is my motor garbage?

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Jim S.

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Jan 2, 2006
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I have a Sadoun PowerTech DG-280 motor that's been working fine for a year and a half with my Solomend 800 (Openbox S9). Last night after clearing some tree limbs I was re-surveying the arc and I got as far as 125 with no problem. When I told it to go to 127, it stayed at 125. Trying to go to back east also resulted in no movement. I was running out of time, so I shut the receiver down (with the hard power switch) til this morning.

When I started it up this morning, I was still on 125. Still no movement via receiver, so it doesn't appear to have been a software glitch. So I went out and looked at the motor. The two LEDs were blinking every 2 seconds as they're supposed to in normal operation. The east and west buttons worked to drive it east and west. I remembered that the manual said something about resetting the motor by holding both buttons. I tried it. The manual says that after a reset, the LEDs will both blink for 5 seconds. They don't do that, instead they both blink 5 times. But now, any attempt to move the motor via the receiver results in it going to the west hard limit, where the west LED comes on and stays on. This is also different from the manual, which says that at the limits the LED should blink constantly. I wonder if this is just a translation error, or whether the motor electronics are totally screwed up?

Also now, driving it with the buttons is weird. Normally, pressing a button bumps the motor one click and holding it drives it continuously. Now, when it's at the limit, I have to bump it quite a few times before holding the button down will result in movement. And a few seconds after I let go of the button, it goes to the west hard limit again, even if I don't try to move it anywhere with the receiver!

Later today I'm going to try to take time to take it down, open it up, and look for anything obvious like water or insects shorting the circuitry, but meanwhile I was wondering if anyone else has had a problem like this or whether I should plan on buying a new motor.
 
I was reading on some other forums that motor problems like this were frequently caused by relays getting stuck, and that they could be cleaned successfully. Well, I got the cover off of my motor, and it looks like it uses micro-relays that don't have removable covers like the big old relays I remember from my youth did. In googling the model number of the relays, one of the first things that came up was a post here from Walrus, who had a different motor but had the EXACT same problem that I have. And, the relays in his motor were the same model:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/164215-sg2100-motor-failed.html

So it sounds like it's the relays then. Now, I have to see if I can find a replacement.
 
i would start by trying another receiver to see if it will move the motor....

if it does not i would replace the cable ends at both ends of the cable....make sure you use high quality weatherproof compression type ends....and make sure there are no switches between your motor and the receiver....it should be one straight cable run....
 
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