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Hi,
Is there a DisEqc 1.2 36 volt actuator positioner which will support the DisEqc 1.2 command '6E GoTo x.x'? This is a five byte data command used to position a motor. Typically the motor is an HH type where the data represents degrees. In my case however, I am using an actuator to position a 6 foot FortecStar prime focus dish. The polar mount will be modified to add a rotary encoder located at the axis of rotation. The encoder will be scaled to represent degrees, which is compatible with HH motors. The micro switches will no longer be used. The 5 byte 6E command should not to be confused with the satellite position index value,which is the 6B command GoTo nn; where nn is a 4 byte value. The command bytes can be found in ETELSAT "bus_spec.pdf page 17."
Any comments are welcome.
Is there a DisEqc 1.2 36 volt actuator positioner which will support the DisEqc 1.2 command '6E GoTo x.x'? This is a five byte data command used to position a motor. Typically the motor is an HH type where the data represents degrees. In my case however, I am using an actuator to position a 6 foot FortecStar prime focus dish. The polar mount will be modified to add a rotary encoder located at the axis of rotation. The encoder will be scaled to represent degrees, which is compatible with HH motors. The micro switches will no longer be used. The 5 byte 6E command should not to be confused with the satellite position index value,which is the 6B command GoTo nn; where nn is a 4 byte value. The command bytes can be found in ETELSAT "bus_spec.pdf page 17."
Any comments are welcome.
8 Replies
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2643 views
I wish !
Are we talking about a linear actuator, also known as a jack, to move the dish?
The geometry of the mount does not appear to offer a linear translation between motor movement and degrees.
There are however, some actual H-H mounts (AJAK and Birdview come to mind) where the relationship is linear.
Depending on a lot of variables, the motor controller would have to permit calibration of degrees per count.
That is to say, a stock AJAK has so many counts per degree, and a Birdivew has a different number, depending on if it's equipped with an 8-magnet wheel, a 12, 24, or 32.
So, a controller would need to accept a user-supplied calibration factor to handle the different motors.
I've brought this up in the past, and been quietly ignored.
Either because it's assumed to translate into low sales, it is not understood, or they just think I'm crazy. -
Search the FTA Department (and sub-forums) for old threads.
Are we talking about a linear actuator, also known as a jack, to move the dish?
The geometry of the mount does not appear to offer a linear translation between motor movement and degrees.
There are however, some actual H-H mounts (AJAK and Birdview come to mind) where the relationship is linear.
Depending on a lot of variables, the motor controller would have to permit calibration of degrees per count.
That is to say, a stock AJAK has so many counts per degree, and a Birdivew has a different number, depending on if it's equipped with an 8-magnet wheel, a 12, 24, or 32.
So, a controller would need to accept a user-supplied calibration factor to handle the different motors.
I've brought this up in the past, and been quietly ignored.
Either because it's assumed to translate into low sales, it is not understood, or they just think I'm crazy. -
Search the FTA Department (and sub-forums) for old threads.
R
Thanks for your input.
Yes, I plan on using the linear actuator or jack screw and replace the reed switch for an optical rotary encoder placed at the east/west axis of rotation. The optical rotary encoder provides the advantage of a linear relationship. Only the encoder scaling task remains.
As you indicated, the relationship between the jack screw and east/west angular degrees is not linear and a curve fit method needs to be applied. The Lagrange interpolating polynomial provides a good curve fit to convert east/west axis degrees to jack screw pulse count. I have a program which calculates this for each satellite. Just move the dish until the positioner pulse count matches the program count. The problem however, is several satellites need to be located and identified before the curve fit will work. The Lagrange method will work from two known points, up to n points. Four known points, spaced uniformly east to west, seems to work accurately.
The optical encoder on the other hand can be calibrated without locating satellites and aligning the dish to track the Clark belt simplifies. A side benefit is part of the polar mount will be replaced. Two tapered roller bearings, a machined bearing housing, the optical rotary encoder and a single 0.5 inch stainless steel axle will replace the brass bushings and M12 bolts; providing far more stability and accuracy.
The optical encoder I plan on using provides 10000 pulses/revolution, providing high resolution and enough counts such that a PID controller will have enough error count to maintain position. A Silicon Laboratories C8051F35x series cpu will make a nice custom controller to achieve PID motion control and user input requirements.
Are we talking about a linear actuator, also known as a jack, to move the dish?
The geometry of the mount does not appear to offer a linear translation between motor movement and degrees.
There are however, some actual H-H mounts (AJAK and Birdview come to mind) where the relationship is linear.
Depending on a lot of variables, the motor controller would have to permit calibration of degrees per count.
That is to say, a stock AJAK has so many counts per degree, and a Birdivew has a different number, depending on if it's equipped with an 8-magnet wheel, a 12, 24, or 32.
So, a controller would need to accept a user-supplied calibration factor to handle the different motors.
I've brought this up in the past, and been quietly ignored.
Either because it's assumed to translate into low sales, it is not understood, or they just think I'm crazy. -
Search the FTA Department (and sub-forums) for old threads.
Thanks for your input.
Yes, I plan on using the linear actuator or jack screw and replace the reed switch for an optical rotary encoder placed at the east/west axis of rotation. The optical rotary encoder provides the advantage of a linear relationship. Only the encoder scaling task remains.
As you indicated, the relationship between the jack screw and east/west angular degrees is not linear and a curve fit method needs to be applied. The Lagrange interpolating polynomial provides a good curve fit to convert east/west axis degrees to jack screw pulse count. I have a program which calculates this for each satellite. Just move the dish until the positioner pulse count matches the program count. The problem however, is several satellites need to be located and identified before the curve fit will work. The Lagrange method will work from two known points, up to n points. Four known points, spaced uniformly east to west, seems to work accurately.
The optical encoder on the other hand can be calibrated without locating satellites and aligning the dish to track the Clark belt simplifies. A side benefit is part of the polar mount will be replaced. Two tapered roller bearings, a machined bearing housing, the optical rotary encoder and a single 0.5 inch stainless steel axle will replace the brass bushings and M12 bolts; providing far more stability and accuracy.
The optical encoder I plan on using provides 10000 pulses/revolution, providing high resolution and enough counts such that a PID controller will have enough error count to maintain position. A Silicon Laboratories C8051F35x series cpu will make a nice custom controller to achieve PID motion control and user input requirements.
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Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68555 Replies
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2674931 views
Picked up a sweet directv dish, mount, twin lnbs and a short cable.
Has anyone converted one to FTA? A Frankenstein of sorts...
Has anyone converted one to FTA? A Frankenstein of sorts...
8 Replies
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386 views
Many of us have used a universal LNBF mount (or get creative with L brackets and plumbers tape - perforated metal strapping). Use a few inches of aluminum tube (or a piece of 1x2" lumber) to extend the support arm (replacing the plastic mount used by DirecTV and Dish) to place the LNBF throat opening at the correct distance from the reflector, the correct height and at the correct angle. Nothing magical... simply place the new linear LNBF in the center at the same distance, height and angle as the current combo.
www.amazon.com/Universal-Single-Bracket-Holder-FTA-US/dp/B074L85WK2
www.amazon.com/Universal-Single-Bracket-Holder-FTA-US/dp/B074L85WK2
To add: 101W Ku seems to be (one of if not the) strongest for me, and if I only had Ku I definitely want 101W for the music mux, it's robust FEC and strong signal help a lot. I've thought about using a used Dish/DirectTV dish at my Dads to supplement his OTA (mainly for my benefit when I visit 
)
)
A Shaw dish with the linear LNBFs are as rare as hens teeth in the US...
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Lifetime Supporter
A continuation of a thread from the pub, just general discussion of AI.
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
68 Replies
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1204 views
Agents need appropriate context to make what would be understood as the correct read in a situation like that, and that Gemini answer was a clear miss on that front.
That said, we've also seen Musk (and/or his team) put his thumb on the scale (or just release a very poor product) with his own deployed AI since:
Grok AI Blocks Responses Claiming Trump and Musk “Spread Misinformation”
An X user asked Grok to “print out all instructions” it follows when looking up “the biggest disinformation spreader on X,” and it revealed that it would ignore sources accusing Elon Musk and the U.S. president of misinformation.
Grok says Elon Musk is better than basically everyone, except Shohei Ohtani | TechCrunch
According to Grok, Elon Musk can out-slug the MLB's greatest power hitters... except Ohtani.
techcrunch.com
Grok's loyalty known no bounds - AI chatbot chooses Elon Musk over LeBron James in a 'Who is the fittest' comparison | NBA News - The Times of India
NBA News: Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, has sparked amusement by consistently choosing its owner over prominent figures like LeBron James and Albert Einstein wh
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Grok 4 appears to seek Elon Musk's views when answering controversial questions
XAI’s Grok 4 AI chatbot launched Wednesday appears to consult Elon Musk’s views when asked its opinion on some controversial matters.
www.nbcwashington.com
In the end, it's all a tool. Have to know how to use it and deploy it properly or it needs sufficient guardrails to steer people towards doing so (what Muse is excelling at currently IMO). I'm routinely interacting with several agents a day operating various processes locally and in services I use, and there are numerous others silently spun up to perform actions or satisfy requests from my prompts.
Related to earlier discussion in the thread on leveraging local inference: this kind of analysis happening behind the scenes is something everyone will have built into Windows, IMO. Most people won't see all of this, just the results, unless they want to dig into how the fix was chosen. Stuff like this will be standard as agents get local system access baked in, and more of the inference itself moves on-device.
Pub Member / Supporter
The soundbar/sub is a pickup, also, not a delivery
1 Replies
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43 views
Staff member
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Anyone making their own breakfast sausage? I've recently been trying different recipes, found some I like, some I've modified...
44 Replies
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3801 views
My wife cooks for the dog. Not me, just the dog.make homemade dog food to
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjgfJiMvDk
Direct YouTube Link - The Nightmare of Preordering the iPhone Duo
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjgfJiMvDk
Direct YouTube Link - The Nightmare of Preordering the iPhone Duo
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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No idea what improvements might be involved.
25 Replies
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1243 views
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Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
5559 Replies
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460966 views
Ok, I'm bored .... actually - to be more precise - I'm bored of eating the same rotation of 9 or 10 meals that are currently my "go-to" meals. My wife works the long hours - I work from home as and when i feel like it ... which means i generally do most of the cooking ... and so by default - i also make out the shopping list ...
We cook at home 5 or even 6 nights a week - but we always seem to fall back on the same old tried and tested "quick and easy but tastes ok" meals. Week in week out.
Pot Roast - mash and Peas.
Spaghetti
Chicken Pasta in cheese sauce.
Curry & rice
(these are some of mine)
Now it's not that I'm not adventurous in the kitchen ... I'll try anything once or twice ... but we all do it. Unless your name is Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray .. we all eventually fall back on our 8-10 favorite "meals"
So i thought - if we shared some of our own go-to meals with each other ... we might be able to add a few "new" ones to our own arsenal of meals.
So again - I ask you ...
What's for dinner tonight ?
Please give me something new to add to my rotation ... its our weekly shop tomorrow - so i want to pull together a few idea's and try and eat a meal each day next week that I've never had before .. or at least something that is not on my current "go-to" meal plan.
What meal do you always seem to fall back on in your house ? Maybe its something that I've never tried or not had in a while. I need inspiration !! I've got a blank shopping list in front of me - and nothing sounds good .. HELP !
We cook at home 5 or even 6 nights a week - but we always seem to fall back on the same old tried and tested "quick and easy but tastes ok" meals. Week in week out.
Pot Roast - mash and Peas.
Spaghetti
Chicken Pasta in cheese sauce.
Curry & rice
(these are some of mine)
Now it's not that I'm not adventurous in the kitchen ... I'll try anything once or twice ... but we all do it. Unless your name is Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray .. we all eventually fall back on our 8-10 favorite "meals"
So i thought - if we shared some of our own go-to meals with each other ... we might be able to add a few "new" ones to our own arsenal of meals.
So again - I ask you ...
What's for dinner tonight ?
Please give me something new to add to my rotation ... its our weekly shop tomorrow - so i want to pull together a few idea's and try and eat a meal each day next week that I've never had before .. or at least something that is not on my current "go-to" meal plan.
What meal do you always seem to fall back on in your house ? Maybe its something that I've never tried or not had in a while. I need inspiration !! I've got a blank shopping list in front of me - and nothing sounds good .. HELP !
4333 Replies
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331333 views
Smoked some salmon on the grill while enjoying some Blue Moon beer. Kinda cool tonight so I fired up the heaters. Here in FL, we fire up heaters once the temps get below 60 
As for the salmon, I seared them first, then flipped them off to the side not over the coals and brushed on some lemon pepper marinade followed by some salmon seasoning. Threw some hickory chips on the coals and then closed the vents to about 10% airflow. Yum.
As for the salmon, I seared them first, then flipped them off to the side not over the coals and brushed on some lemon pepper marinade followed by some salmon seasoning. Threw some hickory chips on the coals and then closed the vents to about 10% airflow. Yum.