🔍 Key Concepts

• Electro-mechanical autopilot vs modern electronic/autopilot systems • Difference between electrical power/signals and electronic (solid-state, microprocessor-based) control • Typical ways a steering order can be transmitted: mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself what the term electro-mechanical tells you about how the signal leaves the helm and reaches the steering gear. • Consider whether older systems used microchips and digital circuits, or relied on simpler current/voltage changes and relays. • Think about what hydraulic and pneumatic systems actually move (fluid or air) and whether that fits the idea of an autopilot sending a control signal from the bridge to the steering gear.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify whether an older electro-mechanical system is more likely to use simple current/voltage circuits or advanced electronic components. • Confirm that hydraulic and pneumatic systems are usually used to move the rudder or actuator itself, not to carry the command signal from the helm. • Make sure you distinguish between the control signal medium (how the order is sent) and the power medium (what actually moves the rudder).