Slow moving actuator = e2 error

Captain Jack

Captain Jack

Retired human
My Satellite Setup
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My Location
North Somerset
On my 1.8m's declination jack, the count is really slow. So slow, in fact, that the Vbox often throws E2 error - despite it counting (maybe a few a second?). I am surprised that it's doing this - given that there IS movement...

Any way to fix this other than fitting another magnet wheel with more magnetic points or somehow increasing voltage to the jack?
 
Captain Jack said:
On my 1.8m's declination jack, the count is really slow. So slow, in fact, that the Vbox often throws E2 error - despite it counting (maybe a few a second?). I am surprised that it's doing this - given that there IS movement...

Any way to fix this other than fitting another magnet wheel with more magnetic points or somehow increasing voltage to the jack?
Click to expand...

Hi - C.J.
Maybe the main screw / thread needs some lubrication .... if the thread has got a little rusty - it can get very tight in the Nylon nut that it passes through .. that can cause E2 error.
i,v had it happen with jacks that don,t move very far- very often.
 
In sequence

Reverse the connections of the pulse contacts to the positioner , sometimes the reed switch itself has built up a layer of corrosion inside as a result of continuous DC voltage.

Coat the outer part of the worm drive with lashings of vaseline (if you are a cheapskate, cooking oil/engine oil - and if really hard up, used pan fat/used engine oil) when fully extended and move back and forwards. Some will make its way into the worm drive.

Give the back of the motor a good technical thump, just to clean the spider debris that will be sitting on the cover of the reed switch.

Then (if you can), take the back of the motor off and push the reed switch closer to the wheel to get a better signal at the point of pole reversal.

Lastly, reverse the magnetic wheel, thanks to earth rotation, and movement of the pole(s), the ferrite have 'lost' some magnetism that was there in the first place, though this is a short gap solution.
 
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Hi & Seasonal greetings to all, first post for me from long time lurker (please be gentle)

I've had this problem (E2) on a QARL 24" actuator that had me confused for quite some time. After 2 stripdowns & reed sw change & wiring & mount check I eventually found the fault to be.... Loose motor (field) magnets refixed with Araldite (one at a time) & now all ok.
The current draw when faulty was = 2A & when repaired = 0.9A also the count for me is now in the Tens per second, but I guess that would be
dependant on dish load.

Not saying that this is your problem but......

Regards
 
Thanks chaps. Looks like I need to service the thing. It certainly gets very little use and any travel that does occur is only a couple of inches at most.
 
I had the E2 error on my dish over a year or so. Did everything - dismantled tested etc etc.

Then I did what I should have done first - checked the wiring. And found a loose connection in the pulse wires (it's a very long distance in my case and I had joined the wires). Amazingly it worked most of the time but as the weather got wetter and colder - then would get the intermittent fault.
No decent installation should ever have this problem, but you never know.
 
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