New to actuators \ First time install...

[ManikM]

hey guys.

ive finally decided to get an actuator setup going on my newly acquired CM1.2 (with CM polarmount)

the arc is tracking manually, so once im happy with that, what is the procedure on installing an actuator.

ive bought an old positioner box from ****, just to make sure tings work, i think it has 40 positions.

i have the 4 core cable ready (combined with the coax)

physically it looks easy to install the actuator

but whats the setup...the actuator should arrive tomorrow (18inch)

what are the do's and dont's

ive read a bit about limits etc, which is key to set.

presume i lock it in at 1w - the arm position is confusing, do the arms just pull out, or does the motor have to drive it out first...how long do you pull it out - half way on 1w - so it can go 45 degrees either way...?

if not half way, and because there are more sats east - so i pull it out more for east? so that theres less to go west....s that the principle???

surprised theres not a sticky on this after all this time, its only ever usals motors....

thanks all

[Barney]

it is really simple to be fair once you set up a few its not that hard attach the arm to the polar mount making sure the arm is secured should be 4-6 inches from the very top of the arm to the first clamp but it does not have to be ultra exact .

open black plastic cover on the actuator arm , that 4 core electric cable choose two colors and make those 2 colors for Reed Sensor and the other 2 colors = Motor
on V-box follow exactly the same 2 colors for the Reed and the other two colors for the Motor , DO Not mix up this pattern it is vital and a very easy n00b mistake otherwise arm moves in wrong directions test this out before going any further , that should now get the arm moving in the right east/west directions to begin .

Next if it is a Genuine Channel master polar mount then it will have Latitude [ Elevation ] markings on the long screw this is exactly the same as with any disecq motor set this right ...i go here to find exact Latitude ->

https://www.maps.ie/coordinates.html

send the arm out full [ West ]
Hispasat 30W and keep going try locking 10770 H 30000 FEC 5/6 DVB-S2 8PSK
HOPEFULLY YOUR RECIEVER IS HD Capable ?
look for Record News Brazil its always FTA channel should be a really good signal 12db at least

next go East and look for 0.8 West 11357 H 24500 FEC 7/8 DVB-S QPSK - Visjon Norge HD - Always FTA
Hopefully you get that pretty good no mad adjusting at this point as you are just testing the ARC And trying to track decent signals along the way getting a good fair idea what you can lock along the way ,
once your happy go back east to 28E and see how that signal looks the arm should still not be fully in and still be able to go a good bit further to 42E and 39E , then you can play with other sats like 19E,16E,13E,10,9,7,4.8,3E ,1.9E etc..etc..

i find the TM5402 very handy for setting up but if you have a sat meter handy then setting up the arc should really only take few mins while someone moves your V-box West to East and you can adjust some elevations as you go .
Thats a very detailed way to get you going its really not that difficult sounds like it but in reality its a very enjoyable experience
you just want a nice clear day , tracking the arc is really not the hard part to be very honest it is the paranoia of getting absolute perfection on very weak signals and feeds thats when fun quickly turns to obsession

Feel free to ask questions when stuck i have my Channel master 1.2 dish with 24" Heavy Superjack arm going for many years ....and my 2 meter Prime focus with 36" Heavy Superjack for 10+ years there has not been a problem invented yet that i have not come accross

DO Not worry much about limits you can do this at the very end if you like but wait untill you get all sats stored in first before trying to set any limits its really not essential to be honest ,
good luck : ))

[ManikM]

thanks so much Barney - i eagerly await the goods to arrive....

[cosworth4x4]

After snapping 1 actuator , stripping the thread on another and bending the arm on the cm mount i now always make sure i set the limits in the actuator not just on the v-box.
2 out of the 3 were down to faulty v box lost the settings and moved the dish to far west .

My dish is out of sight so didn't know things had gone wrong until it was too late

[Barney]

bending the arm on the cm mount ... i thought that only happened to me
i did not want to even mention that unfortunate accident because i had to get that flattened and repaired and then sprayed by my local mechanic .It is much,much worse when you can clearly see the dish and see what is happening and can not stop it even when i pulled the sat cable out of my sat box it still kept going
i do now have West and East limits set on the V-box is indeed a difficult awkward lesson but sh1t happens sometimes .

[dog-man]

It happened to me too!

I had to straighten it out and so far, it is remaining straight.

[satwyn]

same thing happened here bent the bar when my st 550 went haywire

[ian]

Me too.

I also bent the bar on the mount a few years ago. Setting up the postions without first setting the limits, both mechanical and software, is a very bad idea. You also run the risk of stripping the threads in the internal nylon nut too, something I've just had major issues with, although my threads stripped because of general wear and tear.

If you must set it up without limits, then the only way to do it is to manually screw the actuator all the way out and then screw it back a few turns before bolting it to the mount. Then use this as your starting position programing the nearest Sat first that is reached when you start to retract it using the V-box. Then continue to program each and every Sat in the arc in turn as the arm is retrected further. Never ever program Sats by extending the arm. Once you have programed them all in you can then set the East/west software limits, and then finally adjust the cams in the motor to only allow a little travel past your most Easterly and Westerly Sats.

Another tip is to ensure you bolt the actuator to the left hand side of the mount and not the right hand side. Because most Sats you will watch from are easterly, this ensures that for most general viewing the arm is usually retracted quite a lot. This prevents the arm nearly always being extended for general viewing and therefore reduces stress on it. The arm experiences the most stress when its extended you see.

So in short, the arm retracts when you travel East and extends when you travel West.

So after youve fully extended it manually and then bolted it to the mount, you start by moving the dish East and then when you find it program 30W in first, then each and every Sat further East afterwards so the last Sat you program in will be 42E. If you want Sats further East/West than those, its still the same principle, but just ensure that you start at the most Westerly Sat that you want first.

Ian.

[ManikM]

thanks very much Ian - all makes sense.