.
CruzPro CH30 Chain Counter and Intelligent
Windlass Controller
The CH30 chain counter and windlass controller displays
how much chain you have let out in feet, meters or fathoms. It can automatically
slow your windlass when the anchor gets within 5 feet of the bow roller to
prevent nasty bumps and scrapes. The slow-down feature is proportional to
distance remaining (it slows down more as the anchor gets closer to the bow
roller). This makes anchor retrieval at night much safer. The slow-down feature
can easily be defeated in if you need to park the anchor quickly in an
emergency.
Hands-off Auto UP/DOWN: The CH30 can be told to
retrieve all the chain automatically, stopping when the anchor gets to 5 feet of
the bow roller. You can also program the CH30 to deploy chain automatically,
stopping when the programmed amount has been deployed. In Auto UP/DOWN mode, the
CH30 constantly monitors the performance of the windlass. If a chain jam occurs
or the anchor is stuck fast, the CH30 will stop the windlass faster than any
human could respond.
The CH30 can be programmed to back-jog the chain a
few links when you remove your finger from the UP button. This removes tension
off the chain, capstan and windlass gears increasing windlass life and
automatically "parks" the chain into a chain stopper.
The CH30 can be told to display windlass battery
voltage (even under load - when deploying or retrieving the anchor) so you can
check the condition of the windlass battery from the helm.
The CH30 works over a wide operating voltage range
from 6.5 to 33 VDC and can be used to control 12 or 24 VDC winches.
All constants and calibrations are pre-set during
manufacture but you may alter these settings to suit your particular needs.
Calibrations can be altered over a wide range using the front-panel switches.
All information is automatically saved to non-volatile memory.
You can use the front panel buttons to lower and
raise your anchor from the cockpit or helm station. With a press of the button
you can display deployed rode in Feet, Meters or Fathoms and windlass battery
voltage. You can turn off the CH30 and it remembers how much chain you have
deployed and displays the correct number when you turn it back on.
The CH30 draws only 0.017 amps and 5 levels of
backlight (including OFF) can be selected from the front panel.
The CH30 outputs rode and windlass battery voltage
on the standard NMEA 0183 ASCII serial data line at 4800 BAUD. This digital
ASCII information can be used to log windlass performance, anchoring depth,
windlass battery voltage, etc. or repeat the display information elsewhere.
CH30 Connection Diagram
