Saginaw actuator upgrade

[dunnsept]

I think there's a problem with the sensor in my current dish setup. It's losing 'counts' as the dish moves..
so, ferinstance, I can tell it to move to G0 and when the dish stops, it's actually about 50 "counts" off from where it really needs to be.
I then have to manually move the dish to find that sat, re-save the position and I'm good for a while before I have to do it again.
This also makes Ku a complete nightmare as it rarely hits the target close enough for Ku to function and I wind up having to re-peak the dish to get any channels.
this is also annoying SWMBO and I want to keep her happy with the BUD setup so she's not tempted to go back to small dish.


I know that skyvision sells a reed conversion kit for saginaws for $40.
anybody do this before? Is it a good conversion?
I also have an actuator on the perfect 10, it also looks like a superjack on the dish I can get for free.
so, I guess the main question is: upgrade the existing saginaw or replace with something else?

TIA

 

[Anole]

If your wiring is secure, and not intermittent, then we're just talking about a reed switch and a magnet.
If you can get to the switch, try adjusting it closer to the magnet wheel.
Try using something like a credit card or if necessary, a business card as a spacer.
Of course, if your documentation suggests a greater gap, do follow those instructions.

I know that skyvision sells a reed conversion kit for saginaws for $40.

Wait, it already DOES have a reed 'n magnet, doesn't it?
And what sort of receiver are you hooked to?
Any chance that could be the cause of your lost counts?
Just covering all the bases.

 

[tvropro]

Unless it's a real old Saginaw over 20 years old its a reed. If it has a two bolt motor its reed for sure, a one bolt may have a 10 turn pot. Did this just start happening? It could be the sensor, wireing, or receiver. Make sure your connections are tight and the drain wire is connected to case on the actuator and receiver.

 

[dunnsept]

uhmmm.. let's see... connected to a dsr922. has been getting worse as of late. for a while it was close.. but getting worse.
for the motor, I know it says "thompson saginaw" on the case. There are 4 screws holding the cover on it. for 2 bolt vs 4, do you mean how many bolts hold the motor to the screw housing? I can't remember off-hand.
documentation? uhhh.. I have nothing for it.. I guess I'll have to just open it up and look.

I know that I can take the cover off to get to the terminals, but where is the magnet wheel? take the rest of the motor off and it's behind the terminals or what?

thanks for the info.

 

[B.J.]

To add to the above, when checking the wiring connections, check both for good connections, but also look for dirt and wetness. I used to have an actuator that was pretty dirty, and whenever it rained, the connections would get wet, and they'd apparently short out to some extent, and I'd lose or gain counts, but when it dried out, everything was OK. (Ie clean water doesn't conduct much, but dirty water does.)

Another parameter is free play in the gears. Often you'll think you're losing counts, but actually what you're seeing is coming into the sat from 2 different directions, such that the free play in the gears makes the sat appear to be in 2 different places depending on whether the actuator is extending or retracting. Next time it doesn't hit the sat, go one sat further, and come back. If it hits it, it's probably loose gears.

Re the Skyvision "kits" , I've never had a Saginaw, and don't currently use an actuator at all, however a year or 2 ago, I bought a Skyvision "kit" to replace the reed switch on my H-H Atlas. When I got the thing, I was dissappointed because it was a cheap home-made thing that I could have made for a fraction of what I paid. It may be different though for actuators that have been made more recently, ie maybe they have access to real parts rather than having to make them.

However from what I've seen, those reed switches seem to fail by sticking closed, at which point you'd lose a LOT of counts. I'd really guess that if the thing seemed to be working most of the time, that the problem was poor wiring connections, and/or adjusting the spacing as mentioned above, if it is possible with that actuator. I've had some actuators that you could adjust, and other actuators that couldn't be adjusted.

It's also not out of the question that the receiver itself is putting out a dirty signal, as the caps dry out.

 

[dunnsept]

OK.. thanks.. I'll try that when I get home to see if I get the sat by going past then coming back to it.
no reason I can't hook the thing up to the o-scope and see what I can see. I can check the pulses and the voltage at the same time. I also still have a couple analog boxes I can hook up to see if they work OK or if they have the same issue.. that should isolate receiver from actuator.
Ive got a von weise on the perfect 10 I could put in place, can also go pick up that other dish as it looks to have a super jack on it
thanks

 

[gabshere]

ok take pictures also

 

[dunnsept]

of what? the o-scope?
it's a beaut!

didn't get to it today, tomorrow is my late day.. dont get home till after dark. gonna try for friday afternoon (if boss gives me time off) then I'll check that crazy thing out and see what I can find

thanks for the feedback everybody