CoolSat 6000 and SG2100 Compatibility

[BryanSat88]

I tried to add a new SG 2100 motorized mount to my Coolsat 6000 receiver in a homebrewed FTA system. With the motor mounted, but no dish attached, I powered up the setup, but the 6000 seems to keep protecting itself and rebooting. I thought there was a short in the new motor, so I got out an old analog IRD and powered up the motor and reset the motor's memory. I manually moved the motor with no problem, so it isn't jammed (The old IRD doesn't have DiSeqC, so I couldn't try out the remote movements). I checked the current draw and it peaked at about 160 mA (without movement), which is a lot less than the Coolsat is rated for (400 mA).

Has anyone got the Coolsat 6000 to work with the SG 2100? Any ideas where to troubleshoot?

I have checked the coax cable, reflashed the stock firmware and reset the receiver, and checked the dish/mount settings. There is no dish installed right now to load the mount, and the mount is new and moves manually. I don't believe my receiver is a clone as it has a serial number and factory halographic seals. Any idea which component is at fault and any remidies???

 

[Anole]

That should be a match made in heaven.
Coolsat 5k or 6k, and an SG2100.
Doesn't get more vanilla than that.

Well, is there any chance you've plugged into the wrong connector on the rear of the Coolsat?
Can you plug the receiver into any coax you have with a live LNB and get a signal?
I always put a big red sticker at the LNB coax connector when I get a new receiver, since they are all different.
Helps in locating the right one when I'm working on it later and standing behind an equipment stack (and wishing I had a flashlight). -

 

[BryanSat88]

This is a Coolsat 6000 that I have been using for a while in a fixed dish setup, so I have had no problems with it running just LNBs. I suspected the new motor at first, but I can hook the new motor to an old analog receiver and power it up fine. I can even move the mount with the manual buttons when it's connected to the old receiver. I hook the motor up to the Coolsat 6000 and the receiver reboots every 3 or 4 seconds. I suspected a software error, but the Coolsat acts like the coax/motor is shorted (its not! - I checked). Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep trying to track this one down.

 

[gabshere]

try without the lnb/motor coax hooked up to power up the coolsat 6000
if it still reboots then its corrupted it filmware and will need to be reflashed

you should be able to reflash the unit yourself. its a timing thing

 

[voomvoom]

Did you enter your latitude and longitude into the Menu settings:
Press Menu
Installation (Enter) enter password if necessary
Antenna Setup (Enter)
Choose a Satellite (Enter)
Move down to Positioner Setting, use Left/Right Arrow for USALS (Enter)
Now set the My Longitude, enter correct longitude and use the Right Arrow to change to W
Now set the My Latitude, enter correct latitude
Now move down to Store (Enter)
Now Exit completely out and see if it works....
Good Luck!

 

[Anole]

. . . so, this is the first time you put a motor on your 6000?
Did you buy the 6k new or get it used?
Would be a good reason to sell it, I'd bet. -

If you can find the motor specs (I found several that were close), the consumption you described seems to generally be in the right ball park.

What order do you power it all up?
I would assume the following would be safe:
* power off the receiver (on the rear)
* plug in the coax to just the motor
* turn on power on the back of the receiver
* power up the receiver with the remote or front panel

How far do you get and what happens?

edit: oh, and do what Gabsphere and VoomVoom said above , -first-

 

[colbec]

FWIW I ran an SG2100 from a Coolsat 6000 for six months in 2007 with no problems, regular use every day. My first motor had an issue, but once a good motor was in place it was very smooth, USALS and Diseqc 1.2.

 

[BryanSat88]

In response to a number of questions:

I bought both the Coolsat 6000, and now recently the SG2100, new.
The Coolsat 6000 works fine with no LNB coax attached or with only LNBs attached (ie no rebooting).
I attached everything together with the Coolsat (back panel switch off and unplugged), then plugged in to the outlet, and then turned on back panel switch.
I get a menu for about a second and then the unit shuts down and displays a single '0' or a '1' in the channel indicator. Then the whole thing starts over again.
I haven't tried the lat/long setup yet, because I can't even get that far with the motor attached. I am sure I can do it with the motor unattached, but wasn't sure if I should try that without a motor attached.
I already reflashed the firmware thinking it was a software glitch and the reflash worked fine, but same problem occurs with the motor.

I fear this Coolsat is overly sensitive to current draw, but the motor seems within specs OR the motor is sending some command back (if that is possible) that causes the Coolsat to freak out. Is there a way to safely check the LNB current draw before shutdown???

 

[Mr Tony]

I've had a 5000 and a SG2100 for almost 3 years now with no issues

 

[zaxxon]

No problem with my 6000 & SG2100, check your hook up.

 

[Tron]

Sometimes the outer shield from the coax will get caught up in the center of the F-fitting when installing the fitting. This can cause an intermittent short. Have you checked the ends of the cable carefully for this?

 

[BryanSat88]

Thanks for the idea about checking the coax. I have swapped the coax several times and tried using short sections inside the house to troubleshoot (too cold to keep running outside). Still no luck.

I put the motor up on my work bench and retested its function carefully with a service power supply at 13V. It draws well within limits (25-30 mA standby) and 160-190 mA moving manually with no dish. I am really suspecting the Coolsat receiver is malfunctioning. Maybe it is defective and only has enough power for the LNB, but not enough to run the motor.

 

[SatelliteAV]

SatelliteAV provided Coolsat Factory Warranty support for several years and on occasional saw this problem. It is most likely a problem with the receiver current overload sensing circuitry. It could also be a faulty voltage regulator.

Check with Coolsat repair department. They will be able to resolve this problem.

 

[BryanSat88]

Thank you, for the info. I will contact both the authorized dealer I got the unit from, and coolsat to see how the repair or replacement will be handled.
Thanks to all respondents.