Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

[scooterman]

Ok here's what happened i took the camper to a local garage for some work ,and the sat dish on the roof got smashed up whilst it was driving in doorway.
It was a wind up turn by hand dish Max view but now in one hundred pieces as it was all made of plastic.

When i looked at the price of a fully automatic Oyster set up i nearly died at the price £2100 ,so the self build project began.

Purchased one 54cm Triax folding dish ,lnb arm folds into the dish £35 ,purhased one 12" linear actuator and control box £70 and one windscreen wiper motor £22 to turn it thru 360 degrees.
From the structure the dish folds forward until horizontal sitting on the roof pushed and pulled by the acuator..

The windscreen wiper motor thru two gears turns the dish ,thing is its just to fast like 5 rpm we tried a voltage controller to reduce voltage so it turns slower but its jerky and hard to find sats unless you happen just to hit one.
A normal sat motor only turns 180 degree's and cant be modified due to the main half moon gearing.
We looked at lots of motors but it needs to take real punishment and the ones you get From RS etc are not up to the job.
Anyone done what iam trying to do that can offer advice.

[kalpikos]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

For a certain reason these thing are designed by certain mechanics and are sold very very expensive. What you want to achieve, won't happen with a voltage controller to reduce voltage but with a controller to reduce the turns.

[clapesat]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

although Italian take a look here:

***.camperlife.it/forum/thread/52161-parabola-motorizzata-autocostruita.html

[thecrazybandit]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

I dont know if this would help but this a self finding sat dish system STAB KZ220 self finding satellite system for campers you may be able to make something from this

[scooterman]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

For a certain reason these thing are designed by certain mechanics and are sold very very expensive. What you want to achieve, won't happen with a voltage controller to reduce voltage but with a controller to reduce the turns.

Yes i understand that a 12volt motor should be run at 12volts to reduce to 4 volts all power has gone.

I would like 12 tooth gear on the motor to about 90 tooth to slow it down ,the windscreen motor has 10mm shaft ,small gears have a 6mm shaft so i need a reducer.
Iam using a linear actuator to lift and lower the dish which works fine ,did try an old diseq motor to lift was fine then the gears broke with strain lifting.

although Italian take a look here:

***.camperlife.it/forum/thread/52161-parabola-motorizzata-autocostruita.html

Looks like he has used a pan and tilt unit to mount the dish on ,very expensive to buy ,but i see he is using a windscreen wiper motor to turn the dish,yes some interesting idea's there.

[nml52]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Is there any way to modify the mounting bracket to also move around giving the total 360 degrees?

nml

[rizwan]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

How can you control a viper motor with positioner

[mahrkpat]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

How can you control a viper motor with positioner

I agree with rizwan how can a wiper motor give 360 degree turn, would have
thought the max turn of a windscreen wiper would be restricted to something
less then 180 degree (you would not want you wipers whirling like a propeller).
I would have thought the least requirement to be some kind of stepper motor
for the accuracy to lock onto a satellite.

[fandm]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

A winscreen wiper motor will rotate through 360 degrees the only thing that stops the wiper going 360 is because it is driven by a spiral gear on the motor shaft and a radial gear on the arm actuator so it would be quite easy to convert one to turn 360 degrees.
But the problem would be to find the right gearing, to turn the the dish slowly enough to find sats, one other way would be a window wiper motor and utilising the cable drive to turn the sat dish.

[scooterman]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Yes a wiper motor turns through 360 its the mechanism its driving that makes the blades go back and forward,the mutor spins in the same direction like any other motor,if you look at the project in the link above you will see a wiper motor connected to turn the dish,wiper motors are a cheap source of motors for all sorts of projects.

A winscreen wiper motor will rotate through 360 degrees the only thing that stops the wiper going 360 is because it is driven by a spiral gear on the motor shaft and a radial gear on the arm actuator so it would be quite easy to convert one to turn 360 degrees.
But the problem would be to find the right gearing, to turn the the dish slowly enough to find sats, one other way would be a window wiper motor and utilising the cable drive to turn the sat dish.

Yes the wiper motor turns it much faster than expected and has a 8 mm shaft with a thread for 10mm nut,mus small 12 tooth gears are 5mm fit.

Iam not with you on the cable drive??.

The old system had a pole that came thru the roof for turning the dish that got smashed ,the pole is banana shaped after the impact.
Ok a small gear has been drilled out to fit the wiper motor then the ten mm nut so now we hope it runs about 7 times slower.
biggest problem is the small shaft size on smaller gears .

How can you control a viper motor with positioner

Thats the easy bit a double pole double throw switch wired what they call the X config so when you flick the switch it reverses the polarity to the motor off in the middle.

[sataday]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Thats the easy bit a double pole double throw switch wired what they call the X config so when you flick the switch it reverses the polarity to the motor off in the middle.

Not of any great help to you Scooterman, but you reminded me of my first motorised system. I used an old car windscreen wiper motor with a threaded bar welded to the motor shaft, and wired it to a switch as you described above and used a 12v power supply unit. This was back in the analog days, so I just had to tune the receiver to the channel I wanted and move the dish until the picture appearered.

[joseram2000]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

not be forced to do the routing for Disecq since not think you can do so using USALS motor

[scooterman]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Not of any great help to you Scooterman, but you reminded me of my first motorised system. I used an old car windscreen wiper motor with a threaded bar welded to the motor shaft, and wired it to a switch as you described above and used a 12v power supply unit. This was back in the analog days, so I just had to tune the receiver to the channel I wanted and move the dish until the picture appearered.

That brings back memories ,a motor that was posh ,my first attempt was fishing line tied thru a little hole at each side of the dish to a wndow so i could pull the dish from 19e to 13e to watch viva and super channel on hotbird.
16 ch Amstrad.

The dish is up and working ,i ended up using the original pole thru the roof to turn it and actuator to raise and lower it ,simple but works ,when down the dish sits on the lnb folded into it ,dish sits 15cm above roof.
I had to mark the pole inside so i could know where the park position is ,so the dish does'nt come down on the rack as the actuator would bend the dish if it hit it or the little chimney/vent.

Tell you what it was so cold up there the water was flying from my nose,its all done and iam proud of it ,even painted everything white.
If your interested in seeing what it looks like i will get the camera out.

Today i was ripping out the cigarette lighter type power connectors ,those things are brutal nudge them and they start fizzing arcing ,i fitted a power adapter with plugs like the ones into an electric kettle,much safer than those chinise things.

not be forced to do the routing for Disecq since not think you can do so using USALS motor

No mate you cant use one as they turn only 180 degree ,you need full 360 in a camper,it would have been great as it could have been mounted straight on roof ,in fact it could be mounted under roof with short pole to hinged braket for dish .the short offset mount pole would be replaced with a straight one ,then you would replace the half moon brass gear to give you 360 rotation ,i already considered doing that and had run it all thru in my mind.

[Mobley3]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Now all you need is the the Weather M8, good to hear that you sorted it out.

Regards Mobley3

[scooterman]

Re: Anyone ever built aa automatic folding dish

Right lets see if i can add photo's