Fibo 120 frozen

[Toyboy]

Tried to move my dish today, moved a fraction then Echostar 3000IP relays kicked out - protection I hope there's no damage, how can I tell ?

 

[Lazarus]

One of my Motors was reluctant to move this morning as well - stalled a couple of times but finally got it going.

Not familiar with the Echostar, but I should have thought that rebooting it would reset any tripped protection.

Disconnect the Dish cable from the back of the Receiver first to make sure the box boots ok.

Then power down, reconnect and see what's what.

 

[Toyboy]

I think it's probably frozen.

 

[Toyboy]

I think it's probably frozen.

I mean with the freezing weather

 

[Lazarus]

I mean with the freezing weather

Yes, but I sort of assumed that it would (like mine did) have thawed out during the daylight hours, or you might have treated it with a warm towel or a hairdryer or some other neat engineering remedy!

 

[satelliteman]

With -4°C here this morning, think I'll leave moving the dish until later, I can see icicles formed on the actuator

 

[Lazarus]

I can see icicles formed on the actuator

Oooh, Matron :-googly


Lost reception on all dishes for a few mins last night - further snow fall building up on the LNB arms plus a heavy blizzard.

Too cold to go outside, so I jogged the 80cm on it's motor and managed to dislodge enough to get "Strictly" back.

Darcey Bussell is hot


Sorry for OT.

 

[Toyboy]

If I try and move it when frozen, can it damage the motor or will the receiver detect the heavy motor load and kick disengage the motor ?

 

[Llew]

In theory, the Echostar will provide 5A max for up to 5 minutes before tripping the positioner power supply. If your motor is completely stuck, overcurrent tripping will occur well before that.

 

[hexah]

36v would be much stronger than a diseqc. I have had no problems with my 36v in the past with snow and ice. I used a concertina type cover over the bare metal to keep the snow and ice off. You could use a plastic bag instead.



This is a great reason to use a Wave Frontier or a dish farm with a few disecq 1.2 switches and monoblocks!



Or have a spare cable outside, a patio mount and an old dish and move it by mitt.


:O Yes, I am well covered here with more bits than space :O


:-sugar

 

[hexah]

For those unfamiliar with the 36v actuator, the join between the arm and the case was a weak spot. The rubber would quickly start to crack through use and heat. Rain would eventually work through. It was not unusual to take off the back cover (to get at the connections) and have a cup full of rusty water fall out! Over your trousers, of course, due to forgetting it would happen.

Hence the need for the cover, which extended to the bolt connecting the jack to the dish. Self amalgamating tape provided the watertight seal.

Sadly, I haven't seen them for sale recently even though I regard them as essential.

A plastic bag or tube will do, but it is not as good as the real thing. Keeps all weather out and extends the life of the actuator.

:-thumbup

 

[Llew]

Had my Arkivator actuator working without a cover with no water ingress problems for over 15 years. It's Swedish of course.

 

[Lazarus]

Had my Arkivator actuator working without a cover with no water ingress problems for over 15 years. It's Swedish of course.

..... In the same way Saab used to be

 

[hexah]

Had my Arkivator actuator working without a cover with no water ingress problems for over 15 years. It's Swedish of course.

Yes, it's not a fair comparison, it is probably certified and guaranteed for use at -80 C in the North Pole.

:-snowman

The 'Superjack' was probably designed in those areas of China that have 15 year near droughts!



They owe me a new pair of trousers.

:-sugar

 

[Toyboy]

36v would be much stronger than a diseqc. I have had no problems with my 36v in the past with snow and ice. I used a concertina type cover over the bare metal to keep the snow and ice off. You could use a plastic bag instead.

This is a great reason to use a Wave Frontier or a dish farm with a few disecq 1.2 switches and monoblocks!

Or have a spare cable outside, a patio mount and an old dish and move it by mitt.

:O Yes, I am well covered here with more bits than space :O

:-sugar

So there's a good chance of no damage to the motor/cogs then ? Would a squirt of WD40 help or makes things worse ?

 

[hexah]

So there's a good chance of no damage to the motor/cogs then ? Would a squirt of WD40 help or makes things worse ?

I have never had any problems.

I always avoided WD40, they use some type of grease inside, and I would worry that WD40 would disperse it. I think the grease is good down to a reasonable temperature. Parts of China are very cold indeed, being on the border with Siberia, though still rather dry (!) so they would have those customers in mind when they manufactured it. (The little drainage hole must be for the benefit of those in the hot and wet south of China, not the drowning and tepid UK).

So I would hope it would not freeze at -20C. The lowest recorded temperature in England and Scotland is around -27.5C so it should remain movable. It is hard to really know how cold it has been at night but going by the met office (the "barbecue summer" people) it has been fine to at least -7C before, probably more.

I still recommend some sort of cover, it is good precaution.

Diseqc motors are another matter. I haven't used one for long enough to know what its limits are. As far as I am aware they are well sealed with small condensation holes and supposed to be totally maintainace free. So hopefully they wouldn't ice up inside.

 

[hexah]

Tivù suggested using a hair dryer or warm towel to warm it up.

I suggest that if you use a towel, use a small flannel heated with hot tap water. Then put it in a plastic freezer bag and tie a tight knot in it. This will stop any water getting out which would re-freeze very quickly if it got into or sat on the sides of the actuator. Keep it away from any seals or rubber bits, to be on the safe side.

In this country, if your hands get wet in most cases they shouldn't stick to the metal. In many countries there is a risk of this happening if water got out of the bag.

If your hand got stuck and you were alone, about the only way to escape would be to pee on it! And you may have ice burns in two places. Not a great way to start Christmas!

I bet in Siberia they would just light a fire underneath it.


:-pachrist

 

[Toyboy]

Thanx all. Is there a way to move the dish without using using motor power to see if it will move freely when I do apply power to the motor ? Or will that just snap the cogs off ?

 

[Lazarus]

Would I be right in assuming that the underlying moral here is "When really cold/icy weather is forecast, park dish at 28E in order to avoid WifeAnger"?

 

[hexah]

Would I be right in assuming that the underlying moral here is "When really cold/icy weather is forecast, park dish at 28E in order to avoid WifeAnger"?

I'll bet there are many people panicking now and planning to get a small dish for 28e after this snow thaws and before the next cold snap starts. :-googly

Thanx all. Is there a way to move the dish without using using motor power to see if it will move freely when I do apply power to the motor ? Or will that just snap the cogs off ?

If you want to be really safe, try the towel technique till it warms up a bit, then try moving it. Then park it on your favorite sat until the weather improves.

Consider getting a spare backup motor for use if the other one fails. It may fail when you need it most and when all the sat shops are closed, like on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.