Seakeeper 30HD User manual

Rev 7 OCT 2017
OPERATION MANUAL
*THIS MANUAL ALSO COVERS THE SEAKEEPER 30HD MODEL*

OPERATION
MANUAL
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SEAKEEPER 35 / 30HD
90269
7
SEAKEEPER 35 / 30HD
OPERATION MANUAL
OCTOBER 2017
Contents:
Section 1 –System Overview
Section 2 –System Operation
Section 3 –Power Failures, Alarms, and Troubleshooting
Section 4 –Maintenance
Section 5 –Warranty, Limit of Liability, Property Rights
Section 6 –Specs and Summary
44425 PECAN COURT, SUITE 151
CALIFORNIA, MARYLAND, 20619, U.S.A
PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.0 System Overview
The Seakeeper 35 uses gyroscopic principles to reduce boat roll motions in waves and wakes
independent of boat speed. In multiple Seakeeper installations, the Seakeepers operate
independently of each other and therefore this manual only discusses operation of a single unit.
A Seakeeper 35 consists of a Gyro assembly, a CAN communications cable, and a Display.
Figure 1 illustrates the interconnection of these components and their interface with the boat.
FIGURE 1 –SEAKEEPER 35 STABILIZATION SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Technical specifications provided in Section 6 list the power consumption, total weight, and
dimensions of the major components. Gyroscopic principals that apply to boat roll control are
discussed on Seakeeper’s web site at www.seakeeper.com. The Seakeeper web site also
contains videos of Seakeeper operation and videos of several different boats operating in waves
with the Seakeeper on and off. It is recommended that the reader play these videos prior to
reading the remainder of this manual.

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The gimbal angle and the rate of rotation about the gimbal axis (termed precession rate) play an
important role in its operation. These parameters are illustrated in Figure 2. At zero degree
gimbal angle, the sphere is vertical; it can precess a maximum of +/- 70 degrees about this
position. The amount of torque that the Seakeeper exerts on a boat’s hull to counter the wave
induced roll is directly proportional to the precession rate. The further the sphere is from vertical
(zero degrees) the lower the anti-roll torque. The vertical arrows in Figure 2 illustrate the direction
of the forces that the Seakeeper exerts on the boat’s hull to damp roll motion.
FIGURE 2 –SEAKEEPER PRECESSION
Seakeeper precession is actively controlled by an electronic controller and a hydraulic brake
throughout each roll cycle so the Seakeeper supplies the maximum anti-roll torque and does not
make mechanical contact with hard stops that limit the maximum gimbal angle travel to +/- 70o.

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Safety
There is a large torque about the gimbal axis when the Seakeeper is
precessing. Seakeeper cover panels are provided to prevent personnel or
equipment from contacting the Seakeeper while it is in operation. These covers
should not be stepped on, or have anything placed on top. The covers should
always be in place during operation. The cover side panels contain safety shields
as shown below. Do not operate the Seakeeper without these safety shields in
place.
If it is ever necessary to touch the Seakeeper while the flywheel is spinning, the
Seakeeper must be locked at the display to stop the Seakeeper from precessing.
Seakeeper maintenance should not be attempted unless the Seakeeper is locked
and the flywheel has stopped spinning.

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.1 Seakeeper Assembly
The Seakeeper assembly consists of a flywheel housed in a cast aluminum vacuum-tight
enclosure. The flywheel spins about a vertical axis and is supported by upper and lower pairs of
bearings. A DC brushless motor mounted inside the enclosure spins the flywheel at high speed.
The enclosure is fastened to two gimbal shafts that are supported by gimbal bearings on either
side. These shafts establish an athwart ship gimbal axis about which the flywheel and enclosure
precess or rotate up to +/- 70 degrees during operation. The gimbal bearings are supported by a
foundation which is attached to the hull structure. This foundation transfers the loads that the
Seakeeper produces to the hull structure.
An active hydraulic brake mechanism is located on the Seakeeper assembly to regulate the
Seakeeper’s precession motions about the gimbal shaft. It includes four hydraulic cylinders and
a hydraulic manifold.
Two coolant pumps, heat exchanger with reservoir, and thermostat are located near the manifold.
The upper pump supplies a glycol/water mix thru a closed loop to the motor drive box and
hydraulic manifold, while the lower pump provides coolant to the water jackets of the enclosure
to remove heat.
FIGURE 3 –SEAKEEPER ASSEMBLY

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1.2 Display
The display shown below is the user interface to the Seakeeper 35 and should be mounted at the
primary helm station. It is used to start, operate, monitor and shutdown the Seakeeper. Sensors,
alarms and shutdowns are provided to allow unattended operation.
The display provides information in the event of an alarm. Alarms cause precession to stop
(Stabilize Off) and the Seakeeper to start coasting down (Seakeeper Off).
FIGURE 4 –OPERATOR DISPLAY

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.3 Drive Box
The glycol/water mix that cools the Seakeeper is also circulated through a cold plate inside the
Drive Box to remove heat from high-power electronic components.
The 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 Zero
(0000) RPM and AC input power disconnected for at least
10 minutes prior to any service work on the motor drive
box.
FIGURE 5 –DRIVE BOX
1.4 Electronic Control Module
The Electronic Control Module (ECM) monitors all the system sensors andautomaticallyregulates
operation of the Seakeeper.
The controller commands the motor speed and regulates the Seakeeper’s precession rate and
gimbal angle. This is accomplished by commands to a high response flow control valve in the
hydraulic brake circuit that increases or decreases the brake pressure.
DRIVE BOX

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.5 Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU)
The motion sensor suite in the IMU contains rate sensors that measure the angular movements
of the vessel and accelerometers that measure the vertical and lateral boat movement. These
signals are communicated to the ECM through the Seakeeper’s wiring harness.
1.6 Brake
The brake mechanism consists of two pair of hydraulic cylinders that attach to a crank arm on the
gimbal shafts. The Seakeeper controller modulates how fast the oil can flow through a control
valve thus controlling the precession rate of the Seakeeper.
The brake hydraulic circuit is a pre-charged closed loop –that is, there is no pump, motor or
reservoir in the circuit. Accumulators are installed in the circuit so the precharge pressure does
not increase as the fluid temperature rises due to the braking action. Locking solenoids are
installed in the circuit to lock the Seakeeper so it cannot precess if there is a leak in the circuit or
a mechanical problem with the Seakeeper.
FIGURE 6 –BRAKE SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Hydraulic Hand Pump Kit, P/N 10384, is required for servicing the brake system. Pressure
should never be relieved unless this tool is available.

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Section 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.7 Cooling
The cooling circuit is a closed loop that supplies a glycol/water (50% distilled water and 50%
glycol) mix to:
•The motor drive box to remove heat from the drive electronics
•The brake manifold to remove heat from the brake hydraulic circuit
•The enclosure water jackets to remove heat from the flywheel bearings
The heated fluid then passes through a thermostat before bypassing or flowing through a heat
exchanger that has sea water on the cold side. The circuit also contains a coolant reservoir for
coolant expansion and to make filling easy. The reservoir contains a 7 psi (0.5 bar) pressure cap.
The heat exchanger contains zinc anodes that must be inspectedandchangedregularlyto ensure
maximum heat exchanger life.
FIGURE 7 –COOLING SYSTEM COMPONENTS

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
2.0 Introduction
This section describes operation of the Seakeeper 35 system.
2.1 Display Screens: Overview
1) When 24 VDC is applied to the Seakeeper the DISPLAY will power up and initialize. The
SPLASH screen will be displayed
2) After the DISPLAY has initialized the HOME screen will be displayed
3) The display uses a touch screen to allow users to select functions.

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Seakeeper On/Off. The button will change from grey (Seakeeper Off) to blue
(Seakeeper On)
Seakeeper Stabilize On/Off. The button will change from grey (Stabilize Off) to
blue (Stabilize On)
Home screen view. These buttons toggle home screen between the Roll Angle
Gauge and the Roll Angle Graph as shown below.
4) When the menu button is pressed, the menu bar will appear or disappear at the bottom
of the screen.

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
The menu bar is used to navigate between pages. From left to right, the available pages
are home, settings, information, service and alarm history. The selected page is
highlighted in blue on the menu bar.
5) The settings page allows the user to adjust the following;

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Increase or decrease the brightness of the display with the brightness slider.
Adjust the sleep timer from 1 minutes to 60 minutes or on all of the time using sleep time
slider. Touching the screen will wake the display up after it has gone to sleep.
Change the sign of the roll angle value displayed in the roll angle gauge so the gauge
matches the motion of the boat. This will depend on installation orientation and will only
need to be adjusted once.
Change the speed of the Seakeeper between normal operation and low power operation.
The selected speed is colored blue. When power is cycled (or Seakeeper turned Off), this
speed will default back to the normal operating speed. Speed selection buttons shown
below are examples and may not match operating speed of installed Seakeeper.
Change the display between day and night mode. The selected mode is colored blue.

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Change the units of the temperatures displayed on the service page between degrees
Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit. The selected units are colored blue.
6) The information page displays the Seakeeper model, Seakeeper serial number,
Seakeeper software versions, RUN hours, and SEA hours, and other information.
7) The service page displays operating information from the Seakeeper.

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8) The alarm history page shows what alarms have occurred in the past and the
associated run hours. The scroll bar is used to move up and down through the list.
2.2 Start-up
1) Make sure AC and DC power are available.
2) Turn on the boat’s DC circuit breaker that supplies power to the Seakeeper.
3) Turn on the boat’s AC circuit breaker that supplies power to the Seakeeper.
4) In most cases, the seawater pump will be wired to turn on when the Seakeeper is turned
on. However, in some cases the seawater pump ison a separate AC or DCcircuit breaker
and it is necessary to turn it on.
5) When the DC power is turned on the DISPLAY will initialize and the HOME screen will
appear. If a FAULT is present an ALARM screen will appear.
To turn the Seakeeper on, press the On/Off button, the button will turn blue. The
progress bar will appear and indicate how soon the Seakeeper will be available for
stabilization. When the Seakeeper is initialized and up to minimum operating speed the
stabilize button will appear. At this point, the Seakeeper is available for stabilization.

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
6) When the Seakeeper reaches its maximum operating speed where maximum
stabilization is available, the progress bar will disappear and the Seakeeper is available
for maximum stabilization.
2.3 Stabilization
For stabilization after the Seakeeper is ON and above the minimum operating speed:
1) Press the stabilize button. The button will turn blue indicating that the Seakeeper is
stabilizing the roll motion. The stabilization mode starts gradually; it takes 5-10 seconds
to reach full effectiveness.

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
If it is necessary to shutoff power to the flywheel motor
and slow the flywheel for any reason, press Seakeeper
ON/OFF button; the button will turn RED and the
LOCK/UNLOCK button will turn RED indicating the
command has been accepted. It takes approximately 5+
hours for the speed to drop to zero rpm.
If it is necessary to stop Seakeeper motion for any reason
press the LOCK/UNLOCK button. The LOCK symbol will
turn RED indicating that the Seakeeper is locked. Never
attempt to work on the Seakeeper until the flywheel has
stopped spinning. In the event that the brake system has
automatically locked the Seakeeper due to an alarm or
failure, no attempt should be made to bypass the alarm
or automatic lock.
!
!

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
2.4 Normal Shut-Down
The Seakeeper should be stopped when pulling into port and stabilization is no longer
required. This maximizes life by allowing the Seakeeper to start the coast down cycle
before cooling is shutoff. Once the vessel is secured, the AC and DC breakers can be
switched OFF. The Seakeeper will continue to spool down to zero rpm. No cooling is
required during this time.
Note: The Seawater pump may run for 5 minutes after the Seakeeper is switched off and
is coasting (with AC power applied).
1) Press Seakeeper On/Off button. The On/Off button will turn grey. The Seakeeper will start
coasting.
2) Once the vessel is secured in the slip and the crew has shut down the generator and
engines, switch the AC and DC breakers that control the Seakeeper OFF. The flywheel
will continue to spool down to zero rpm. This can take 5+ hours from full speed.
When the flywheel has stopped spinning 0 RPM will appear on the screen.
3) Press Seakeeper ON/OFF button. The ON/OFF symbol will turn RED. The Seakeeper
will start coasting.

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Section 2: SYSTEM OPERATION
The circuit breakers should be left on as long as possible
while the Seakeeper is spinning to remove heat from the
Seakeeper. During normal operation, theSeakeeper should
be stopped when pulling into port and stabilization is no
longer required. This maximizes long term life as it allows
the Seakeeper to start the coast down cycle before cooling
is shutoff. Once the vessel is secured in the slip and the
crew has shut down the generator and engines, the AC and
DC breakers that control the Seakeeper should be switched
to the OFF position. The Seakeeper will continue to spool
down to zero rpm. No cooling is required during this time.
Note Seakeeper will take approximately 5+ hours to coast
down to zero rpm from full speed. The Display will indicate
0 RPM when the flywheel has stopped.
Note: The Seawater pump may run for 5 minutes after the
Seakeeper is switched off and is coasting (with AC power applied).
!