Anybody else experience this?

andyman502

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Ive just been messing with my SG2100 motor moving it to different dishes and what not but ive noticed that it doesnt always do what I tell it to. If I use the Goto feature in DVB Dream the motor makes a clicking noise but refuses to move, but then if I use the move east function then it will move.

Also the orange light comes on when it clicks which in the book states over current? Could it be the fact that my PCI card is not powerful enough?

Also does the card have to support USALS or is USALS a software feature only? The card is DiSEqC 1.2 compliant?

Or is there something wrong with the motor?

I tired sending it to 12.5W and it went to 1W west?? But when I tell it to go to 30W or 28.2E it works fine :confused

Very strange any help would be great.

Thanks Andy
 

HB13DISH

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It might help if you give the card make and model number. :)
 

andyman502

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Sorry it probably would help. My card is a Compro Videomate S350.

Andy
 

Robbo

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USALS is a software component only. It uses the Goto X comand from Diseqc1.2 to send the motor to a certain position.

To use the Diseqc motor the receiver should be capable of suppliying 500mA I believe. If the motor is reporting over current, it does appear that the fault is with the motor.

Can you try another motor?
 

HB13DISH

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Check your card specifications and look for the Diseq current drive. Cheers Robbo.
 

andyman502

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Robbo71 said:
USALS is a software component only. It uses the Goto X comand from Diseqc1.2 to send the motor to a certain position.

To use the Diseqc motor the receiver should be capable of suppliying 500mA I believe. If the motor is reporting over current, it does appear that the fault is with the motor.

Can you try another motor?

Ive only got one motor unfortunately so I cant really try it with another one.

I cant find any information on the current the card delivers to the motor. The motor is brand new, not really sure what to do now.

Andy
 

HB13DISH

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andyman502 said:
Ive only got one motor unfortunately so I cant really try it with another one.

I cant find any information on the current the card delivers to the motor. The motor is brand new, not really sure what to do now.

Andy

There seems to be a mechanical overload (weight) and the card is not up to it.
This might seem daft, but can you take down the dish and see if you can control the motor without the dish. Never mind that you won't be able to pick up any satellites. I just want to see if the motor moves and if it is OK.
While you are at it, try to weigh the dish on a sensitive scales.
What is it made of?
Can you see the motor or is it out of sight?
 

andyman502

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HB13DISH said:
There seems to be a mechanical overload (weight) and the card is not up to it.
This might seem daft, but can you take down the dish and see if you can control the motor without the dish. Never mind that you won't be able to pick up any satellites. I just want to see if the motor moves and if it is OK.
While you are at it, try to weigh the dish on a sensitive scales.
What is it made of?
Can you see the motor or is it out of sight?

Now that you mention it, I did try to control the motor before I attached the dish and noticed it did the same thing, I thought nothing of it then, a reboot of the PC seemed to fix it, or disconnecting and reconnecting coax from the card also seemed to fix it. The manual control works fine with no problems. The dish is 80cm and is made out of thin steel. On the specs it says weight 6.3kg including packaging. The motor is just outside my window and is clearly visible.

Thanks Andy
 

HB13DISH

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andyman502 said:
Now that you mention it, I did try to control the motor before I attached the dish and noticed it did the same thing, I thought nothing of it then, a reboot of the PC seemed to fix it, or disconnecting and reconnecting coax from the card also seemed to fix it. The manual control works fine with no problems. The dish is 80cm and is made out of thin steel. On the specs it says weight 6.3kg including packaging. The motor is just outside my window and is clearly visible.

Thanks Andy

Good.
Does rebooting now fixes the problem or not?

If you think that the problem is with the motor not the card, then it might be worth replacing it or buy another one.

Try to check the cables. Did you make it weather proof?

Steel is heavy relative to aluminum or fiber. That is if you are sure that it is made of steel.
The packaging is also heavy, so the dish weight is probably 4-5 kg.
The wind will also put mechanical load while the motor is moving.

Try to contact the card manufacturer and ask them to send you the spec regarding the diseq.
 

andyman502

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HB13DISH said:
Good.
Does rebooting now fixes the problem or not?

If you think that the problem is with the motor not the card, then it might be worth replacing it or buy another one.

Try to check the cables. Did you make it weather proof?

Steel is heavy relative to aluminum or fiber. That is if you are sure that it is made of steel.
The packaging is also heavy, so the dish weight is probably 4-5 kg.
The wind will also put mechanical load while the motor is moving.

Try to contact the card manufacturer and ask them to send you the spec regarding the diseq.

The reboot does seem to fix it sometimes and not others. I think it is a problem with the card, it doesn't seem to be the best card to be honest. Im going to try and reset the motor and see if that helps. Ive just sent them an email asking for details regarding the current.

Ive just tried sending the card to 12.5W again and it has gone to 1W.

Thanks for your help.
 

andyman502

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North West UK
Ive just been playing with the Goto feature again within DVB Dream. When I tell it to go to 15W it will go to roughly 1W, but when I tell it to go to 16W it seems to move to the correct position as there is a lot of movement and it is half the way to 30W??? There seems to be some kind of threshold where it wont move to the correct position.

Im beginning to think this could be a software issue? Or the commands are not being received correctly. All the cables are good I get 95% quality on 30W.

Andy

EDIT: Ive tested movement between 15.9W and 16W and there is about 14 degree movement, it surely shouldnt be doing this?
 

HB13DISH

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Have you tried another application like ProgDVB or the one that came with the card?
Try to uninstall the DVB Dream and then reinstall it, if this is the only application that you have.
 

Robbo

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I assume that you have entered your longitude and latitude in to the software somewhere?

Robbo:)
 

andyman502

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Quick update, I've tried ProgDVB 5 and this will send the motor to the correct position, I can now pick up 12.5W. So it seems its a software issue. Ill have to try and re-install it without breaking v-Plug.

Ill just keep messing :confused

Thanks Andy
 
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