A micro controller like an Arduino with 2 full bridge drivers from 24VDC would allow you precise rotation control. This would require 4 wires to the motor or 2 half bridge drivers with + and - 24VDC. The computer would count out square wave pulses 90 degrees out of phase at any speed up to 60 pulses per second. The syncro motor has a integer number of steps per revolution of the antenna so you would always know your angle. If you use a ESP32 with WiFi running a web server you could use any web browser or cell phone as a display and controller. Could put it on the internet and have control from anywhere!! Total cost about $20. Thanks Peter for this great video. I am putting up a new 50' tower with tilt down top and have one of these old Alliance Model U-100 TV rotators using the same syncro motor. Of course it's missing the control box.....DE KC7BNC 73
i have CCTV cams on my house, and your mod gave me an idea. I could use this to rotate one of my cams to cover more area, since I dont have PTZ cams at this time. 😀
Great video explanation. I have same type of controller, 24v AC single phase with capacitor across output terminals. Can i connect an old antenna rotator (AC single phase) to the output connections or does the rotator need a seperate capacitor ??
Hi Peter great video keep them coming, I don’t suppose you would know where to find the brown spindle that’s driven by the controller motor as the one in mine has split and I can’t find any one in the UK who stocks spares thanks in advance Steve.
Very very cool! Do you keep track of the position of the antenna by using the antenna, even at night?. Anyways very cool, wish I had stuff like that laying around I live in an area nicknamed purgatory because there's nothing I have yet to find a tv antenna that picks up any stations. One cell carrier works with one bar (sometimes) out here T Mobile and that's it. Thanks again for the interesting video!
Indeed they did. I found it amusing because it was the thing to say "don't spin around in circles!!"... Cause the coax would wrap around the mast eventually and stall it out or unplug itself. I always wondered if it was installed wrong and the cable was to go inside the mast pipe with a swivel connector
Cool mod. Never knew how those things worked. Then again, antennas on roofs aren't a common sight anymore over here. How do you protect the connected equipment against lightning? Just unplug it if thunderstorms are forecasted?
How do you stop it over rotating or hitting the stop and damaging the motor. Im thinking of adding 2 Mini Micro Limit Switches 5A 125 250V AC SPDT to the rotator wired so once activated the other switch is still powered so can bring it back around the other way
I have the exact same unit. The question is, how do you get the top off! The only screw I see is one you can get at from the bottom. . .removing it doesn't seem to do anything. I didn't want to apply brute force unless that's what you did.
@@peterfairlie2296 Thanks! I discovered that the best way to get it apart was by wedging in first a knife blade and then a flat screwdriver blade into the corners on the long dimension and then prying upwards. Once the corners released then the other two surrendered. I wanted to get in to replace the 150 mfd x 50 volt non-polarized cap.
Just bought two of them at a trunk sale (for just 20 dollar). But is it correct that there are no end switches in them? In your modded version they could turn over 360 degrees?
A micro controller like an Arduino with 2 full bridge drivers from 24VDC would allow you precise rotation control. This would require 4 wires to the motor or 2 half bridge drivers with + and - 24VDC. The computer would count out square wave pulses 90 degrees out of phase at any speed up to 60 pulses per second. The syncro motor has a integer number of steps per revolution of the antenna so you would always know your angle. If you use a ESP32 with WiFi running a web server you could use any web browser or cell phone as a display and controller. Could put it on the internet and have control from anywhere!! Total cost about $20.
Thanks Peter for this great video. I am putting up a new 50' tower with tilt down top and have one of these old Alliance Model U-100 TV rotators using the same syncro motor. Of course it's missing the control box.....DE KC7BNC 73
I always wondered why these things had a motor in them. Never had one but tinkered with other people's. Thanks for the explanation!
i have CCTV cams on my house, and your mod gave me an idea.
I could use this to rotate one of my cams to cover more area, since I dont have PTZ cams at this time. 😀
Cool idea
@Peter Fairlie what do you do for a living? where did you learn so much?
thanks for the hard work! great video
perhaps a digital compass IC and a cool readout next?
Cool video, thanks for sharing
Gave me a great ideal for the rotor for my hygain 3 element beam.
Great video explanation. I have same type of controller, 24v AC single phase with capacitor across output terminals. Can i connect an old antenna rotator (AC single phase) to the output connections or does the rotator need a seperate capacitor ??
Yes, it should work with most all 3 wire rotors.
Hi Peter great video keep them coming, I don’t suppose you would know where to find the brown spindle that’s driven by the controller motor as the one in mine has split and I can’t find any one in the UK who stocks spares thanks in advance Steve.
Very very cool! Do you keep track of the position of the antenna by using the antenna, even at night?. Anyways very cool, wish I had stuff like that laying around I live in an area nicknamed purgatory because there's nothing I have yet to find a tv antenna that picks up any stations. One cell carrier works with one bar (sometimes) out here T Mobile and that's it.
Thanks again for the interesting video!
I didn't know such a thing existed! How common is or was this in the USA? In Australia it just isn't a thing as far as I know.
Where I was at, it's was the "well off" families that had a rotor 😂
Indeed they did. I found it amusing because it was the thing to say "don't spin around in circles!!"... Cause the coax would wrap around the mast eventually and stall it out or unplug itself.
I always wondered if it was installed wrong and the cable was to go inside the mast pipe with a swivel connector
Cool mod. Never knew how those things worked. Then again, antennas on roofs aren't a common sight anymore over here. How do you protect the connected equipment against lightning? Just unplug it if thunderstorms are forecasted?
How do you stop it over rotating or hitting the stop and damaging the motor. Im thinking of adding 2 Mini Micro Limit Switches 5A 125 250V AC SPDT to the rotator wired so once activated the other switch is still powered so can bring it back around the other way
Interesting technology
I have the exact same unit. The question is, how do you get the top off! The only screw I see is one you can get at from the bottom. . .removing it doesn't seem to do anything. I didn't want to apply brute force unless that's what you did.
The plastic cover clicks in and the screw just locks everything in place. Try prying the sides a bit it should pop open.
@@peterfairlie2296 Thanks! I discovered that the best way to get it apart was by wedging in first a knife blade and then a flat screwdriver blade into the corners on the long dimension and then prying upwards. Once the corners released then the other two surrendered. I wanted to get in to replace the 150 mfd x 50 volt non-polarized cap.
I think, strictly speaking, the capacitor advances the phase of the current, rather than delaying it.
Just bought two of them at a trunk sale (for just 20 dollar). But is it correct that there are no end switches in them? In your modded version they could turn over 360 degrees?
link to the same uhf remote ????
My channel master 9537 rotator has terminal 1,2 and 3. which one is common?
3
Thanks
Would some sliprings be appropriate to eliminate cord winding?
Might not work for RF.
I see video only?…no sound
The sound works fine for me... check your speakers.
cool