Re: [amsat-bb] Orbit rotor inflation!

["Edward R. Cole" <al7eb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Len,

There is little difference between rotors.  Most have apower supply and
switching to run the motor and a potentiometer that feeds a voltage
proportional to rotation position back to the control meter (this is how
the  B5400/5600 is built).  Then most computer control units provide the
interface electronics to convert the position dc-voltage to digital and
turn on/off/reverse the motor voltage.

So you could add a gear to the mast to run a potentiometer fed with a low
dc-voltage and take the varying voltage from the wiper terminal to feed to
an interface unit.

I bought an old U100 with homemade control unit at a hamfest which had
added a gear driven "pot" that fed a small panel meter.  Very simple: push
toggle switch and rotor turns and meter moves.  I could incorporate it into
a satellite antenna drive system.  Instead it will do temporary duty
rotating my rooftop 6m yagi.  Later I plan for it to rotate a "periscope"
reflector antenna for terrestrial microwave.  U100's make good cheap
light-duty rotors.

The old CDR-44 rotator that I used for 6m is going to Norm's Rotor for
upgrade to a Ham-IV.  That will be installed in my new 50-foot tower late
summer with yagis for HF, 6m, 222, and 432.

73's Ed - KL7UW

At 11:04 AM 4/9/2006 -0500, Len Revelle wrote:
>
>Wow. The recent AMSAT Journel article must have been well read. An Orbit 
>360 is up to over $120 US on Ebay and half the last day remains. I see 
>Norm stocks U-100's. Looks like manual rotor control for me, one click 
>at a time, until I decide I have to buy a Yaesu. Is there a simple way 
>to computer control the U-100 with tracking software? TIA.
>
>-- 
>     Len Revelle N9IJ
>"My career goal is to retire"
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73's,
Ed - KL7UW  
=========================================
http://www.qsl.net/al7eb - BP40iq 
144-EME: FT-847, mgf-1801/1402, 4xM2-xpol-20, 170w
432-EME: FT-847, mgf-1402, 1x21-ele (18.6 dBi), 60w
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