How Do You Wire Up the Reed Sensor On an Actuator for a Bud Dish?

[jsattv]

I've been trying to get my new V-Box III to run my 12 Foot Dish Actuator/ Motor with no success. The confusing part is there are ONLY 2 connections for the Sensor, that is there are 4 connections in all: 2 for Motor + and Motor - for the 36 VDC, But re the Reed Sensor I have 3 wires:

B: for 12 VDC Sensor Power
SEN: for Sensor Return, and
GND: for Sensor Ground

There are ONLY 2 connections on the Back of the V-Box III for the Reed Sensor!! What ones should I use? Its confusing because in the V-Box III manual in one place for the Reed Sensor it says to use Pulse and Ground for the Reed Sensor, and on the next page it says to wire up: Sensor - and Sensor + for the Terminals on the Back of the V-Box III. Can anyone please let me know what connections I should wire to the back of the V-Box III for Sensor Control? Any replies would be very much appreciated.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by jsattv

I've been trying to get my new V-Box III to run my 12 Foot Dish Actuator/ Motor with no success. The confusing part is there are ONLY 2 connections for the Sensor, that is there are 4 connections in all: 2 for Motor + and Motor - for the 36 VDC, But re the Reed Sensor I have 3 wires:

B: for 12 VDC Sensor Power
SEN: for Sensor Return, and
GND: for Sensor Ground

There are ONLY 2 connections on the Back of the V-Box III for the Reed Sensor!! What ones should I use? Its confusing because in the V-Box III manual in one place for the Reed Sensor it says to use Pulse and Ground for the Reed Sensor, and on the next page it says to wire up: Sensor - and Sensor + for the Terminals on the Back of the V-Box III. Can anyone please let me know what connections I should wire to the back of the V-Box III for Sensor Control? Any replies would be very much appreciated.

It's been about a dozen years since I've hooked one up, and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and see how my receiver is connected, but I'm pretty sure that you don't need the sensor power. Ie it used to be that there were other kinds of pulse units, ie optical and hall effect, both of which needed power. But a simple reed switch doesn't need power, so I would just try using the SEN and GND wires. If that doesn't work, perhaps the SEN and Power, but I don't think so. You definitely need the SEN. Once I wake up more, I'll go downstairs and check my connections.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by jsattv

I've been trying to get my new V-Box III to run my 12 Foot Dish Actuator/ Motor with no success. The confusing part is there are ONLY 2 connections for the Sensor, that is there are 4 connections in all: 2 for Motor + and Motor - for the 36 VDC, But re the Reed Sensor I have 3 wires:

B: for 12 VDC Sensor Power
SEN: for Sensor Return, and
GND: for Sensor Ground

There are ONLY 2 connections on the Back of the V-Box III for the Reed Sensor!! What ones should I use? Its confusing because in the V-Box III manual in one place for the Reed Sensor it says to use Pulse and Ground for the Reed Sensor, and on the next page it says to wire up: Sensor - and Sensor + for the Terminals on the Back of the V-Box III. Can anyone please let me know what connections I should wire to the back of the V-Box III for Sensor Control? Any replies would be very much appreciated.

It's been about a dozen years since I've hooked one up, and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and see how my receiver is connected, but I'm pretty sure that you don't need the sensor power. Ie it used to be that there were other kinds of pulse units, ie optical and hall effect, both of which needed power. But a simple reed switch doesn't need power, so I would just try using the SEN and GND wires. You definitely need the SEN. Once I wake up more, I'll go downstairs and check my connections.

[1captain]

I would bet that you have a optic sensor, not a read sensor. read only uses 2-wires and is a small peice of wire that is pulled together by a magnet, an it can check by a meter if it is working, but i think what you have is a optic that needs either 5-volt or 12-volt, need to know wich one you have because if you have a 5-v an hook uo to a 12-volt source you will take it out, on my desk have here a uniden optic 5-v one an orange is 5-v , brown is return sense, and gray is ground. hope all help you Captain

[wejones]

Well, I finally got up enough energy to go check out my connections.
I was wrong.
On my unit, which has been wired this way for over 11 years, the ground wire isn't "really" being used. I say "really", because there are 3 wires, but the ground is just a case ground, and doesn't go to the reed switch. The reed switch is connected to the sensor and +V wires. In my case, the +V is +5V, but that's receiver dependent.

I have another actuator that I haven't used for about 14 years, and it has terminals for 3 wires, but only has 2 wires are connected. I think it was wired the same.

Re the other response re optical sensors, my first dish, back in the mid 80s had an optical sensor, but I've never seen one or heard of one being used since. It's possible that it's optical, but I've never seen one.

[jsattv]

Thanks wejones and 1 captain. The problem is the V-Box III is a 4 wire device while my Actuator - which is in great shape (after I cleaned it up with steel wool and lubericated it) - is a 5 wire device!! The wires are:
B: for 12 VDC Sensor Power
SEN: for Sensor Return, and
GND: for Sensor Ground
(+ and - 36VDC are the other 2 wires).

I tried running the V-Box by just connecting Sensor Return and Ground wires, but it still didn't work to move the 12 Foot Mesh Dish. I opened up the old Uniden 9900P Power Supply (that came with the Dish), to check if there was a blown fuse inside of it, since it is supplying power to the 9900 Uniden Receiver via a cable BUT it is NOT supplying the 36 VDC which I need to run the Actuator Motor. The Uniden 9900 Receiver is working however for the Polorotor Control on my Corotor II + FeedHorn and LNB's. Maybe I should check if it is supplying the 12 VDC Power for the Sensor Power since I only checked the 2 terminals for the 36 VDC - which are NOT working.

The problem I've been told is the 12 VDC Sensor Power which is not supplied by the V-Box III. I have been advised by an experienced Satelite Dealer that I need to get a Actuator that is 4 wire or try and find a Kit to modify my unit from 5 wire to 4 wire. Now where could this kit be bought from??

[1captain]

why dont you convert the actuator over to a reed switch with a magnet wheel, a lot more dependable than optic sensor.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by jsattv

The problem I've been told is the 12 VDC Sensor Power which is not supplied by the V-Box III. I have been advised by an experienced Satelite Dealer that I need to get a Actuator that is 4 wire or try and find a Kit to modify my unit from 5 wire to 4 wire. Now where could this kit be bought from??

send me a PM and I maybe able to help you locate a place that sells them.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by jsattv

Thanks wejones and 1 captain. The problem is the V-Box III is a 4 wire device while my Actuator - which is in great shape (after I cleaned it up with steel wool and lubericated it) - is a 5 wire device!! The wires are:
B: for 12 VDC Sensor Power
SEN: for Sensor Return, and
GND: for Sensor Ground
(+ and - 36VDC are the other 2 wires).

I tried running the V-Box by just connecting Sensor Return and Ground wires, but it still didn't work to move the 12 Foot Mesh Dish. I opened up the old Uniden 9900P Power Supply (that came with the Dish), to check if there was a blown fuse inside of it, since it is supplying power to the 9900 Uniden Receiver via a cable BUT it is NOT supplying the 36 VDC which I need to run the Actuator Motor. The Uniden 9900 Receiver is working however for the Polorotor Control on my Corotor II + FeedHorn and LNB's. Maybe I should check if it is supplying the 12 VDC Power for the Sensor Power since I only checked the 2 terminals for the 36 VDC - which are NOT working.

The problem I've been told is the 12 VDC Sensor Power which is not supplied by the V-Box III. I have been advised by an experienced Satelite Dealer that I need to get a Actuator that is 4 wire or try and find a Kit to modify my unit from 5 wire to 4 wire. Now where could this kit be bought from??

? What kind of actuator? Open up the actuator's box, and look at where the wires go. On my actuators, you can easily see if it's a reed switch or some other (optical/hall effect). If it's a reed switch, just ignore the ground wire, and use the +V and Sensor wires. With a reed switch actuator, it doesn't matter what the voltage is. I've used 2 or 3 different brands of actuators, and have only seen reed switches used, but that doesn't mean that other brands might be different. The dish I had which had optical sensor was a big H-H, and it had a whole circuit board out at the dish that needed power. Wouldn't have fit inside an actuator box. I'd really expect most actuators to be either hall effect or reed switches.
Open up the actuator box, and take a picture. I'll bet the ground wire just goes to the case of the actuator, and the other 2 wires just go to the reed switch.

EDIT: I just took a picture of one of my old actuators for illustration.



This is pretty typical of the inside of a reed switch type actuator box. You see it has wire terminals for 5 wires, but one isn't connected. Some actuators may have the 5th connected to the case ground, but it isn't important. The two connections on the right go to the reed switch, which is right below the round magnet wheel. Some reed switches are clear plastic, this one is in a dark plastic box, but it's still a reed switch, and only has 2 connections, which are interchangeable.
You can also see one of the 2 limit switches at the top left. The other limit switch is at the bottom, mostly out of the view. Some actuators allow moving the reed switch closer or further from the magnet. This one doesn't, unless you put a washer or something to space out the wheel, or put a spacer under the switch.

[jsattv]

Originally Posted by 1captain

why dont you convert the actuator over to a reed switch with a magnet wheel, a lot more dependable than optic sensor.

1captain thats what I have now, a rolling type of plastic switch with a terminal strip with 5 connections on it. Its a Von Weise Model # V00099BE76 Actuator, which I rewired and re sealed to the small gasket on to the gromet and new ribbon cable. It works great with a 12 VDC battery charger with the limits kicking in on their own when the shaft is fully retracted or fully extended.

[jsattv]

Originally Posted by wejones

? What kind of actuator? Open up the actuator's box, and look at where the wires go. On my actuators, you can easily see if it's a reed switch or some other (optical/hall effect). If it's a reed switch, just ignore the ground wire, and use the +V and Sensor wires. With a reed switch actuator, it doesn't matter what the voltage is. I've used 2 or 3 different brands of actuators, and have only seen reed switches used, but that doesn't mean that other brands might be different. The dish I had which had optical sensor was a big H-H, and it had a whole circuit board out at the dish that needed power. Wouldn't have fit inside an actuator box. I'd really expect most actuators to be either hall effect or reed switches.
Open up the actuator box, and take a picture. I'll bet the ground wire just goes to the case of the actuator, and the other 2 wires just go to the reed switch.

EDIT: I just took a picture of one of my old actuators for illustration.



This is pretty typical of the inside of a reed switch type actuator box. You see it has wire terminals for 5 wires, but one isn't connected. Some actuators may have the 5th connected to the case ground, but it isn't important. The two connections on the right go to the reed switch, which is right below the round magnet wheel. Some reed switches are clear plastic, this one is in a dark plastic box, but it's still a reed switch, and only has 2 connections, which are interchangeable.
You can also see one of the 2 limit switches at the top left. The other limit switch is at the bottom, mostly out of the view. Some actuators allow moving the reed switch closer or further from the magnet. This one doesn't, unless you put a washer or something to space out the wheel, or put a spacer under the switch.

Thanks for the very detailed post wejones. Unfortunately the Von Weise actuator is fully mounted and gasket sealed with a gromet and new ribbon cable. Its between -10 and -20 degrees up here in wintery Manitoba and very cold on the fingers to just work outside for 5 to 10 minutes, so I really do not want to take it apart if I can help it. The unit is a Von Weise Model # V00099BE76 36 VDC, 2.75 Amps, 1/15 Hp 19:1 Ratio. When I had it apart for rewiring I saw a rotating plastic wheel and the internal limits do work at the end of the travel each way when I ran it with the 12 volt DC battery charger.

One question if the 12 V Sensor power works on the 9900 Uniden Receiver can I run the Sensor Power off the Uniden Receiver and then just use the V-Box III to supply + and - 36 VDC to the Von Weise Actuator?? Will that work to supply power to the Actuator from 2 sources??

[1captain]

That a nice up close picture Wejones, look like a Venture, But getting back to youre problem Jsattv von weise great acctuators an by you saying that you have a plastic wheel in the VW i bet it is black with notiches in it, an if it is bet it is a 5volt optic an that that actuator is about 15 years old, but no problem they last a long time an good product. or if you have a 5-volt dc power supply you can hook it up to orange fer 5-volt an neg side to the gray, and gray to youre ground on you v-box an last the brown to the sense on the v-box an that will work if the optic is good. need to check with some dealer that sell von weise an i know that they make a kit fer em have bought a lot in the past from different dealers, an if you cant get one from a dealer or sadoun pm me an get u on the right track, cause beed looking fer a von weise armature for a horz to horz mount here been in contact with a few dealers. so good luck Captain

[wejones]

Originally Posted by 1captain

That a nice up close picture Wejones, look like a Venture, But getting back to youre problem Jsattv von weise great acctuators an by you saying that you have a plastic wheel in the VW i bet it is black with notiches in it, an if it is bet it is a 5volt optic an that that actuator is about 15 years old, but no problem they last a long time an good product. ....

Re actuator in picture... it's a Houston Tracker. I've owned about 4 different brands of similar actuators, and all looked very similar. I wonder if they were all made at the same place.

I've never owned a Von Weise. I didn't know that they were optical. That sounds similar to what I had on my H-H with the wheel with the notches in it. That thing was overly complicated, and didn't last very long. I've heard nothing but good things about Von Weise acuators though, so they must have a more simple circuit.

[1captain]

[quote=wejones;52039]Re actuator in picture... it's a Houston Tracker. I've owned about 4 different brands of similar actuators, and all looked very similar. I wonder if they were all made at the same place.
Yes i know where you are coming from, they even made the for channel master with their name on it. but what is funny is this has been about 10 years ago, had to send 2 back to em for warranty an when answered phone sayed venture co. but when came back had HTS paper work with them on return actuators, an even if you take a close look at the reed switch it has HTS on it. an as far as the optic sensors that was the first attempt to get away from a pot, an some work good but not all, the basic princable behind them is a small lite beam that is broken by the wheel, an then transitor wood close so the receiver could see the pulse an count it, that is why i said for Jsattv to convert it over to reed, cause did lots of em an dishes tracked better from sat to sat. still amazed about the picture very sharp (wish i knew how to do that). Captain

[jsattv]

Originally Posted by 1captain

That a nice up close picture Wejones, look like a Venture, But getting back to youre problem Jsattv von weise great acctuators an by you saying that you have a plastic wheel in the VW i bet it is black with notiches in it, an if it is bet it is a 5volt optic an that that actuator is about 15 years old, but no problem they last a long time an good product. or if you have a 5-volt dc power supply you can hook it up to orange fer 5-volt an neg side to the gray, and gray to youre ground on you v-box an last the brown to the sense on the v-box an that will work if the optic is good. need to check with some dealer that sell von weise an i know that they make a kit fer em have bought a lot in the past from different dealers, an if you cant get one from a dealer or sadoun pm me an get u on the right track, cause beed looking fer a von weise armature for a horz to horz mount here been in contact with a few dealers. so good luck Captain

1captain, there are 5 connections on the Terminal Strip on the Back of the Uniden 9900P power supply that connects up to the Actuator. They are: + and - 36 VDC - which does not work, and B - 12V DC (orange wire), SEN - Sensor Return (Brown Wire), GND - Sensor Ground (Grey Wire), Are you saying that I can connect the Actuator Orange Wire to the Uniden 9900P Power Supply for the B 12 VDC Sensor Power, then use the V-Box III for the other 2 sensor wires as well as the + and - 36 VDC?? I have measured 12 VDC to ground out of the Uniden 9900P B Terminal so I think this portion of the Uniden 9900P is working.