Need Help with Rotator Control Box

[arlo]

Crazy stuff. It went together, it's got to come apart. Worst case cut the corner retainers and lift the pieces out. Snip the pins and use screws where they were.
Look at it carefully. If the knob were loosened would the whole top with the yellow thingys come out as one unit?

 

[Charles218]

Crazy stuff. It went together, it's got to come apart. Worst case cut the corner retainers and lift the pieces out. Snip the pins and use screws where they were.
Look at it carefully. If the knob were loosened would the whole top with the yellow thingys come out as one unit?
View attachment 155136

While being incredibly careful, the two yellow pieces are now in pieces. The unit works just as before, I think I will just use it as is, manually holding the pointer knob so that it doesn't move. I will now search for a newer non-mechanical model, the Channel Master 9537 is what I would like to get, but CM tells me that they are having problems getting the parts sourced to get it back into production. Thanks for all of the great assistance!

 

[primestar31]

While being incredibly careful, the two yellow pieces are now in pieces. The unit works just as before, I think I will just use it as is, manually holding the pointer knob so that it doesn't move. I will now search for a newer non-mechanical model, the Channel Master 9537 is what I would like to get, but CM tells me that they are having problems getting the parts sourced to get it back into production. Thanks for all of the great assistance!

You got any Teflon slabs from C-band feeds laying around? Use those to replace the "two yellow pieces"... You can file/cut/drill/modify the Teflon slabs as needed...

 

[arlo]

Sucks. Box 'er up, send it to me.
The rotor has what seems to be a common 500 ohm potentiometer for sending position and the motor voltage seems to be common to other controls out there. eBay has tons of rotor controls for 15-20 bucks.
CDE's seem to be a good match.
I looked at quite a few schematics for different consumer antenna rotators. No biggie.
Tool box must-haves.
Flat blade, Vice grips, duct tape, hammer, ....and condoms.
If you can't fix-it.......

 

[Larry1]

While being incredibly careful, the two yellow pieces are now in pieces. The unit works just as before, I think I will just use it as is, manually holding the pointer knob so that it doesn't move. I will now search for a newer non-mechanical model, the Channel Master 9537 is what I would like to get, but CM tells me that they are having problems getting the parts sourced to get it back into production. Thanks for all of the great assistance!

The two yellow pieces are what stops the clear plastic piece from turning by causing friction. Should be able to create new ones on a 3D printer if you know anyone with a 3D printer. If not a piece of scrap plastic, a dremel tool and files to create a replacement. Teflon would be too slippery.... needs to hold the clear piece in place as the disk below it turns. When you turn the dial you press down on the dial and the two friction pieces then do not hold the clear dial in place. When you let go after turning the spring pushes the dial back up and the yellow pieces again hold the clear piece in place. You need friction, not something very slippery.

 

[Larry1]

Sucks. Box 'er up, send it to me.
The rotor has what seems to be a common 500 ohm potentiometer for sending position and the motor voltage seems to be common to other controls out there. eBay has tons of rotor controls for 15-20 bucks.
CDE's seem to be a good match.
I looked at quite a few schematics for different consumer antenna rotators. No biggie.
Tool box must-haves.
Flat blade, Vice grips, duct tape, hammer, ....and condoms.
If you can't fix-it.......

This box is even more simpler and does not have any potentionmeter. the motor in the box turns at the same rate as the motor at the antenna. The motor uses an ac signal, and the capacitor delays the ac signal. You have 3 wires going to the motor. Return, AC and DELAYED AC. Return wire always goes to the same wire of the motor. The 2 other signals, AC and DELAYED AC connected in one way turn the motor one way. When reversed, the motor turns the other way. The two motor turn at the same rate because of using an ac signal and the rotor and the antenna stay in sync. When the antenna is heavy and the antenna motor misses a pulse but the control motor moves the one pulse is when it gets out of sync. (or when the non-polarised capacitor gets weak and the phases are not delayed enough)

..... some rotors do have a poteniometer, but this box does not.