How would I go about testing my actuator before installing it on my cband dish that I am almost finished installing ?
How to test an actuator before installing on a cband dish ?
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Use a car battery or lawnmore battery. Postive and negative. Ethier way will push it out or retract it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
If you have a vbox or ASC1 you can hook right up too it with short wires to test right on the bench or laying in the living room floor.
You can also you a car battery, or cordless drill battery. If you using a battery just hook it up one way and it should extend, then reverse the wires and it should retract.
Using a battery though will not test for pulse counts so I like to hook it up with a short cable to one of my ASC1's to ensure the actuator is sending pulses properly.
You can also you a car battery, or cordless drill battery. If you using a battery just hook it up one way and it should extend, then reverse the wires and it should retract.
Using a battery though will not test for pulse counts so I like to hook it up with a short cable to one of my ASC1's to ensure the actuator is sending pulses properly.
Ideally, there'd be an ammeter inline for to check the 'draw'.. Listen for any 'grinding' or squeaks.
You could also check the 'power' by lifting a couple hundred lbs.* No Load draw should be under an amp. Limit is whatever your PS can handle, but an actuator should 'top out' around 3 amps (or so) @ rated load.
(* check the MFG ratings)
Go through all that and you know it's 'health'.
You could also check the 'power' by lifting a couple hundred lbs.* No Load draw should be under an amp. Limit is whatever your PS can handle, but an actuator should 'top out' around 3 amps (or so) @ rated load.
(* check the MFG ratings)
Go through all that and you know it's 'health'.
For reed switch testing, I've used an analog voltmeter set to 10 ohm and connected to the sensor leads- as the actuator is motored in/out will show reed switch function by the needle sweep on the multimeter, especially if the motor is powered with a low voltage source.
This is also a great way to test a VBOX, exactly what I did on the living room floor.
That is true, My dish would not move one time so I hooked a spare actuator up on the living room floor and discovered the little clip on the back that holds the wire had broke, and the spring was gone. The test actuator moved and I was relived that I didn't have to pull new wire through the attic. That was a close one.
Speaking of broken clips on the back of vboxes, ... Does anyone have a source for replacement part?
I saw a few options online that might work, if you search ICC Speaker Spring Clip Keystone Jacks you will find a few that look right. I am thinking I might re purpose some from some old speakers I have laying around. For now I have shoved a piece of plastic in there to hold it in place.
I'd prefer some type of terminal that uses screws to hold the wires.More secure,me thinks.Even something similar to the the screws where you hooked the vhf antenna wires to an old tv set BITD.
One thing I have noticed on my VBox: There should be some kind of strain relief for the actuator wires.I taped the actuator cable to the coax cable temporarily...until I fix it better some day.
Something like this (in appropriate size) should be on the back of the Vbox for strain relief,IMHO:
One thing I have noticed on my VBox: There should be some kind of strain relief for the actuator wires.I taped the actuator cable to the coax cable temporarily...until I fix it better some day.
Something like this (in appropriate size) should be on the back of the Vbox for strain relief,IMHO:
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