On 2/23/12 6:31 AM, David Palmer KB5WIA wrote:
Question to the list: does anyone have a G5500 azimuth rotator with a working motor available for parts? Or any other ideas for replacement?
You might consider rewinding it yourself. I did that with one of mine some years ago, and it worked well enough that I left it in place when the replacement I'd ordered finally arrived.
I'm working on a variable speed drive for these rotors, and this suggests that I should detect motor stalls. That really shouldn't be too hard. I could do it either by noticing that the rotor is turning more slowly than it should, or by monitoring the current and seeing that it's higher than usual. Motors are usually pretty rugged so an instant reaction probably isn't necessary. My drive should be more efficient than the standard fixed-frequency 60 Hz capacitor-run drive so the motors should run cooler anyway.
Phil