MinnKota's i-Pilot: Terrova installation and first impressions
Head Unit
The brains of the i-Pilot are contained within a head unit that replaces the top half of my Terrova's head. The head unit contains the integrated GPS receiver and all of the electronics required to control the Terrova's steering and thrust. Here are a few pics of the head unit itself, before installation.
The primary linkage between the guts of the Terrova and the i-Pilot is a single, insulated plug that you can see hanging over the top of the unit in the second photo.
The third photo shows a portion of my i-Pilot's serial number. Feels kinda fun to be driving i-Pilot #2!
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Remote
Users will control all i-Pilot functions with a hand-held, floating, fully-sealed remote. Here are some pics of the remote. More information about the remote's functions will be in the way soon, as soon as I install the unit.
The remote is quite light, lighter than I expected. It weighs about as much (or perhaps less than) a typical remote control for your TV.
The third pic shows the guts of the remote, accessed by removing the 6 Phillips screws from the back of the unit. This makes the battery accessible for easy replacement.
Now, off to install the unit on my Terrova!
Terrova installation
Installing the i-Pilot onto my Terrova was ridiculously easy. It took, perhaps, 5 minutes, including the time needed to take the pictures below. It's clear to me that the engineers at MinnKota had the Terrova in mind when they designed the i-Pilot.
Step 1. Disconnect power to the trolling motor.
Step 2. Remove the cover to the head unit by unscrewing the four screws found on the underside of the trolling motor's head.
Step 3. This exposed the components found in the head unit. If you have an autopilot (like I did), then the autopilot must be disconnected and removed.
Click on the images for larger pictures
Click on the images for larger pictures
Step 4. Unseat the autopilot from the head unit, and disconnect it from the motor's electronics (unplug one plug, and you're done).
Step 5. Into that plug that used to contain the autopilot, plug in the i-Pilot. 2 very satisfying clicks on the way in, just as advertised in the i-Pilot manual.
Step 6. Attach the i-Pilot to the remainder of the motor using the four original screws.
I verified a successful installation by deploying the motor...3 quick little chirps means that all is well.
Now, it's time to take it out on the water. So, off to a little nearby lake that's hosting a walleye tournament next weekend. More when I return!
Click on the images for larger pictures
First impressions on the water
I had a chance to use my i-Pilot for the first time this weekend. The more I use it, the more situations I think of where the i-Pilot and its GPS-enabled functions will become central to my boat control and bait presentation.
I'll start the discussion by talking about some features that current Co-Pilot owners will find very familiar. The i-Pilot's co-pilot features (basic direction and speed control) are at the top of the remote. Check out the first picture for a look at the remote itself, and the second picture to see the co-pilot speed and steering controls.
The left and right steering arrows are self-explanatory. In the middle of this section of buttons is the prop button: one push to turn the prop on, a second push to turn it off. The plus and minus buttons incrementally change the speed of the propeller. Below the prop button is the jackrabbit key, which increases motor thrust to maximum; below the jackrabbit key is the backlight key, which makes the display readable at night.
One evolutionary step I noticed right away is that the basic speed control is tunable in 1/2-unit steps. In other words, speeds can be set at 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, etc. This finer degree of speed control will be wonderful for dialing in a precise motor speed for finesse bait presentations; wintertime jig dragging on the river comes immediately to mind. The third photo above shows the remote's display, with this half-increment speed (2 1/2) noted above the propeller.
Click on the images for larger pictures
Let's go back to the i-Pilot remote's display, shown in detail at right. A lot of information can be presented on the display; we'll go through all of the icons as they present themselves during this orientation.
In the upper left is the GPS signal strength, measured in bars like on a cell phone. The i-Pilot requires at least one bar of signal strength for its GPS-enabled functions to work. The standard co-pilot steering and power controls are not GPS dependent, so they'll work well in areas where signal strength is low, like in a steep canyon or an area that is near a heavy leaf canopy.
To the right of the signal strength indicator is the current motor power setting. It ranges from 1-10, in half-unit increments. In this picture, the motor is on power setting #5.
Below the power indicator is a propeller icon. This icon spins when the motor is running.
In the lower left is the current GPS speed. It is completely accurate, when checked against the Humminbird GPS that I have mounted at the bow. Having this GPS speed in the remote is a tremendous advantage. Since you can be anywhere in the boat while controlling the bowmount, you need not be anywhere near a fixed locator screen in order to check your speed. This GPS speed is the heart of the i-Pilot "Cruise Control" function that we'll discuss in the near future.
Dr. Jason Halfen
Professional Walleye Angler
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