Power Failures, Alarms, and Troubleshooting

Power Failures

There are two sources of power to the Seakeeper 35:

• 24 VDC powers the Seakeeper for all the control electronics.
• 208 – 230 VAC powers the Motor Drive Box to drive the motor inside the Seakeeper.

These are supplied on Cables 1 and 2 which are shown on Drawing No. 90288 – Seakeeper 35 / 30HD Cable Block Diagram.

The Motor Drive Box contains hazardous voltage and the cover should not be removed while the flywheel is spinning and the AC input voltage is present. This high voltage exists even if the flywheel is coasting down and the supply voltage has been shut off. The flywheel must be at 0 RPM and AC input power disconnected for at least 10 minutes prior to any service work on the motor drive box.

24 VDC Failure

If the 24 VDC is disconnected during operation, the display will be blank, flywheel speed will decrease, and the brake will be locked (no precession).

• Verify the boat’s circuit breaker supplying +24 VDC has not tripped and the AC breaker is On.
• When +24 VDC is restored, the display will power up, the Splash Screen will appear, and then the Home Screen will appear.
• Press Power On/Off button . The progress bar will appear and indicate flywheel speed. When the flywheel is at minimum operating speed, the Stabilize button will appear so stabilization can be turned on. This may take up to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of the flywheel when the +24 VDC is turned back on.

230 VAC Failure

If the AC power is not connected, a notification screen will indicate “AC Mains Low”. If the failure is not corrected within two minutes, an “AC Mains Low” alarm will occur. The brake will lock and the Seakeeper will stop moving if stabilization was on.

• Verify the boat’s circuit breaker supplying 208-230 VAC to the Motor Drive Box has not tripped.
• When 208-230 VAC is restored, the display will power up, the Splash Screen will appear, and then the Home Screen will appear.
• Press Power On/Off button to clear the alarm. The progress bar will appear and indicate flywheel speed. When the flywheel is at minimum operating speed, the Stabilize button will appear so stabilization can be turned on. This may take up to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of the flywheel when the 208-230 VAC is turned back on.

230 VAC Fluctuation, Spike, or Momentary Failure

If the AC voltage to the Motor Drive Box is outside Seakeeper’s specified range (208 – 230 VAC), the Motor Drive Box will briefly shut down for protection. The Motor Drive Box will continue operation when the voltage returns to the specified range.

A brief fluctuation can happen when the generator is unable to regulate its output voltage, particularly when a large AC load is switched on or off. A momentary AC failure also happens during transition from shore power to ship’s power.

Alarms

The Seakeeper issues an alarm when it detects a malfunction that could cause damage or erratic operation. When an alarm occurs, the Seakeeper will stop and an alarm message is shown on the Display.

The alarm will not clear until the operator presses the Reset Alarm button and the alarm condition is no longer present. The operator can then press the Power On/Off button again to continue Seakeeper operation.

• A view of a typical Alarm screen.

• To reset the alarm, press the Reset Alarm button:

Alarm History

The Alarm History page on the Display shows the recent alarms and warnings. The alarms are in chronological order starting with the most recent. Warnings included in the history page are for issues that do not affect Seakeeper operation.

Press the Menu button to show the page options and then the Alarm button to show alarm history.