Gyrocompass: what wears out and what to change together
The gyrosphere is the heart of the master compass and its most expensive knot. This is a precision rotor on ball bearings, placed in a container with a supporting liquid. It wears out slowly and behaves insidiously: the compass continues to work, but the readings go away.
How the knot works
The rotor spins to high turns and keeps the direction in space. A container with liquid removes the load from the supports and extinguishes the swing: without it, the bearings would not survive a single transition. The supporting fluid is not oil “in general”, but a composition with a strictly defined density, the balancing of the entire node depends on it.
Signs that the gyrosphere is time to change
- The compass comes to the meridian longer: instead of the usual time of readiness, the clock.
- A search around the correct course that does not go away after parking.
- The growing difference with the GPS course and the magnetic compass in calm water.
- Extraneous noise or vibration from the compass body is a sure sign of supports.
- Traces of dashing and changes in the level of liquid in the container.
What to order together
Changing one rotor and leaving the old interconnections is a common and expensive mistake. The set of works usually includes: container-layerfresh supportiveif necessary, by himself container and centre-pin. If the base is opened, you will need to baseboard and cap.
Why the article is important, not the name
The same series of compasses have configurations MK1 and MK2 with different seats and different interconnections. The part with the “same” name from the neighboring configuration will not stand up or stand up with a skew that will kill the new rotor in one season. Therefore, the selection is conducted by article and configuration, not by photo.
About deadlines
The gyrosphere is the position of a long order, the availability changes. If the vessel is on the docking schedule, the knot is ordered in advance: replacement in the dock takes hours, and waiting for the part takes weeks. We confirm the deadline before shipment, not after payment.
What to send for selection
Model and configuration gyrocompass, article from the removed node or photo of the nameplate. Based on this data, we will check the compatibility and offer a complete list of what to change into one operation, so that it does not turn out that the rotor has come, but there are no gaskets.
