i-Pilot Heading Sensor Technical Bulletin
Click here to download the i-Pilot Heading Sensor Technical Bulletin
We have had several questions relating to the Heading Sensor (p/n 2996400) that comes with our new Bluetooth® enabled i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link systems. This bulletin is intended to address some of those questions as they relate to its functionality and its proper mounting location.
Heading Sensor Functionality:
The Minn Kota Heading Sensor provides boat heading information to a Bluetooth® compatible i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link equipped Minn Kota motor. It contains a compass that senses the boat’s heading. The heading is used by the i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link system for navigation features such as Spot-Lock “Jog”. (“Jog” allows the user to move the SpotLock five feet at a time either forward, left, right, or backward with a single button push.) The Heading Sensor does not contain a GPS receiver and it does not change or control the
orientation of the boat.
Mounting Location Considerations:
The Heading Sensor needs to be located in a place where it is not subject to magnetic interference, as it is an electronic compass. The Heading Sensor must be installed at least 24 inches from magnetic or ferrous
materials on the boat or near anything that may create a magnetic field or interference. Some of which may include:
- the base of the trolling motor anchors
- metal railings speakers or radios
- trolling motor battery leads must also be avoided due to magnetic fields being created during high current draw situations.
The sensor should not be mounted upside down. It must be mounted on a flat, horizontal surface with the arrow on the sensor parallel to the boat’s keel. The Heading Sensor should have a “line of sight” to the i-Pilot / i-Pilot Link controller head for best operation. In order to function the heading sensor needs to be connected to a 12-volt power source.
After the Heading Sensor is mounted and connected to a 12-volt power source:
Specific instructions are also included with each Heading Sensor and are on our website, but
include the following steps:
- Pairing the Heading Sensor to the i-Pilot / i-Pilot Link controller
- Calibrating the Heading Sensor
- Performing the Heading Sensor Offset
There was a change to the color of the LED used in the Heading Sensor of the i-Pilot & i-Pilot Link Heading sensor. Older heading sensors used a red blinking LED when communicating with the i-Pilot controller. Some users found this was confusing (they assumed a red blinking light indicated a failure). Current Heading Sensors now have a blue LED.
