Geometry 101

[Larry Acklin]

I am installing a 24" actuator on my BUD- the old HH motor is kaput with a stripped gear. I removed the reduction and worm drive, and now have a conventional polar mount- sorta.

There are no attachment points for the actuator- so I must make some brackets.

Logic would dictate using the ring at the back of the dish, and an arm that extends back to catch the motor tube coming off the stationary pole or some part of the polar mount.

Now the geometry part- should the actuator point straight back- and the rear bracket hold the motor/tube far enough away to give a straight push to the ring when the dish is pointed true south?

And it seems that the actuator should be extended half way- 12" to give equal travel both sides of true south?

Although there are ball joints on the motor tube bracket and the end of the pusher arm, they are tight enough that I think it would bind if the actuator is too far off a straight ahead push.

Any BUD pros- I would appreciate descriptions.

Trying to go from Nasa C band to G10r- if I can...


Larry

[rainman]

Larry if I get home tonight in time I will take some pictures of my setup and post it for you.

[1captain]

Larry I have done a few actuators add ons, of what you're going to do. the most important thing is keep the actuator pushing straight with the 2 mount locations, an try to weld or bolt strong on you're H to H mount, not to the dish pannels.

Also on another note, have you tryed to fix you're H to H motor, or if you know the maker of it? I have quite a few parts for different 1's here. An I have even took a venture motor off a actuator an have put it on a channel master H to H mount with very little work.
Good Luck...
Captain

[rainman]

heres the picture I promise Larry.

[Larry Acklin]

THanks for the responses here and PM.

for 1captain-
the HH mount is a Perfect 10 (ajax?). The stripped gear is in the reduction cluster.

I am going to mount the actuator so it is to the side of the mount (east coast) and is pushing on the ring that mounts the dish to the pivot. I am setting it so the arm is perpendicular to the ring and pushing "straight ahead" at due south. With 1/2 the extension at due south, I hope to get most of the arc that I can see. G10r is the best I can see to the west, and AMC6 the other way.

I suppose that if I set minimum extension for g10r and i'm balanced ok, then I should be able to get to AMC6. Can't go much further east anyway- house in the way.

Larry

[Larry Acklin]

well. it works. I used a piece of 3/16 steel flat bar (3") and extended back about 10" from the hh mount at the top of the pole. Bent the bar down to the point the actuator pushed straight into the dish, and the mount had free swing E/W. And then I used a piece of stamped angle to attach the front of the actuator to the mounting ring of the dish- about 12" out from the center- but a really beefy point of the dish. That's the strongest point of the whole dish.

And it moves.

I found out quickly what happens when you go past the balance point- the dish flopped, it pulled the whole actuator up through the lower mounting bracket (around the tube) and bent up the sheetmetal angle.

I reset the tube to 1/2 way out, loosened the clamp, and pushed the whole thing to south again, and really tightened the the clamp this time.

I can go from AMC6 (NASA) to g10r without any drama. But I made sure the limits are set now.

And it sure is non-linear-

count of 400 is all the way east, 500 is due south, 900 is all the way west.

I am used to the HH mount- it will be missed.
Overall I'm pleased.

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

Larry

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by rainman

heres the picture I promise Larry.

No problems with that dish? All of mine have mounts that are a ring and bolts to the dish in several points about 18" out from center. That design looks prone to breakage as the mount point is so small compared to area supported.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

No problems with that dish? All of mine have mounts that are a ring and bolts to the dish in several points about 18" out from center. That design looks prone to breakage as the mount point is so small compared to area supported.

been up since 93 with no problems Steve.