Dish Losing Count

[stogie5150]

My Paraclipse has gone nuts. Either that or my 30 year old standalone positioner box has forgotten how to count....this morning before the big snowstorm (LOL) I ran it down to AMC 8 just in case, and tonight I went to run it back to G28 where it normally sits. I have G28 set up as 'zero' so all I have to do is watch the numbers on the screen of the positioner box until it gets to 0. It had been losing a few counts in the past, but I didn't really concern me too much.... Well tonight I ran it to zero and had no signal, so I went to the window and the dish was pointed to somewhere around 50 degrees west...wayyyy over there to the east. I ran the dish back west to g28, and the box said 374. So the box lost 374 counts when I ran it to the westernmost satellite this morning for some reason.

What would you do first, change the box or look at the dish? Remember I have the H-to-H mount, so I have no actuator.

 

[14karat]

What type of switch does it have for counting? That's what I'd check first.
The contacts on the switch may be corroded/dirty/worn/all of the above...

 

[gabshere]

i don't know , unless you have another counter ( v-box or analog receiver ) it would be hard to pinpoint. i know the first part of what you posted sounds exactly the way my v-box III acted it would lose a few counts going from west to east..... ( i attributed this loss of count to the actuator not having enough counts per inch) and it always sounded like the g-box actually doubled the counts ( hence it didn't bother the g-box and it didn't get off) but i can only speculate for now as i don't have a g-box. i still have plans to add another reed sensor to effect double the count for the v-box. maybe when time permits i can do that.

 

[stogie5150]

What type of switch does it have for counting? That's what I'd check first.
The contacts on the switch may be corroded/dirty/worn/all of the above...

Its a self-contained reed switch. I just changed it out a couple months ago when lightening got it. It was fine after that.

To wit:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...7-paraclipse-h-h-reed-sensor-replacement.html

i don't know , unless you have another counter ( v-box or analog receiver ) it would be hard to pinpoint. i know the first part of what you posted sounds exactly the way my v-box III acted it would lose a few counts going from west to east..... ( i attributed this loss of count to the actuator not having enough counts per inch) and it always sounded like the g-box actually doubled the counts ( hence it didn't bother the g-box and it didn't get off) but i can only speculate for now as i don't have a g-box. i still have plans to add another reed sensor to effect double the count for the v-box. maybe when time permits i can do that.

I have got other positioner boxes, in fact another one just like I have now, thanks to a generous Brother here on the board, so I may try that first....thanks fellas...

 

[linuxman]

I think it can only be one of two things.

The reed switch has slipped out of position meaning not close enough to get all the counts accurately, or the box doing the counting has gone hay-wire.

 

[stogie5150]

I think it can only be one of two things.

The reed switch has slipped out of position meaning not close enough to get all the counts accurately, or the box doing the counting has gone hay-wire.

Soon as things thaw out outside, I shall investigate. :up

 

[Cadsulfide]

You should be able to see the counts pretty easy if you have an old analog dc volt meter. There should be some dc voltage across the vbox sensor input when the switch is open and zero when the switch is closed. as the dish is moving, the interval between "ticks" should be equal. You can do this from inside so you don't get snow on your shoes Stogie

 

[stogie5150]

I cannot find anything amiss here....now to change out positioner boxes.

I shall return.

 

[voomvoom]

Maybe since the Paraclipse has never seen Snow..... it's gone into Shock...

 

[stogie5150]

Maybe since the Paraclipse has never seen Snow..... it's gone into Shock...

No, this dish has seen snow a few times...its been in my hometown since 1986....and it has snowed a few times since then....LOL

I changed the positioner box to another MTI 2800 that I have here, seemed to fix it....I ran it from G28 to G15 back and forth and it was not off more than a click or two.....looks like its back to somewhat normal...whatever that is...LOL

Thanks fellas. :up

 

[voomvoom]

Nice to have back-up equipment, when you need it.
Glad you're back in business!

 

[1captain]

Don't know if you have 1 or not is a scope, it is the best way to check you're read switch an spacing of magnet wheel. I have a old Sencor here, an this is how I have done it before put a 1 1/2 battery on the read switch an then run the motor (best to run the motor at its required voltage like 36 volt) an then you will see the pulses on the scope, now some peaks will be down from others or may even be missing some, an it all may come back to just a magnet or read spacing. now with a ohm meter it will tell you if its open or closed but will not be able to see all the pulses on a even basics will it is running. now I would sujest doing this from inside home an then out side at the dish. because some time it may be the wire from the motor also bleading over with voltage from the motor, an on you sensor wires under 150ft should be about 10 to 15 ohms, if it higher it will also cause this promblem.

now you're magnet wheel is a von weise 4-mag wheel (V-76-300) you also may want to try their 8-mag wheel, which will double you counts, but the 8-mag is real touchey to get sensor set right about .32 from sensor to magnet wheel. good luck it is a pain when you have a dish lousing counts.

 

[stogie5150]

Don't know if you have 1 or not is a scope, it is the best way to check you're read switch an spacing of magnet wheel. I have a old Sencor here, an this is how I have done it before put a 1 1/2 battery on the read switch an then run the motor (best to run the motor at its required voltage like 36 volt) an then you will see the pulses on the scope, now some peaks will be down from others or may even be missing some, an it all may come back to just a magnet or read spacing. now with a ohm meter it will tell you if its open or closed but will not be able to see all the pulses on a even basics will it is running. now I would sujest doing this from inside home an then out side at the dish. because some time it may be the wire from the motor also bleading over with voltage from the motor, an on you sensor wires under 150ft should be about 10 to 15 ohms, if it higher it will also cause this promblem.

now you're magnet wheel is a von weise 4-mag wheel (V-76-300) you also may want to try their 8-mag wheel, which will double you counts, but the 8-mag is real touchey to get sensor set right about .32 from sensor to magnet wheel. good luck it is a pain when you have a dish lousing counts.

I gotta scope on my 30-06 deer rifle, will that work? LOL

All of that makes sense, but I am not that married to it, and I thank you for the info. I didn't know that VonWeise had other magnet wheels... Wouldn't bother me if the sensor didn't work at all..long as I can see the dish....LOL...but at night its kinda dark out there...LOL

 

[Anole]

port 'n starboard wing-lights ?

Maybe we can have a project for putting a small colored light on each side of the dish.
That way you can see how it's oriented at night or in the dark ...? -

As for magnet-to-reed spacing, I remember what Linuxman said about adjusting his.
Something about using a business card to set the space.
Yours looks like there's a lot of daylight between.

And if you had a local buddy who -did- have an oscilloscope he could bring over, that would tell you a lot, by just connecting it across your _?_ terminals.
No extra wiring, resistors, nor battery required.
What it sees is what your control box sees.
And while the new Vboxes and Gboxes can handle fast 'n noisy pulse streams, I fear the older analog receivers and control boxes aren't so forgiving.


edit: not sure if these characters will work or not . . .
what you don't want to see on the scope, is a noisy signal like this: _??_
what you do want to see is a bunch of clean edges more like this: _??_

 

[phlatwound]

Glad to hear that old positioner box got you going again, did you have to clean the switches?

 

[stogie5150]

Glad to hear that old positioner box got you going again, did you have to clean the switches?

I think they needed to be cleaned, but I didn't...maybe some other rainy day....LOL...

 

[turbosat]

String some Christmas tree lights on that paraclipse, would look very festive, and you could see that big dish at night, lol.