NOS HTS Actuator

Captain Midnight

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Sep 16, 2019
627
425
Greers Ferry, Arkansas
I just bought this and it is in transit. $10 +shipping was enough for me to chance it being untested. It looks new. Anyone know what company HTS sourced actuators from? Or perhaps they made their own?
 

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This thing tested out ok.

But...I have a problem now.
I started to smell a little bit of that "motor smell" and took it off... Well I had never done that before. I reassembled it the way I thought it was. And this is the result. These magnets are pretty well crushed. Is there any hope for repair? I feel like a huge idiot.
 

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Yes you do have a problem. BTW those are not magnets, they are the motor brushes that pass electrical current to the spinning armature.
 
This thing tested out ok.

But...I have a problem now.
I started to smell a little bit of that "motor smell" and took it off... Well I had never done that before. I reassembled it the way I thought it was. And this is the result. These magnets are pretty well crushed. Is there any hope for repair? I feel like a huge idiot.
Wow, sorry to hear that. :( If you go to Amazon or eBay and search for the term 'motor brushes' you will get a ton of results. You may be able to find something that looks like the originals that will work for you. Worth a try anyway. :)
 
Older electrical shops carry motor brushes. If you can find one of those. Or, search Ebay, Amazon, or just Google for "motor brushes". Better yet, contact Venture, send them a photo, and ask them if they have brushes that will work. IF that's a Venture actuator, they might be able to supply them. Venture Mfg Co Contact Us Today!
 
Older electrical shops carry motor brushes. If you can find one of those. Or, search Ebay, Amazon, or just Google for "motor brushes". Better yet, contact Venture, send them a photo, and ask them if they have brushes that will work. IF that's a Venture actuator, they might be able to supply them. Venture Mfg Co Contact Us Today!
Thanks for the info. I didn't mean to go silent for so long but I was pretty bummed at myself for a case of "curiosity killed the actuator"... I just put it aside and totally put the thing out of my mind after the accident.

My tax return was very good this year, so I am thinking about a new actuator. I have a 10ft mesh dish and want 36" because I can see from 22w to 133w at my location. I can only get 40w-133w with my old 24" and the actuator hates me when I need to pull back east if I go west of 125w.

So is the ball screw really worth more? I might also have a lead on a 12ft mesh that may be put into service soon, if that helps for a recommendation.
 
My tax return was very good this year, so I am thinking about a new actuator. I have a 10ft mesh dish and want 36" because I can see from 22w to 133w at my location. I can only get 40w-133w with my old 24" and the actuator hates me when I need to pull back east if I go west of 125w.

Make SURE your 10' dish can handle a 36" actuator, without Flopping, Many older kinds of them can't, because the polar mounts aren't balanced quite right.

So is the ball screw really worth more? I might also have a lead on a 12ft mesh that may be put into service soon, if that helps for a recommendation.
Yes, the ball-screw actuator likely will never wear out in your lifetime. Though it's very much over-kill, unless you have a very heavy dish, such as a huge Fiberglas dish. Or, you live in an area with a very high average wind speed, and need more strength to hold your dish.
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Wow, sorry to hear that. :( If you go to Amazon or eBay and search for the term 'motor brushes' you will get a ton of results. You may be able to find something that looks like the originals that will work for you. Worth a try anyway. :)
My actuator was a 36" Digiwave. Both brushes were gone and one magnet came off. I checked Amazon and could not find the same brushes but close. I bought some brushes a little bit bigger and sanded them down to what I needed. I had to reuse the old springs because the ones that came with the new brushes were wider. I also reuse the old brushes wire with the connector because the new ones were different. I just cut both wires ( new and old) half way and soldered them. I also sanded the motor wall inside and glued the magnet back with two types of Cyanoacrylate: mid to be able to position it properly before it got stuck and then aded thin on the borders with a catalyzer. Let it dry for two days before assembling it back. Since I had to dissassemble the full actuator, I added new grease to the gear and lubricate every posibble part, plus remove all dust a repainted. It is working like new. My point is, don't be afraid to try to fix it. If everything else is OK, replacing the brushes is not a big deal. Just be carefull when inserting the rotor back to push the brushes away. You can use a small wood stick to push them apart.
 
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