to work - the transmitter and receiver would not pair despite a report from the recent service work saying they both tested OK to specification. Perhaps the specification omits the chatting to each other test - that bit is vaguely important though. 

So. after many emails the device went back to them in the USA and had a new trigger fitted which cost way more than the original eBay purchase price. It came back, amused us for an hour or so to fit it and amazingly it worked.

So we now have two ways to send command signals to the crane and feel a little happier. Knowing our luck, we will probably find that a hydraulic line ruptures or a solenoid valve fails but at least using the wireless remote will be easier then the annoying cable which gets wrapped around you and itself very easily.