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RT-21 DIGITAL ROTOR CONTROLLER USER GUIDE

1. AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 open Violet J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function OR 2800AC RT 21 J5 2 3 MOT GND 1 3 J6 2 3 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 1 2 MOT CW 3 1 POS 5 4 GND 6 3 NOTE Term 3 gets 2 wires CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Find the center of rotation of the rotor a If you are replacing an existing system simply point the antenna at the center North South b To find the center first find the CCW limit switch by turning the rotor with the CCW button as far as it will go CCW If you reach the soft limit shown by the lt on the LCD then go into SETUP CALIBRATE and change the heading to full CW position of the knob then turn the rotor some more in the CCW direction until you get the NO MOTION error This is the CCW mechanical limit and record the HEADING Now using the CW button turn the antenna until the display reads the recorded value above 194 degrees This is 180 the 14 degree over travel that this rotor supports 2 Now that you re at center go to SETUP CALIBRATE and set the value to the desired center of rotation 0 degrees 180 degrees If an existing antenna is NOT centered correctly on the mast and is not pointing correctly simply use SETUP CALIBRATE to match the display with the actual antenna Your limits will not be centered but the
2. Jumper Position Function SPID RT 21 J5 2 3 MOT CW 1 2 J6 2 3 MOT CCW 2 1 J16 1 2 GND 3 3 POS 4 4 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Verify that your rotor is 1 pulse degree Pulse Divider 360 as some Spids use 2 Pulse degree which would require you to modify the Divider to 720 Typically Big RAKS are normally supplied with this option 2 These rotors have no limit switches so be certain you do not over travel beyond the limits of your rotor loops Adjust the antenna position on the mast or turn with the CW or CCW buttons until the antenna is at its desired center of rotation 3 Go to SETUP CALIBRATE and match the displayed heading with the physical heading using the knob You may skip step 2 if you already know that the antenna is physically adjusted where you want given your coax loops NOTE If you rotator turns backwards simply swap the wires on terminals 1 amp 2 This reverses the voltage on the motor terminals NOTE If your indicator shows of the actual travel you turn it 90 degrees on the indicator and the antenna actually turns 180 then change the Pulse Divider to 720 31 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 9 HY GAIN HDR 300 SETUP OPTION POT AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 Open Orange J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connec
3. ButussutBbug UOJSH uasa te AGI Sol 89 SAL te xx xx EIS 40104 B L X g 9 25 c 9 vedin S pug p i v er G pun o Ab 39 9 E E esaenay E g 1 Kai ung P enia wey OR elu Eug W03300 WOZ YUISJESY OFUT bel X ggE 9 25 O brl X gE 9 2 ec T KEE BrE X ZE 9 ED O EY E TC IBA BEZ 403 DIN xeu ug bel X Bb b 25 11 er DIA 4o Q3a O AB Mag D I TIA UIA TAS Ape ID DIA JO TAU OH qyseuquoD 021 1etwas O uong SJOUKE bel x Br v P 40 APPENDIX E APPENDIX E ERROR MESSAGES ERROR NO MOTION No Motion errors occur if your rotor attempts a rotation but does not detect a heading change of at least 2 degree in the allotted time typically 2 or 4 seconds This could indicate either that the rotor is not turning OR it is turning but the feedback mechanism is not working In either event the RT 21 stops the attempted motion to allow you to diagnose the problem without possibly damaging your coax or antennas The Motor Timeout may be increased or decreased using SETUP Utility You will get No Motion error if you have your soft limits set outside or beyond you
4. MOTION TIMEOUT SECURITY LOCK There are some SETUP items that are not accessible from the front panel SETUP menus These items are designed to add security or items that should not normally need to be accessed except on rare occasion To access or change these items use SETUP UTILITY Appendix G ALTERNATE OFFSETS Firmware 1 6 and later Allows user to set two alternate beam OFFSET values and to then quickly and easily toggle heading displays to them sequentially by tapping the CANCEL button This is useful for stacking antennas on the same mast that have different orientations or pattern directions Eliminates the need to mentally add or subtract headings for different antennas that are mounted 90 or 180 degrees off of the main antenna or for use with a rotary dipole or other antenna that is bi directional You use SETUP UTILITY to set one or two alternate OFFSET values and MODE OFFSET in order to enable the feature The status display indicates MAN OF1 or OF2 to show selected OFFSET 5 10 ADVANCED OPTIONS Firmware 1 6 and later These Advanced Options are only accessible via the SETUP Utility software s Advanced Options Tab 5 10 1 Un Freeze Display This option allows the display to always track the Heading feedback at a slow rate as opposed to freezing the display to prevent digit rolling 5 10 2 Fast Brake Release This option ignores the DELAY setting for the Brake Release feature to allow the use of the Brake Relay for
5. Contact Closure applications For RT 21r units this changes the behavior of the switched 24V terminal 6 as well 5 10 3 Auto Go Back Allows automatic compensating for long ramp downs when using manual CW and CCW Buttons After releasing a button if you tap it again while the rotor is ramping down the unit will reverse after the stop and go back to the heading at the time of the initial button release An extra arrow indicator will show you that it will reverse after the delay 5 10 4 Elevation Mode This option will change the display to show negative numbers for below the horizon when controlling an elevation rotator Headings between 261 1 and 359 9 will display as 99 9 through 00 1 22 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 10 5 Analog Out The controller will provide a 0 4 VDC output on pin 9 of the DB 9 RS 232 connector for PCB versions 2 2 and later The voltage will track the HEADING value in a linear fashion intended to drive the VBI 360 LED display Earlier units may be modified to gain access to this output Pin 6 DTR is pulled up through a 10k resistor whenever the controller is on 5 10 6 EME Mode This option disables the pulse counter after the motor has stopped after the DELAYS time Intended to eliminate extra counts on very large EME arrays that are caused by the sensor rocking back and forth in the wind This is only possible for large arrays that move very slowly so that the sensor always stops ne
6. Direction gt Direction of current Rotation Movement Right indicates clockwise left Indicators indicates counter clockwise Knob Position 0 359 Shows exact position of the heading knob It is used for choosing a precise setting when doing setup commands or in point and shoot operation Operating State MAN Manual Local operation with front panel controls PRE Preset Displayed when RT 21 has sensed movement of the heading knob and a point and shoot operation is in progress REM Remote Unit being controlled via the RS 232 line from another device M S Master Slave Mode Unit connected to other RT 21 for coordinated operation M C Master Counter Rotate Connected mode S C unit can compensate for movement from this unit S C Slave Counter Rotate Slave unit is compensating for movement from mode M C unit such as on a rotating tower where a specific antenna must maintain its heading OF1 OF2 OFFSET MODE When an Alternate OFFSET is being use to display heading of antenna DBG Debug Used for system troubleshooting Provides continuous display update and disables NO MOTION and POT Out of Range errors SETUP MODE Section 3 0 SETUP MODE The RT 21 rotor controller allows you to program virtually every aspect of your rotor s operation The controllers SETUP menu is used to set all operating parameters The first setup task is to select the OPTION parameter This prepares the controller for the req
7. Green Heron for assistance RT 21 Terminal Functions AC Motor Hot or DC for clockwise movement AC Motor Hot or DC for counter clockwise movement Ground Return for AC Motor and Position CTR or POT Pot high side reference voltage Brake AC HOT for HAMx Motor Start Capacitor for HAMx Motor Start Capacitor for HAMx NOTES AC Motors are referenced to GND and DC Motors reverse polarity at Terminals 1 and 2 Position CTR High or POT Wiper V for HAMx Pot REF e s 38 APPENDIX C APPENDIX C EXTERNAL RELAY CONTROL The RT 21 s flexibility allows it to be used with almost any type of rotating system including those requiring external relay switching External switching is often used for rotors that operate with high voltage or high current which would be impractical or unsafe to control over long cable runs or are above the capacity of the internal RT 21 Motor Supply Both the standard RT 21 and the RT 21r can be used in these applications The RT 21r eliminates the internal motor power supply at a reduction in cost When using external relay control ensure that the RT 21 is configured to match the DC voltage of the relays rather than the motor voltage Also you must set the MAX SPEED to 11 to avoid chatter in the relays with pulse width modulated speed control With the Speed setting thus the RAMP value allows setting of early shutdown to allow the controller to shut the motor down a bit early to avoid
8. It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 37 APPENDIX B APPENDIX B UNIVERSAL ROTOR SETUP INFORMATION for Rotors not listed in Appendix A MOTORS SETTINGS AC Motors Settings DC Motors Jumper Position Connection type Jumper Position Jumper Type J10 1 2 Jumper plug J10 2 3 Jumper plug J14 1 2 Open J14 2 3 Wire screw jumper J12 1 2 Wire screw jumper J12 2 3 Wire screw jumper Transformer Wire Connections Transformer Wire Connections to J9 for AC Motors to J9 for DC Motors Wire Color Tap V Terminal Wire Color Tap V Terminal Brown 0 J9 1 Brown 0 J9 3 Yellow 18 VAC J9 2 Yellow 24 VDC J9 4 Orange 24 VAC J9 2 Orange 36 VDC J9 4 Violet 36 VAC J9 2 Violet 42 VDC J9 4 NOTE for 12 VDC use Yellow to J9 3 and Orange to J9 4 POSITION FEEDBACK JUMPERS POSITION INDICATOR TYPE Source J5 J6 Counter pulse 2 3 2 3 Potentiometer 1 2 1 2 Variable Resistor 1 2 2 3 Settings for J16 J16 should remain in 1 2 normal Setting J16 to 2 3 expands the voltage range of the POT circuit for use with Pro Sis Tel rotors only See Appendix A 13 for additional information Rotor Connections Refer to your Rotor s instruction manual to identify its wire functions then refer to the RT 21 terminal functions below If you are unsure of the proper connections please contact
9. MOT CCW CAP 6 2 amp 8 NOTE Insert 75 100 Ohm Resistor in series with terminal 5 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is pointed exactly 180 degrees CCW from the center of rotation South North This should be at the CCW mechanical limit in the rotor 2 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number lt 200 lt may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 3 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North 4 Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the CAL CW xxx appears This time the number should be gt 600 33 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 11 ROTOR DOCTOR RD 1800 SETUP OPTION POT DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Yellow J9 4 J12 2 3 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function RD 1800 RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT CW 1 1 J6 1 2 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 1 2 GND 3 3 POS 4 4 REF 7 5 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is pointed exactly 180 degrees CCW from the center of rotation South
10. NEW VALUE z on the display NOTE For North Center OFFSET 180 degrees Default For South Center OFFSET 0 degrees e Press the CHANGE button to store the New OPTION e Press the SAVE button to save the option and exit the SETUP menu CONNECT THE RT 21 TO YOUR ROTOR Remove power from the unit before making rotor connections 1 3 1 Connect your Rotor to the rear panel terminal strip of the RT 21 using the chart labeled Rotor Connections in the appendix A for your rotor The first column of terminal numbers refers to the terminal numbers of the rotor s factory controller or the rotor itself The terminal numbers under the RT 21 column are the correct RT 21 terminals for the same wire CALIBRATE YOUR ROTOR DO NOT use the Point and Shoot knob before your rotor is fully calibrated Rotors without mechanical limits may be damaged or rotor loops may be exceeded if unintended over travel occurs If your rotor does not have mechanical stops at 360 degrees of rotation insure that you or a helper is positioned to watch antenna travel during calibration 1 4 1 Calibrate according to the specific instructions in the Appendix A for your rotor The heading directions when referred to North or South in these procedures assume a North center the default offset If you have changed the OFFSET from the default for a South center then the directions in parentheses should be used instead FRO
11. OF SIDEARM INSTALLATION ai 54 MASTER SEAVE MIS MODE 3 t rtp ret te euet de eee mrt ee Sch M GAND S G MODES tcn pde eet OE Pei EI Rd Data adde o e ld ha ed obe a n Gyan Sp DEBUG MODE eege 5 7 FIRMWARE UPDATES SEE PAGE IIl FOR RT 21 V3 INFORMATION ii 5 8 CHANGING THE VANITY DISPLAY MOTION TIMEOUT SECURITY LOCK 22 5 9 ALTERNATE OFFSETS FIRMWARE 1 6 AND LATER annen eeneenenvenvenenvenvensevenveneenenvenvenenvenvenenvenvenvenenvenenn 22 5 10 ADVANCED OPTIONS FIRMWARE 1 6 AND LATER nanne eenenvensenenvenvenenvenveneeenvenvenenvenvenenvenvenenvenvenvenen 22 APPENDIXACT TIG RINGROTOR Mec G 24 APPENDIX A 2 ORION 2300 ORIGINAL no naeneneeseenenrarsenesnenensansersenersennanensmensmeraenennenrnenosoenenennearnenoenenennenenen 25 ARRENDUC AS ORION 2800 AC sais RR 26 APPENDIX A4 ORION buc 27 APPENDIX AS CREATE RC5 SERIES nnnaannanseseenenenansennsersennenenennnsersennsarsennensoenennenrsenneornennensnenenneoenennenenenennsaen 28 APPENDIX A 6 HY GAIN HAMX T X EENEG 29 APPENDIX A 7 YAESU G800S DXA 1000S DXA 2700SDX 2800DXA ETOC creen nnnm 30 APPENDIXA 8 SPID 54555 gesteet e r a E a A a Aaaa A Eai 31 APPENDIX A9 HY GAIN HDR 300Q eite rine stasonnisoaseebiennsocaieeidaensealiweeigeedtbedsenvanonen wend e desea Ha ee torrents 32 APPENDDCA 0 ALLI
12. display will be accurate In this case you may want to match the soft limit values with the actual mechanical stops NOTE Some early OR 2800 had different divide ratios than the standard 3960 Some experimentation with the divider may be required NOTE The Auto Cal Orion facility within the SETUP UTILITY program will automate this process for you See Page 43 45 for details 26 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A A ORION 2800 DC SETUP OPTION ORION Forces Pulse Divider to 4015 DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Orange J9 4 J12 2 3 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function OR2800DC RT 21 J5 2 3 MOT CW 1 1 J6 2 3 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 1 2 POS 5 4 GND 6 3 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Find the center of rotation of the rotor a If you are replacing an existing system simply point the antenna at the center North South b To find the center first find the CCW limit switch by turning the rotor with the CCW button as far as it will go CCW If you reach the soft limit shown by the lt on the LCD then go into SETUP CALIBRATE and change the heading to full CW position of the knob then turn the rotor some more in the CCW direction until you get the NO MOTION error This is the CCW mechanical limit and record the heading Now using the CW button turn t
13. endpoints this feature helps avoid turning the rotor past a desired range Ramp up Ramp down This RT 21 feature provides gradual startup and shutdown of rotor power to reduce stress on towers antennas and rotors This is achieved by pulse width modulating the operating voltage for the rotor Ramp up is utilized for all starts and ramp down is used on all stops The ramp down is abbreviated for manual button releases CANCEL or computer stop commands Offset This value sets the desired CCW Endpoint which then indirectly sets the Center of Rotation The number of Offset degrees is the number to add from 0 North in order to get the CCW endpoint A value of 180 is a North Center a value of 0 is a South Center NOTE The compass headings of 360 and 0 degrees refer to the same direction There are cases where the SETUP display may read 360 degrees instead of 0 but it refers to the same compass direction of North During normal operation the heading display will always display within the range of 0 to 359 9 degrees RT 21 QUICK START GUIDE 1 1 JUMPERS and SETTINGS YOU MAY SKIP to paragraph 1 2 ONLY if we ve pre configured your unit 1 1 1 RT 21 Hardware Configuration Internal Jumpers and Wiring Options 1 2 Ensure that the power cable is disconnected from the rear panel of the RT 21 Remove the twelve Phillips head screws securing the top cover and remove the cover Using the appendix A for your rotor fam
14. overshoot of the antennas in computer knob turn operations Increasing the RAMP value shuts the motor down earlier Figure C 1 shows the preferred scheme using 24 VDC relays With this setup both the internal RT 21 and external relays are all cold switched Many variations are possible including simple contact closures If you intend to operate with external relay control please contact Green Heron Engineering to discuss your implementation and receive the latest technical information Optional Modification Remote Power on Control Remove the white wire between J8 3 and Rear Panel 6 Add a 20 or 22 wire between J14 2 and Rear Panel 6 lt J14 also has a jumper installed This adds a Switched 24 WDC for Power on Control out of Terminal 6 on the Rear Panel CW CCW GND POS REF 24 OO 0 OO ODO O cu E E cen Ed E CONTROL Contact Pot 24 VDC Relays Linear 1k to 10k MOTOR CONTROL Configure RT 21 for 24 VDC Operation FMR Broun to J9 3 XFMR Yellow to J9 4 Green Heron Engineering External Relay Control RT 21 2 0 Rev 1 0 Januar y 18 2818 Page 1 of 1 Figure C 1 External Relay Control Sample Configuration 39 APPENDIX D 21 SCHEMATIC RT APPENDIX D for RT 21 PCB rev 1 8 Ica Typ STSSEUD 90077817E B T 498 you heuzzar AST TOAJUO 40308 TL I
15. set into the A D values that would normally be set using the normal calibration procedures You can edit this file to put in different values 44 APPENDIX G for different rotors of the same type TIC 20 TIC 15 could be examples You may calibrate each rotor normally then you can edit the RotorPresets ini to put the values in so they can be recalled at anytime from the Pot Auto Cal facility Auto Cal Orion Click this button to run the Orion Auto Calibration facility This is quite different from the Pot Auto Cal that simply stuffs preset values into the controller memory An Orion uses a pulse count system and has 14 degrees of over travel 360 28 degrees of rotation It can sometimes be difficult to find the mechanical center of these rotors in order to set the direction of the antenna mast in the rotor to the desired center When you run the Auto Cal Orion SETUP UTILITY will apply settings to the controller that allow bypassing of soft limits in order to find the mechanical CCW endstop limit switch Then it will turn the rotor back to the center by turning 180 plus 14 degrees and then setting the rotor calibrate to the desired center of rotation SETUP knows that the center is always 180 degrees CW from the OFFSET value When Auto Cal Orion is finished the Orion rotor is run to the mechanical center of rotation and the Calibration value is set there too You can then either mechanically turn the antenna on the mast to match your des
16. type with 3960 Pulse 360 degrees SPID Alfa Spid types with 1 pulse degree 3 When the correct option for your Rotor is displayed save it as follows Press the CHANGE button to change it Press the SAVE button to store the change and exit SET THE OFFSET VALUE The offset value is the number of degrees that your counter clockwise CCW endpoint is from true North It is normally equal to the compass heading of your CCW endpoint This might be a different value than your CCW mechanical stop if your rotor has wider rotation than 360 degrees Offset can also be viewed as the desired center of rotation 180 clockwise from North RT 21 1 3 1 4 QUICK START GUIDE For example If your center of rotation were South with the CCW endpoint at North then your offset would be 0 If your center of rotation were North with your CCW endpoint at South then your offset would be 180 degrees Default 1 2 1 Configure the desired Offset value 1 Enter SETUP mode e Press and hold down the SETUP ITEM button for 2 seconds e Release the SETUP ITEM button when SETUP appears on the display 2 Choose the OFFSET parameter e Repeatedly press and release the SETUP ITEM button until Offset is displayed o The currently set offset will be displayed after the equals sign z o The bottom line on the display will indicate NEW VALUE z XXX 3 Set the OFFSET parameter for your rotor e Rotate the heading knob until the desired OFFSET is displayed after
17. 0 degrees CCW with the CCW button from this center point VISUALLY South North Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 100 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button Turn the rotor exactly 360 degrees CW using the CW button until the antenna is again in the same direction as in 42 South North Press the CANCEL and CW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CW xxx where xxx should be a number 800 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 28 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 6 HY GAIN HAMx T X SETUP OPTION HAMx SETUP MAX SPEED AC Motor AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 Open Violet J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function Hy Gain RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT GND 1 3 J6 2 3 BRK 2 6 J16 1 2 POS 3 4 CAP 4 7 MOT CW 5 1 MOT CCW 6 2 CAP 8 8 NOTE RT 21 uses only 7 wires OPERATING NOTES 1 NO CALIBRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THESE ROTATORS The preset values we use internally in version 1 06 and later firmware are sufficiently accurate for these rotators 2 For T2X rotators set OPTION to T2X This will enable the brake un stick features and set the soft li
18. 1 protocol at 4800 8N1 if your program does not have a Green Heron setting Many additional commands are provided for the advanced features that only your RT 21 can perform These include the ability to computer track to 1 10 degree using GH Tracker or operate your controller as part of an IP network using GH Everyware software from Green Heron 5 2 1 USB Functionality is limited to computer control You cannot use the USB to interconnect RT 21s for the purpose of Master Slave or Counter rotate functions NOTE The EIA 232 Port dB 9 MUST be used for interconnection to other RT 20 or RT 21 controllers AND for loading new software updates from Green Heron RT 21 v3 allows USB software updates see page iii 5 2 2 USB INSTALLATION Prior to Rt 21v3 ONLY The RT 21 requires a driver settings file INF file to be installed on your system When your system first sees an RT 21 connected to a USB port on your computer the New Hardware Wizard will appear Although the exact procedure will vary depending on your operating system Windows will ask you for the location of the Driver for an RT 21 controller You browse to the driver info file RT21usb0 inf and then install the driver You may ignore the digital signature error if you get one NOTE RT 21 v3 uses drivers that are standard on most versions of windows Do not browse for the inf file described above USB installation is typically completely automatic on v3 units See page ii
19. AC line or a 1 5A fuse for 230 VAC line 9 Connect the power cord to the rear panel receptacle and set the front panel power switch to ON You should first see the user vanity message then the software version number followed by the operating display 1 1 2 RT 21 Software Configuration Software SETTINGS This procedure assumes that the SETUP parameters are all at factory default If you wish to assure this condition press and hold CANCEL CCW CW as described in 2 1 5 until the display indicates RESET EE Or use SETUP Utility The correct OPTION for your Rotor must be selected and saved prior to changing any other items in SETUP Before making this selection ensure that all hardware jumpers have been made as described above 1 Go into SETUP Mode as follows Press and hold the SETUP ITEM button until SETUP appears on the display Choose the OPTION parameter by repeatedly pressing and releasing the SETUP ITEM button until the display shows OPTION 2 Choose the correct OPTION by rotating the heading knob until the New Value the correct option for your rotor as defined in the Appendix A is displayed POT 2 or 3 wire potentiometer or variable resistor generic COUNTER Pulse Counter generic HAMXx HAM X Hy Gain Rotor with separate wedge brake control T X T X Hy Gain Rotor with separate wedge brake control TIC PST TIC RingRotors or Prosistel ORION M2 Orion rotor DC motor
20. AL CW xxx appears This time the number should be 810 24 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 2 ORION 2300 ORIGINAL SETUP OPTION POT SETUP MAX SPEED AC Motor AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 open Violet J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function OR 2300 RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT GND 1 3 J6 1 2 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 1 2 MOT CW 3 1 POT REF 4 5 POS 5 4 GND 6 3 NOTE Term 3 gets 2 wires CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is pointed exactly 180 degrees CCW from the center of rotation South North This should be at the CCW mechanical limit in the rotor 2 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 200 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 3 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North 4 Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the CAL CW xxx appears This time the number should be gt 700 25 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 3 ORION 2800 AC SETUP OPTION ORION forces Pulse Divider to 4015
21. AMn command APnxxx y lt cr gt Sends rotor to heading immediately no AMn required AMn Move rotor to last AP send heading ROn Read Rotors pot A D value response is lt SOH gt xxxx xxxx is 0 to 1023 10 bit A D value R1n Read RT 21 model and version response is lt SOH gt RT 21 Version X Y RXn Read EE value A through Z See list below woo Loads Default EE values and Reset Controller WOn callsign Write vanity message centered on line three of display for boot message WXn value Write value to EE location A through Z See list SEE n below for info on EE Write COn Force unit to CAL CCW at current position C1n Force unit to CAL CW ant current position AAn Run Rotator CCW for 1 5 Seconds re triggerable New in version 1 06 ABn Run Rotator CW for 1 5 Seconds re triggerable New in version 1 06 n digit 0 9 n 0 on WX WriteEE commands forces reboot n lt gt 0 just writes value Commands that return values other than Al1 include SOH ahead of data EE Locations value of X A CCW Cal 0 CW Limit 180 P Rotor Fail Timeout 4 B CW Cal 950 J Option Pot No default with EEReset Q Security Admin C Reserved K Pulse Divider 3960 4015 in 1 07 R Alt Offset 1 361 D Cal Offset 180 L Cal Range 360 S Alt Offset 2 361 E Delays 3 M Mode Normal T Advanced Options 0 F Min Speed 3 M Mode Normal U O
22. ANCE HD 73 en eaae aeaa S a te ae aa eet E aaa Aaa Dra En CDM ncm Eed denk 33 APPENDIX A 11 ROTOR DOCTOR RD 1800 naan enenenenaeneneenenenneeeneneneenenennsennenennenenenanseneneenenenennenenen 34 APPENDIX A 12 YAESU G 450 650XL naaar aanenenenoeneneneenenenenneneneeneneneneenenenennenennneeneneneenenenennsneneenenenenennenen 35 APPENDIX A 13 BOSSELER EES 36 APPENDIX A 14 DIAWA MR 750 MR 300 aaan eeneenneeneneneenneneneeneneennnensnennenenenennenenennenenenannenennenenennnnenenen 37 APPENDIX B UNIVERSAL ROTOR SETUP INFORMATION annaeenenenneneneneenenenenenseneneenenenanneneneenenenennenenen 38 APPENDIX C EXTERNAL RELAY CONTROL APPENDIX D RT 21 SCHEMATIC APPENDIX E ERROR MESSAGES s MH APPENDIX F COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL APPENDIX G SETUP UTILITY 43 VERSION 3 INFORMATION RT 21 Version 3 v3 These units began shipping in October 2010 They differ slightly from earlier units as described here and in a few other places in the manual Identification e Serial Number is 2000 and higher e v3 on the Serial Number Label e RT 21 Rev 3 0 or higher on the main PCB Note RT 21 v3 units use a new PIC main CPU chip that must use different download firmware than previous units Download firmware is always in a hex file and it has a version number that begins with 3 in the file name for firmware compatibl
23. EL slightly ahead of the CCW button 3 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North 4 Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the CAL CW xxx appears This time the number should be 600 NOTES 1 If indicator appears noisy additional filtering may be obtained by using SETUP OPTION HAM 2 Modifying the G450XL rotor to bring out the 3 wire of the pot may improve performance If this is done then a Connect new wire to 3 GND b Connect 2 to RT 21 4 POS c Connect 3 to RT 21 5 REF d Change J6 to 1 2 35 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 13 PROSISTEL D SETUP OPTION TIC PST DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection VDC MODEL J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Yellow J9 4 18V 61D 2051 J12 2 3 Orange J9 4 28V Newer 71D Violet J9 4 42V Older 71D Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function PST RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT CW 1 1 J6 1 2 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 2 3 POS 3 4 REF 4 5 GND 5 3 Use only 1 wire on J9 4 for your rotor type 61D 2051 if you desire to run as low as 12 VDC connect J9 3 to Yellow and J9 4 to Orange instead of what s listed in the Transformer Taps above WARNINGS These rotators do NOT have internal limit switches to prevent over rotation Be careful
24. GREEN HERON ENGINEERING LLC RT 21 DIGITAL ROTOR CONTROLLER USER GUIDE Document Revision 3 2 9 28 2011 S N 1200 1900 PCB Rev 2 x v3 S N 2000 PCB Rev 3 x Includes features through Software Revision 1 7 v3 Includes features through Software Revision 3 7 2010 Green Heron Engineering LLC 1107 Salt Road Webster NY 14580 Phone 585 217 9093 www GreenHeronEngineering com RADIO AND TELEVISION INTERFERENCE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced
25. If Green Heron Engineering configured your controller for your rotor type skip the steps in Section 1 1 They have been completed for you Next perform the following steps as defined in this guide e Section 1 2 Set the Offset Value page 4 Set your OFFSET only if you do not want a North Center which is the default Section 1 3 Connect the RT 21 to Your Rotor page 5 Hook your rotor to the rear terminal strip per the instructions for your rotor type Section 1 4 Calibrate Your Rotor page 5 As a quick alternative you may use the Auto Cal facility of the SETUP UTILITY described in appendix G The Pot Auto Cal although considered an estimate may be accurate enough for most needs The Orion Auto Cal is recommended and accurate for Orion rotors If your rotor does not have mechanical limits DO NOT attempt rotation other than with the CW and CCW pushbuttons before calibration has been completed and the soft limits are proven to be working as desired NOTE Additional documentation and optional software are available on our website at www greenheronengineering com support RT 21 QUICK START GUIDE The remainder of the manual After the Quick Start will assist you in getting the most out of your controller by optimizing the various options using the computer interface or setting up sophisticated Master Slave or Master Counter rotate systems Feel free to contact us with any questions or clarifications OR for
26. NT PANEL CONTROLS amp DISPLAY Section 2 0 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS amp DISPLAY 2 1 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS The controls on the front of the RT 21 include three push buttons the heading knob and the power switch as shown in Figure 2 Each of the push buttons has two labels one above and one below The active function of the buttons depends on whether the unit is in Setup or Normal Operation FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND DISPLAY 2 1 1 Front Panel Buttons Normal Operation When the RT 21 is in normal operation the push buttons function using the labels above the buttons Table 1 summarizes their functions Table 1 Button Functions in Normal Operation Button Label Button Function CCW Turns rotor counter clockwise Ramp down and creep CW Turns rotor clockwise Ramp down and creep CANCEL In normal operation mode CANCEL can be used in three ways e A tap of the CANCEL button cancels the current rotation event from the front panel heading knob or computer command e Holding the CANCEL button down for 2 seconds places the unit into SETUP e Atap of the CANCEL button toggles in or out of M C M S or S C mode to allow a manual operation to be performed e A tap of the CANCEL button will toggle among the three optional OFFSET values when in the optional OFFSET mode see Mode OFFSET tapping the CCW or CW button while computer or point and shoot motion is in progress will ramp down to Minimum speed but c
27. North This should be at the CCW mechanical limit in the rotor 2 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number lt 50 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 3 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North 4 Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the CAL CW xxx appears This time the number should be 700 34 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 12 YAESU G 450 650XL Also for G 400x 600x models using the 24 VAC motors SETUP OPTION POT AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 Open Orange J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function Yaesu RT 21 J5 1 2 GND 2 3 J6 2 3 POS 3 4 J16 1 2 MOT CCW 4 2 MOT CW 5 1 GND 6 3 NOTE Term 3 gets 2 wires CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is pointed exactly 180 degrees CCW from the center of rotation South North This should be at the CCW mechanical limit in the rotor 2 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 50 It may be helpful to press the CANC
28. RT 21 comes set for your rotor type from the factory if we know it If not the factory defaults are for a 36 VDC motor mid voltage and a potentiometer positioning indicator system The offset value is 180 which needs a CCW amp CW endpoint of South and a North center of rotation You can return to these default settings at any time by pressing the CANCEL CW and CCW buttons at the same time and holding until the unit resets 7 The RT 21 is protected by a fuse on the rear panel If the controller shows no sign of power the fuse may be blown The fuse is an International Standard GMA 5mm x 20mm type and should be replaced with a 3A fuse for 115 VAC operation or a 1 5A fuse for 230 VAC operation Replacement fuses are available at most electronics parts distributors including Radio Shack COMPUTER CONTROL OF RT 21 The RT 21 is equipped with a fully operational RS 232 port and a USB B connection Virtually all programs that support rotor control via a COM port can be used with the RT 21 on either port The RT 21 USB port implements the standard COM port emulation that works with standard Windows drivers See 5 2 2 for installation instructions The protocol implemented in the RT 21 is based on the Hy Gain DCU 1 protocol and runs at 4800 8N1 using a straight through serial cable with at least pins 2 2 3 3 and 5 5 wired It reports headings and turns to headings with the same commands implemented in DCU 1 Set your software to use DCU
29. T 21 v3 information Firmware updates should one ever be desired or needed are easy and fast to field install The process requires only a straight through serial cable the same one you may be using for computer control the loader program tinybldWin exe and the program file RT 21 n nn hex that you wish to load The firmware and loader are available on our website under Technical Support Updates cannot be done using the USB port on the RT 21 To use the loader 1 Place the tinybldWIN exe and the firmware file hex in a folder and go to that folder 2 Double click the program and Browse and select the hex file you want to load Set the Comm window to 57600 and the COM port you are going to use 3 With the RT 21 switched ON connect the serial cable Click on Write Flash and then quickly turn the controller OFF and then back ON before the loader times out 21 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 8 5 9 NOTE v3 RT 21 units download easier if you first turn the controller off then click on Write Flash then turn the controller ON before the loader times out The loading process should take just a few seconds Stored SETUP values are not changed so your calibration should remain intact If the new load adds new SETUP values or features you may need to go and set these new values before using your RT 21 with the new software Green Heron will provide these instructions if needed CHANGING THE VANITY DISPLAY
30. T Allow in Degrees 90 G Max Speed 10 N Ramp 3 V Counter Rotate Delay 10 H CCW Limit 180 O Brightness 8 Advanced Option values for EE Location T See Advanced Options BIT VALUE OPTION BIT VALUE OPTION 0 1 UnFreeze Display 5 32 Analog Out VBI360 1 2 Immediate Brake Release 6 64 EME Mode 2 4 Auto Go Back 7 128 Shortest Route 3 8 Elevation Mode 8 256 Port 9600 Baud 4 16 AutoDim in Unfreeze 42 APPENDIX G APPENDIX G SETUP UTILITY Introduction SETUP UTILITY is a Java program and is distributed without the Java Runtime needed for operation If your computer does not have the correct Java platform installed you will be directed to the proper web location for download SETUP is an easy to use utility that can be used with the Green Heron RT 21 controller to allow computer access to all of the SETUP items that can be done from the front panel SETUP menus In addition the SETUP UTILITY additionally provides for e Connecting to a controller via RS 232 or USB e Rotor control and display of current heading e Computer access to the front panel SETUP parameters e Access to parameters that are hidden from the front panel o MOTOR TIMEOUT in seconds o Security Setting to allow User lockout of SETUP and Resets o Vanity Display changes for the LCD VFD at start up o Direct setting of POT Calibration values e Additional Calibration features for easy quick setup of new rotors
31. T CW 6 1 J16 1 2 MOT CCW 5 2 POT REF 1 5 POS Wiper 2 4 GND 3 3 NOTE Term 3 gets 2 wires Che original Diawa control box used terminal 7 8 or 9 to select progressively higher motor voltages for longer runs and or more motors in order to compensate for voltage drop on the cable The RT 21 uses two different voltage taps inside Orange or Violet in order to accomplish the same thing If you were using terminal 7 on your old system you should be OK with the Orange wire on J9 2 We suggest that you try the Orange first If the motors stall won t start or you know you have significant run or more than 1 motor then you will likely need to use the Violet Wire CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Since this rotor has slight over travel find the center of rotation visually or simply use the existing center point of your antenna if installed 2 Turn the rotor 180 degrees CCW with the CCW button from this center point VISUALLY South North 3 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 100 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 4 Turn the rotor exactly 360 degrees CW using the CW button until the antenna is again in the same direction as in 2 South North 5 Press the CANCEL and CW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CW xxx where xxx should be a number gt 800
32. a rotor at the top of a rotating tower or two rotating joints on the same structure or rotating rings mounted on a rotating tower o Functionality M C mode sends the heading data to other RT 21s that control the upper rotor s so that it may calculate the heading for the antennas above e S C Slave Counter Rotate Mode o Usage and Examples S C mode is used for the slave rotor s as described in M C It reads the data from the M C unit and maintains the heading for the upper antennas while the bottom is moving The S C controller in a properly implemented system allows complete independent operation of the slave antennas from the ones fixed to the rotating tower e OFFSET Alternate OFFSET Mode See Section 5 9 for details e DEBUG Debug Mode see section 5 6 for details RAMP ALL Adjusts the variable ramping 0 9 of the speed control features of the controller O shortest 9 longest ramp Generally the larger your system the longer ramp up and down you will want to use Default is 3 In firmware version 1 06 and later setting MAX SPEED 11 signifying full speed no ramping then the RAMP setting shuts down the motor early by RAMP x 2 degrees This is to allow adjustment of overshoot in systems that use relay control or other non ramp down applications BRIGHT ALL Adjusts the variable brightness of the LCD display 1 to 10 1 to 4 for the VFD used in the D models The display auto dims somewhat after a short
33. aneously and hold until CCW CAL is displayed This sets the CCW Endpoint 3 Use the CW button to turn the rotor in order to define the normal non over travel CW limit 15 CALIBRATION 4 2 e f your rotor has 360 degree stops turn the rotor CW to the mechanical stop e f your rotor DOES NOT have 360 degree stops o Use the CW button to turn the rotor exactly 360 degrees until the antennas are positioned back in the same visual direction as in Step 1 above This is the CW endpoint 4 Press CANCEL and CW simultaneously and hold until CW CAL is displayed The numbers displayed are the results of the analog to digital A D conversion of the voltage read on the potentiometer They will vary depending on the amount of travel the indicator potentiometer actually moves but the CCW value should be fairly low and the CW value should be significantly higher The larger the difference between the two numbers the higher the resolution of the heading display will be A system that only uses 2 turns of a 10 turn pot will not have nearly the resolution of one that uses 8 or 9 turns of the same pot The accuracy and resolution of the RT 21 controller depends entirely on the amount of change of this A D reading and the linearity of the potentiometer used The maximum resolution is about 1 3 degree with this option PULSE COUNTER SYSTEMS Orion SPID Ensure that the correct divider value is set with DIVIDE HI and DIVIDE LOW based on the num
34. anity Will change the boot up message on the display You can enter up to 14 characters and they will be centered on the 3 line of the display at start up You must restart the controller after using this button Close the SETUP UTILITY first if connected via USB Pot Cal You may also directly set the A D values in the CW and CCW calibration locations without actually doing the pot calibration If you know what the values are for your installation you can put them back using this facility You can also make small changes to the stored values or set them full wide 0 and 960 prior to recalibrating as a substitute for doing a full Reset EE prior to calibration The A D values Analog to Digital Converter is the voltage returned from the wiper of the indicator pot inside the rotor It can range in value from 0 to around 960 which correspond to 0 VDC to around 9 8 VDC Advanced Options Tab Upper Left Access to the Advanced Options is only allowed on controllers that read Firmware version 1 6 or later These options are described in detail in Section 5 10 and are only turned on off with the Advanced Options tab of SETUP UTILITY Auto Calibration Pot Auto Cal Click this button to see the rotors that can be Preset Calibrated from standard values that will normally provide pretty close calibration Different rotors can be added by editing the file RotorPresets ini located in the install directory The values provided in this file are
35. any custom application you may have If your rotor is not listed and you wish assistance using the information contained in this manual please contact us and we will be glad to assist TERMINOLOGY The following terms may be unfamiliar to new users of the RT 21 and are defined here for clarity It is important to understand their meanings as they will be used frequently during configuration and setup tasks TERM DEFINITION Endpoints The counter clockwise CCW and clockwise CW endpoints refer to the ends of rotation that would normally occur with a system that rotates exactly 360 degrees Note that CCW and CW endpoint headings are the same but at opposite ends of a 360 degree arc with the center of rotation being 180 degrees from either endpoint Over Travel Rotation beyond the normal endpoints of 360 degrees Point and shoot This action refers to setting a direction with the front panel Heading Knob and allowing the RT 21 to execute this move automatically stopping at the selected heading Soft Limits These are travel limits that can be programmed into the RT 21 The effect is similar to the mechanical limits built into many Rotors but it is achieved inside the controller and is fully programmable to allow over travel if supported by the rotor or to reduce travel for installations requiring limiting the rotation to less than 360 degrees a sidearm antenna mount for example If a Rotor does not have mechanical
36. ar the switch and the array is large enough that the wind can move back through the gears and wiggle the motor shaft 5 10 7 Point amp Shoot Shortest Route This option extends the Shortest Route logic to the Point and Shoot knob Shortest Route turns the rotator the shortest way to get to a heading for rotators that allow rotation more than 360 degrees This will not work properly if your Soft Limits are not set correctly Shortest Route is always enabled for computer generated commands 5 10 8 Port 9600 Sets the baud rate on the EIA 232 DB 9 port to 9600 baud 4800 Baud is the DCU 1 standard but some programs allow this to be run faster 23 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 1 TIC RINGROTOR SETUP OPTION TIC PST DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Orange J9 4 J12 2 3 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function TIC TIC Color RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT CW 2 Green 1 J6 1 2 MOT CCW 3 Red 2 J16 1 2 CW REF 4 Yellow 5 Wiper 5 Blue 4 CCW GND 6 Brown 3 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE BEFORE AND DURING CALIBRATION THE ROTOR CAN GO BEYOND A NOMINAL 360 DEGREES So please ensure that A spotter is used or a view of the antennas is possible All motions should be initiated via the CW and CCW buttons NOT the control knob The display will NOT read correctly unti
37. assigned will remain the same for that specific RT 21 regardless of what USB port you plug it into in the future A 277 RT 21 will get a new COM number if installed later t is now possible to download new RT 21 firmware using the USB port where e previously it was only possible on the RS232 port In order to download on USB temporarily short the two PCB holes shown in the diagram here After the download e remove this short to restore the separate USB and RS 232 port features ze AS 99e s eom o O H nee nee SWITCH LCD peta ua END BRK CH CH e e e Bl z D LC L amp AHO RT 21 QUICK START GUIDE Section 1 0 QUICK START GUIDE IMPORTANT Please Read This This Section of the manual will assist you in getting your new controller running as fast as possible Everything you need to know to get your unit setup and running is contained in this QUICK START GUIDE along with the single page in the APPENDIX A that corresponds to your particular Rotor The current version of SETUP UTILITY program can be found on our webstite and can be used to test your rotor operate it or optionally provide a quick calibration for many rotor types See Appendix H for SETUP UTILITY capabilities and instructions If Green Heron Engineering DID NOT configure your controller OR you are changing to a different type of rotor perform the steps in Section 1 1 Jumpers and Settings page 2
38. back into range you should use MODE DEBUG Return the controller to MODE NORMAL to maintain the out of range protection 2 The voltage from the pot on terminal 4 MUST go lower with CCW rotation and higher with CW rotation If it doesn t STOP and carefully verify your wiring Rotation direction of CCW or CW as it would be looking DOWN on the antenna from above 3 These calibration procedures should yield satisfactory results in most applications and be accurate to within a few degrees If you require more accurate calibration instead of not relying completely on the endpoint voltages visually sight your antenna or top plate to the CCW and CW endpoints prior to pressing the calibration buttons in steps 2 and 3 4 You must ensure that no water or other cable leakage occurs in order to maintain accuracy and smooth readouts from your Pro sis Tel rotator If any trouble with calibration or jumpy indications occur disconnect the cable from the controller and use an ohmmeter on a high range to ensure that your cables are sound 36 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 14 DIAWA MR 750 MR 300 SETUP OPTION POT SETUP MAX SPEED AC Motor AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 open Orange or Violet J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function Diawa RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT COM 7 80r9 3 J6 1 2 MO
39. ber of pulses in a 360 degree rotation Simply turn your antenna to a known direction visually and then set the OFFSET value to yield the desired end or center of rotation headings Finally set the CALIBRATE value to the same heading as the antennas are physically pointed NOTE The RT 21 cannot adjust the actual position of your antenna in relation to the physical endstops OR in relation to your coax rotor loops as installed 16 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES Section 5 0 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 1 OPERATING HINTS A review of the Operating Hints below will help you get the most out of your RT 21 and resolve minor difficulties that may be encountered In addition Green Heron Engineering is available to assist with any questions you may have about your controller Use the contact information at the front of this manual to reach us 1 The voltage taps listed in the configuration charts Appendix A are normal settings for short to moderate cable runs If you find that your rotor turns more slowly than usual or the ramp down function does not operate correctly try using the next higher voltage tap on the transformer e use violet wire instead of orange Any two wires may be used to connect to J9 e g If you connect the Yellow to term 3 and the Orange to term 4 you will get approximately 14 VDC for the motor The transformer voltage taps are approximately 0 18 28 and 38 VAC 2 Some rotors work bett
40. demark of TIC General Inc Hy Gain is a trademark of Hy Gain Corporation Yaesu is a trademark of Yaesu Vertex Standard USA All other products company names brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners This unit is normally supplied with a 3 Amp 5x20 mm fuse in the rear panel fuse holder If it is necessary replace only with 115 VAC 3 amp max 230 VAC 1 5 amp max Table of Contents IDENTIFYING A V3 RT 21 10 QUICK START GUIDE Taft lt JUMPERS ANBISETTINGS cett t dete a epe Ion a e a ea b e eite 3 1 2 SET THE OFFSET VALUE eee A 1 3 CONNECT THE RT 21 TO YOUR ROTOR 5 1 4 CALIBRATE YOUR BROTOR 5 2 0 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS amp DISPLAY as naaaanensneneensnenensnnenrseensnenennensnensennnenennenssennanenenennearsenennenenvensnenennenn 6 23 FRONT PANEEGONTROES ees dE 6 2 2 FRONT PANEL DISPLAY vi 3 0 SSETUP MODE eege 3ul OPTIONPARAMETER EE 3 2 SETTING OTHER PARAMETERS Ni 4 07 CALIBRATION Meer a S 4h CPOTENTIOMELERSMSTEMS Er onteren tenen mem teda nnn edad aeta 15 4 2 PULSE COUNTER SYSTEMS sans aren tere nere mee epe Ho He ERR Peer ER D edere iedeen 16 5 0 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES aaneen eenenneneeenneneeneeneneennnenenennenenenannenennenenenennenenen 17 5 1 OPERATING HINTS 17 5 2 COMPUTER CONTROL OF RT 21 4 Robe ripetere tee e d eelde 5 3 CALIBRATION
41. ds e Release the SETUP ITEM button when SETUP appears on the display 2 Choose the OPTION parameter e Repeatedly press and release the SETUP ITEM button until SETUP OPTION is displayed o The currently set option will be displayed after the equals sign z o The bottom line on the display will indicate NEW VALUE z XXX 3 Set the OPTION parameter for your rotor e Rotate the heading knob until the desired OPTION is displayed after NEW VALUE on the display e Press the CHANGE button to store the New OPTION e Press the SAVE button to save the option and exit the SETUP menu SETTING OTHER PARAMETERS This same sequence that was used to set up the OPTION parameter is used to modify any setup parameter SELECT CHANGE SAVE It is important to remember that if you change an OPTION parameter you must SAVE and reenter the SETUP menu to make any other changes TIP Some menu items can change calculations and affect related options so it s a good idea to only change one item at a time until you become familiar with the RT 21 For example changing the CTR divide ratios will change the CALIBRATE the OFFSET will change the SOFT LIMITS to match etc 11 SETUP MODE 3 2 1 SETUP ITEMS This section provides a detailed description of the options available in the SETUP menu The parentheses indicate the option setting s under which the item is available CALIBRATE COUNTER ORION SPID This item calibrates the dir
42. e with these units The firmware for the previous units has a version number that begins with a 1 The first release of this firmware for v3 RT 21 units is version 3 07 This corresponds to the same functionality that is in version 1 07 of the previous units If you should accidentally load the wrong firmware into an RT 21 the controller will NOT operate You will see a few seconds of garbage characters on the display but then nothing else will happen You can still go back and download the correct software into the controller to restore operation What is Different in v3 e This board revision adds a hardware FTDI USB chip to offload and perform all USB operations independently of the main CPU chip software This improves USB performance primarily in the area of connects and disconnects and will allow new versions of Windows and PC hardware to be more quickly supported without the need for new software in the RT 21 The USB Driver used for the FTDI chip will now load in two steps The correct drivers are part of windows updates In most cases the correct driver is already installed with your operating system and it will automatically find and setup for you when you plug in the RT 21 for the first time Earlier versions of XP may require you to allow connection to internet to search Windows updates for the driver The FTDI Driver is also on our website Device Manager will now refer to the RT 21 as a USB Serial Port The COM number
43. ectional display to the physical direction of your antenna OFFSET ALL Sets the CCW endpoint for your system in degrees clockwise from true North The default setting is 180 This means that the default stops are at South with a North center of travel To set a South center you would set the OFFSET to 0 This setting also affects the soft limits within the RT 21 and repositions them automatically if you change the OFFSET value e You may have both South center and North center antennas on the same mast and rotor For example you may wish to put a VHF antenna on South center and HF antenna on North center You can select which center of rotation is to be used by simply changing the OFFSET e The OFFSET is also useful in a POT system to compensate for mast slippage as a temporary measure until you can re align correctly e Mobile rover stations can use the OFFSET feature as well Simply enter the amount of offset depending on how far off your vehicle is parked from a North heading DELAYS ALL This sets the delay times enforced by the RT 21 before allowing a reversal in motor direction or before the Brake engaged This delay setting is adjustable in 1 second increments up to a maximum of 6 seconds MIN SPEED ALL This sets the minimum speed that that is used for starting and stopping the motor as it ramps up and or down 1 to 10 where 1 is 1096 10 is 100 The MIN SPEED setting has no effect when ramps are not u
44. end with a meter COUNTER Systems With MODE DEBUG use a clip lead to tap across terms 3 and 4 You should be able to see the display move CW or CCW depending on the last direction you attempted to rotate If this works you have a problem with you cabling or rotor sending switch ERROR POT OUT OF RANGE xxxx OPTION TIC PST only This error indicates that the value being read by the A D converter of the controller is below or above the normal operating range of the potentiometer in the rotor The actual A D value xxxx is displayed to let you know if it s high or low The controller will NOT function when this condition exists unless the controller is in MODE DEBUG A short circuit or open circuit in the pot wiring would cause this error This error is independent of your calibration to yield the best protection Correct Range Terminal 4 POS on rear panel TIC 0 5to 7 2 VDC PCB Jumper J16 1 2 PST 4 7 to 6 3 VDC PCB Jumper J16 2 3 COUNTER RANGE ERROR xxxx New in 1 07 3 07 OPTION ORION SPID COUNTER only This error indicates that the value contained in the internal pulse counter is beyond the range allowed for your rotator as determined by the Pulse Divider setting The controller allows 90 degrees over travel from 360 as default The controller will remain inoperative until corrected by either a re calibration EE Reset or turning it back into range by using MODE DEBUG to ignore the error Contact the factor
45. er under pulse width modulated PWM speed control than others In general DC motors appear to operate better than AC motors in this regard Also lightly loaded rotors and heavily loaded rotors behave differently as they are ramped down Experimentation may be needed with the speed controls ramp setting and voltage setting to optimize your system We run the PWM frequency at 1 2 KHz for DC motors and much lower when the Max Speed is set to AC MOTOR 3 When evaluated with the RT 21 HAMx and T X rotors exhibited the least effective speed control For these rotors we recommend setting the RT 21 to SPEED 11 to eliminate the PWM control 4 We recommend that the RT 21 soft limits be set to values that will prevent your rotor from turning into or possibly through its mechanical limits Setting the soft limits to 5 degrees early is a good practice and will help avoid this problem The OPTION T2X setting does this for you to ensure there is room to reverse the motor prior to running in the correct direction 5 Rotors without mechanical limits must depend entirely on the controller to prevent rotation beyond the desired range and to prevent damage to your coax and or potentiometer The RT 21 incorporates extra protection for these rotors by shutting down the motor Power Supply when the motor should not be turning This was a user option in older units See Appendix D 17 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 2 6 Your
46. generated motion the RT 21 will momentarily run the unit in the opposite of the intended direction to relieve any back tension on the BRAKE in order to help it release properly Also the RT 21 will try to 10 SETUP MODE 3 2 prevent the T2X rotor from going all the way to the end stop so that the limit switch won t disable this reversal TIC PST TIC RingRotor or Prosistel This OPTION is the same as the POT option EXCEPT that it adds an additional safety mechanism to prevent these rotors from running beyond their pot limits and causing motor damage These rotors have no mechanical limiting switches and their POT arrangement is such that they never need to run near either end of the POT The RT 21 limits the operation of these rotors to the middle 8896 of the POT range and will display a POT OUT OF RANGE error if it gets near either end This error can be overridden by using MODE DEBUG ORION M2 Orion Pulse System units This OPTION is the same as the COUNTER option EXCEPT that it sets the Pulse Divider HI and LO to the correct 3960 value automatically Also sets the Soft Limits to 14 degrees of over travel that this unit allows SPID Alfa Spid Rotors This OPTION is the same as the COUNTER option EXCEPT that it sets the Pulse Divider HI and LO to the correct 360 value automatically To setup the OPTION parameter perform the following steps 1 Enter SETUP mode e Press and hold down the SETUP ITEM button for 2 secon
47. he antenna until the display reads the recorded heading above 194 degrees This is 180 the 14 degree over travel that this rotor supports 2 Now that you re at center go to SETUP CALIBRATE and set the value to the desired center of rotation 0 degrees 180 degrees If an existing antenna is NOT centered correctly on the mast and is not pointing correctly simply use SETUP CALIBRATE to match the display with the actual antenna Your limits will not be centered but the display will be accurate In this case you may want to match the soft limit values with the actual mechanical stops NOTE The Auto Cal Orion facility within the SETUP UTILITY program will automate this process for you See Page 43 45 for details 27 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 5 CREATE RC5 SERIES SETUP OPTION POT SETUP MAX SPEED AC Motor AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 open Orange J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function RC5 RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT GND 1 3 J6 1 2 MOT CW 2 1 J16 1 2 MOT CCW 3 2 POT REF 4 5 POS 5 4 GND 6 3 NOTE Term 3 gets 2 wires CALIBRATION PROCEDURE Since this rotor has slight over travel find the center of rotation visually or simply use the existing center point of your antenna if installed Turn the rotor 18
48. i for more info 18 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 3 5 4 CALIBRATION OF SIDEARM INSTALLATION If your rotor uses a COUNTER position type indicator sidearm calibration is easy Simply calibrate as specified earlier and set the soft limits to ensure that your antenna does not turn far enough to hit the tower If your rotor uses a POT or is a HAM T2X type indicator the calibration is slightly more involved as the antenna cannot be turned through a complete 360 degrees in order to set the A D values Although it can be done while maintaining OFFSET at a nominal 0 or 180 degrees we suggest you start with the method below 1 Using SETUP menu change the value of CAL RANGE to 180 Allowable options are 90 180 270 and 360 2 Turn the rotor CCW to the most CCW heading you want to allow keeping in mind that the antenna must not be allowed to strike the tower 3 Perform the CCW Calibration by pressing the CANCEL CCW buttons 4 Turn the antenna CW until it is visually 180 degrees from the position noted in Step 2 or to CAL RANGE setting Perform the CW Calibration by pressing the CANCEL CW buttons 5 Turn the antenna to a known heading visually and subtract this real heading from the indicated heading on the display Set the OFFSET value to this difference 6 Setthe soft limits to values that prevent the antenna from striking the tower NOTE For new installations you could calibrate before you mount
49. iliarize yourself with main PC board as shown in Figure 1 Note the locations of the various wire connections and jumpers Figure 1 RT 21 PC Board Layout Locations of Configuration Jumpers Select your Motor Type AC or DC with J10 J12 and J14 as follows Confirm or move the jumper plug in J10 with a needle nose pliers Confirm or move a bus wire on the 3 2 term screw connector at J12 and J14 Select your Transformer Tap connections as follows Connect the two transformer wires to J9 as indicated ONLY CONNECT TWO You may need to strip a wire if it was previously not connected Ensure the wire nuts on the unused wires are secure Select Your Position Feedback Type Confirm or move the jumper plugs in J5 J6 and J16 with a needle nose pliers Reinstall the top cover of the RT 21 securing it with the screws removed earlier The cover should be oriented so that the overhang is at the front and the ventilation slots are toward the rear RT 21 1 2 QUICK START GUIDE 8 veny that the 115 230 VAC switch on the rear panel is set properly This switch MUST be set to the choice that is correct for the primary mains voltage that will power your RT 21 A small screwdriver may be used to move the switch if necessary f the position of the 115 230 VAC switch is moved check the rear panel fuse for proper value The fuse is an International Standard GMA 5mm x 20mm type and should normally be a 3A fuse for 115 V
50. ired center or if it s close simply reset the Calibrate Heading value to the actual antenna position If you do change this value the rotor will no longer be exactly centered This will limit the amount of overtravel in one or the other direction but the headings will be accurate Save and Recall Settings You may save and recall complete sets of parameters that are stored in your controllers This may be useful if you have multiple rotors and controllers and want backup settings in case you need to replace a controller or accidentally erase settings You may also use this facility to re use one controller on different rotors in your stations s and quickly setup from one to another without having to reset a bunch of parameters and without having to perform the normal calibrations After connecting to a controller that you wish to save verify the settings and then press Save to File In order to recall do a Read from File The currently connected controller will be restored automatically 45 GREEN HERON ENGINEERING LLC 2011 Green Heron Engineering LLC 1107 Salt Road Webster NY 14580 Phone 585 217 9093 www GreenHeronEngineering com
51. l after calibration use visual locations 1 Ensure your RingRotor is in its factory setting of center You can confirm by measuring that the wiper of the pot is 250 ohms or equal from each end This ensures that the motor and pot are in their exact center This is much easier to adjust on the ground if you need to before installation You can use the controller or any 13 8 VDC power supply to turn the motor If you use the controller you must use MODE DEBUG mode in order to allow the motor to turn without a pot connected Make sure you are using an Ohmmeter and do not allow the motor to get to the end of the pot Return the RT 21 to MODE NORMAL before continuing 2 Engage the Ring motor so that the cradle is in line with the desired center of rotation This is most always North and South If the antenna is installed ensure that it is pointed in the correct center of rotation direction North South 3 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is pointed exactly 180 degrees CCW from the center or South North 4 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 100 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 5 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the C
52. mits to keep the rotor 5 degrees away from the limit switches NOTE Hy Gain HAM series rotators are limited in accuracy for a number of reasons including the fact that the brake sets in 6 degree increments We suppress the display of the tenths as superfluous for these types of rotors NOTE This rotator series uses an open non sealed pot internal to the rotator that if not kept clean can introduce significant noise into the system This noise may not show up on the original analog controller but the digital system of an RT 21 may exhibit jumps and bounces even though we do a lot of software filtering Some users have reported luck extending the life of noisy pots by adding a 30 to 100 uF electrolytic capacitor to the rear terminal 4 to ground 3 29 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 7 YAESU G800S DXA 1000S DXA 2700SDX 2800DXA ETC and other 24 VDC motor Yaesu units SETUP OPTION POT DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Yellow J9 4 J12 2 3 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function Yaesu RT 21 J5 1 2 POT REF 1 5 J6 1 2 POS 2 4 J16 1 2 GND 3 3 MOT CCW 4 2 MOT CW 5 1 OT N C 6 N C CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Use the CCW button to rotate the antenna position counter clockwise until the antenna is at the CCW mechanical limit S
53. n computer control may still be used on the stack The computer must be connected to the unit that will be the M S mode unit if computer is used with a two unit setup then only one RT 21 the one connected to the computer can be the Master unit A computer port may be directly connected to any or all unit in a stack if 19 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 5 the USB port is used In this case only the Master units connected port will send the stack to a heading while Slave unit s connected port will only act on that Slave 5 4 1 INTERCONNECTIONS 1 Fortwo controllers without a computer interface e Connect the two units together with a DB 9 null modem cable e The only pins needed are 2 3 3 2 and 5 5 2 For connection with a computer and two or more RT 21 units proceed as follows IF USB port is used with the Master than the Computer part of the cable on the right side of the drawing isn t used e Cable the units as shown in Figure 4 e Note that only two wires are needed on units set to MODE NORMAL e Pre made cables are available from Green Heron Engineering Check our website for details RT 21 Mode normal or Mode S C OPTIONAL SLAVE S Figure 4 Master Slave M S Interconnect For multiple RT 21 20s connected together Mode normal or Mode S C Computer M S MIC MASTER M C and S C MODES These modes are used to configure a counter rotating scheme where one rotor i
54. n the rotator until the antenna is at the exact center of rotation Usually this is North see section 1 2 Measure the exact DCV on terminal 4 on the rear panel and record this value as X XX VDC It MUST be between 5 10 and 5 70 VDG if it isn t you MUST loosen the antenna and perform the New System calibration instead Use the CCW button and run the motor CCW until the voltage on terminal 4 is exactly X XX MINUS 0 39 VDC This is the CCW endpoint Perform the CAL CCW by pressing and holding CANCEL and CCW at the same time until the display reads CAL CCW xxx The CAL CCW number should be in the range of 120 410 You may find it works easier if you press the CANCEL perceptively before the CCW button Use the CW button and run the motor CW until the voltage on terminal 4 is exactly X XX PLUS 0 39 VDC Perform the CAL CW as in 2 above except use the CANCEL and CW buttons The CAL CW number should be in the range of 510 800 Using the CCW button run the rotator until the heading display read 000 or 180 if you have a South Center and mechanically attach or position the antenna to exact North or South if South Center Additional notes and hints on Calibration 1 The voltage coming back from the PST rotator s position potentiometer on terminal 4 MUST remain between 4 7 and 6 3 VDC at all times If the voltage goes outside of this range the controller will shut down and indicate POT OUT OF RANGE In order to manually turn the rotator
55. nations of buttons are pushed together Refer to Table 3 for an explanation of these additional functions When invoking these functions lead with the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CW CCW or both Table 3 Combined Button Functions Button Function Combination CANCEL CCW Calibrate CCW at CCW endpoint See 4 1 CANCEL CW Calibrate CW at CW endpoint See 4 1 CANCEL CCW CW Restores all default values to factory settings FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND DISPLAY 2 2 FRONT PANEL DISPLAY The front panel display Figure 3 is a multi function backlit LCD Over Current Travel Speed Indicator Direction Indicators Soft Limit Current Indicators Heading Knob Position Operating State Figure 3 RT 21 Front Panel Display Table 4 Display Fields and Functions Field Name Valid Values Definition Current Heading 000 0 359 9 Compass heading of antenna in a properly calibrated system Tenths not displayed for OPTION HAM or T2X Current Speed 1 10 While motor is running this displays the actual PWM speed to the motor 1 10 10 100 Over Travel Indicator OT Over Travel outside of the normal endpoints of 360 degree rotation Rotors that allow rotation beyond 360 degrees with wider stops or no stops at all use this Soft Limit lt Rotor has reached the soft limit set in the rotor SETUP The RT 21 will not gt allow rotation beyond these points
56. not to exceed your coax loop limit while performing the calibration Do not use the preset knob or trust the LCD display until the unit is calibrated Use a helper to watch the antenna during calibration if it is installed on the mast Calibration Procedure New Systems or where antenna is easily repositioned on the mast 1 Using the CW and CCW buttons run the rotator until the DC voltage on terminal 4 is exactly 5 40 VDC This voltage indicates the exact center of rotation The Heading display will not yet indicate correctly however 2 Use the CCW button and run the motor CCW until the voltage on terminal 4 is exactly 5 01 VDC This is the CCW endpoint Perform the CAL CCW by pressing and holding CANCEL and CCW at the same time until the display reads CAL CCW xxx The CAL CCW number should be very close to 269 You may find it works easier if you press the CANCEL perceptively before the CCW button 3 Use the CW button and run the motor CW until the voltage on terminal 4 is exactly 5 79 VDC Perform the CAL CW as in 2 above except use the CANCEL and CW buttons The CAL CW number should be very close to 649 4 Using the CCW button run the rotator until the heading display read 000 or 180 if you have a South Center and mechanically attach or position the antenna to exact North or South if South Center Calibration Procedure Existing systems where antenna is already positioned on mast 1 Using the CW and CCW buttons ru
57. o AUTO CAL for Orion o AUTO CAL for some POT style rotors e Ability to Save and Recall calibration parameters for your specific rotor installations Connecting Select a COM port Only ports that are really available are shown in the drop down Port box Click To Connect If a controller is on that COM port Connected will be displayed in the Port section and all of the various parameters will be read along with the Current Heading NOTE An older RT 20 can display and move to a new heading but the rest of the window will remain grayed out as no functions other than Rotor Control work remotely on the RT 20 An upgrade kit RT 20 to RT 21 is available that will yield full SETUP UTILITY functionality less the USB connection Rotor Control The lower right corner of the window shows the Current Heading yellow on black window with a text box available to select a new heading You can double click the New Heading box to type in a heading Then click on Go Stop will send the stop command to the rotor Computer Access to SETUP parameters Rotor Type is the OPTION setting in front panel SETUP Mode Pulse Divisor Motor Settings Offset Cal Range Soft Limits and the Display Brightness all mimic the Front Panel SETUP parameters If you have selected a Counter type of rotor the Pulse Cal will be available too See the manual for detailed descriptions of these settings Some settings are with radio buttons Some with sliders and others require y
58. ontinue to target unless CANCEL is pressed 2 1 2 Heading Knob Normal Operation The heading knob on the RT 21 is used to choose a heading for Preset Point and Shoot rotation The scale is appropriate for either a North or South center of rotation When the knob is moved to the desired heading the RT 21 begins rotor movement automatically NOTE The scale is a close approximation of the knob position The exact position is always shown on the front panel digital display 2 1 3 Front Panel Buttons Setup Operation When the RT 21 is in Setup the three push buttons function using the labels below the buttons Table 2 summarizes their functions Table 2 Button Functions in Setup Button Label Button Function SETUP ITEM The SETUP ITEM button has two functions e Initiate Setup Mode Press and hold down the button for 2 seconds release when SETUP appears in the display window e Select the next item in the SETUP menu Repeatedly press the button until the desired setup item appears on the display CHANGE Modify the currently selected item to the value shown in the display window as set by the heading knob SAVE Save changes and exit setup mode FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND DISPLAY 2 1 4 2 1 5 Heading Knob Setup Operation When in SETUP the Heading Knob is used to select desired values on the display Combined Button Functions Additional functions are available when certain combi
59. ou to click on a Change button and type in a value Limits The color bar in the Limits window gives you nice visual representation of the soft limits as read from the controller or changed in the SETUP UTILITY This bar takes into account both the OFFSET value and the Soft Limit values to graphically represent the rotational range The center of the Limits window IS ALWAYS the center of rotation This may not always be coincident with the center of the red bar if the limits are not equally set away from their centers 43 APPENDIX G Do CCW Cal amp Do CW Cal These buttons mimic the front panel CANCEL CCW and CANCEL CW buttons that set the actual pot calibration A D values into the controller You must first have turned the rotor to the visual CCW and CW 360 degree endpoints by using the front panel buttons Please refer to the manual for information on calibrating a POT system Use the Read Settings and Write Settings buttons near the bottom of the Utility window to read and write from and to the controller Reset button will mimic the CANCEL CCW CW buttons that cause a complete RESET EE function back to factory defaults Computer Access to Hidden parameters Security If set to User will disable access to SETUP RESET EE and Pot Calibration from the front panel Motor Timeout Set this value higher than 2 seconds if your rotor is slow or you use very long ramping and may exceed the 2 seconds from time to time Set V
60. outh North 2 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number 50 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 3 Use the CW button to turn the antenna position exactly 360 degrees until it is back pointed in the same direction South North 4 Then Press CANCEL and CW this time until the CAL CW xxx appears This time the number should be 600 5 Go to SETUP CW LIMIT and set the limit 90 degrees to allow for the 90 degree over travel This will enable computer commands to reach the over travel area with the shortest route feature This setting is 270 if the default OFFSET 180 is being used NOTE This is the standard over travel area 90 degrees CW of the standard Yaesu controller The RT 21 allows this rotation over travel to be anywhere CCW or split The Calibration procedure to do this is simply resetting the antenna position on the mast to align with the desired CCW mechanical limit then turning CW with the CW button until the antenna is 180 degrees CCW from the center Then follow from step 2 above 30 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 8 SPID SETUP OPTION SPID Forces Pulse Divider to 360 DC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 2 3 Brown J9 3 J14 2 3 Yellow J9 4 J12 2 3 Position Feedback Rotor Connections
61. panel communication ports e M S Master Slave Mode where multiple RT 21 controllers are linked together o Usage and Examples Master Slave mode allows one RT 21 to control other RT 21 controllers via the EIA 232 port This allows movement of multiple rotors and antennas to the same heading without having to set each one individually The M S MODE is intended for use in controlling stacks of HF monobanders or tribanders that are on different rotors or even different rotor types It allows the operator to turn the entire stack together or quickly separate them for individual rotation When you set the MODE to M S you may quickly disable or enable the M S mode by pressing the CANCEL button o Functionality If you only have a stack of two antennas each with its own rotor either controller may be used to turn the pair 13 SETUP MODE If you have three or more antennas on different rotors then one of the controllers must be designated as the Master The controller designated as the Master is the only one that will turn all of the antennas The other controllers will only turn the antennas they are directly connected to Refer to Section 5 Advanced Features for more detail on M S operation and EIA 232 connections e M C Master Counter Rotate Mode o Usage and Examples Master Counter Rotate Mode is used for the bottom rotor or tower in a system where two rotors are used in series along the same mast Examples of this are
62. r limit switches as the rotor attempts to keep turning This of course is not a failure and you can prevent it by simply bringing the RT 21 soft limits to or inside the limit switch positions TROUBLESHOOTING Rotor not turning DC Motors Disconnect wires from terminals 1 and 2 you should be able to read the rotor motor resistance a few ohms across the wires removed with an Ohmmeter Consult your rotor documentation if you can t Be sure you aren t up against a limit switch somehow Check the RT 21 by setting SPEED 11 and MODE DEBUG Push the CW or CCW buttons and read the motor voltage across the terminals 1 and 2 Voltage switches polarity with the other button AC Motors Similar except separate wires CW or CCW read voltage to ground 3 Check your rotor and cable following the instructions in your manual Rotor turning no feedback POT systems Connect a 500 Ohm to 10k Ohm linear pot to terminals 3 4 and 5 with the wiper on 4 With the controller in DEBUG mode you should be able to see the Heading display track the pot setting You can even check the A D endpoints by calibrating the controller to this pot at one end then the other You can read the position of the rotor s pot back through the wires you removed HAM systems similar except just hook up one end and the wiper of a 500 Ohm must be this value pot to terms 3 and 4 Check your Hy Gain manual for specifics on testing your cable and rotor from the cable
63. radio TV technician for help You may also find helpful the following booklet prepared by the FCC How to Identify and Resolve Radio TV Interference Problems This booklet is available from the U S Government Printing Office Washington D C 20402 Changes and Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer or registrant of this equipment can void your authority to operate this equipment under Federal Communications Commissions rules NOTICE The RT 21 may not be certified or recommended by some rotor manufacturers for use with their products Use of this device may void the warranty of these devices and Green Heron Engineering LLC is not responsible for any damage direct or incidental that might occur through such use Green Heron Engineering reserves the right to make changes for product improvement or manufacturing without notice or any obligation to update units already sold WARRANTY This product is warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for 1 year We will repair or replace at our option any equipment proven to be defective within the warranty period All warranty work is F O B Webster NY USA This warranty is exclusive of abuse misuse accidental damage acts of God or consequential damages etc Green Heron Engineering LLC liability shall not exceed the original purchase price of the equipment TRADEMARKS M2 Orion is a trademark of M2 Antenna Systems Inc TIC RingRotor is a registered tra
64. s mounted above another as you might wish to do with a rotating tower In this case the tower turns the antennas that are fixed to it and a separate rotor turns a mast above the tower This could allow separate or slaved operation of stacked antennas or separate control of two independent antenna systems In this configuration the lower rotor controller is set to MODE M C while the upper controller is set to S C Master and Slave Counter Rotation The cabling is the same as you would use for the M S two Rotor scheme with or without a computer The computer can only control the lower Rotor in this configuration The S C unit always seeks the heading set with the point and shoot knob on the front panel All S C units attempt to hold headings as set with the Heading Knob Although units will respond to the CW and CCW buttons the next rotation of the master unit will cause a return to the knob position 20 OPERATING HINTS amp ADVANCED FEATURES 5 6 5 7 The lower unit will turn as commanded either manually point and shoot or by software command and the upper unit will compensate and hold the desired indicated heading by turning in the opposite direction When beyond an endpoint soft limits the upper unit flops over and turns 360 degrees in the other direction It is important to calibrate the slave units after the master one Set the master one to the center of rotation normally North or South and then calibrate the sla
65. sed Max Speed 11 Generally this is set to the slowest speed that allows your rotor to turn reliably typically 2 or 3 for DC motors See the NOTE on AC Motors later in this section MAX SPEED ALL This selects the motor speed 1 to 11 where 1 is 10 10 is 100 For speeds within 1 to 10 ramp up and ramp down power is applied to the Rotor This reduces tower stress on large arrays Speed 11 is full speed with no ramp up or ramp down conditioning An Additional Speed of AC MOTOR can be selected for rotors that use them AC MOTOR selection changes the Speed Controls to a lower PWM frequency more appropriate for AC motors and forces the MAX SPEED to 10 CCW LIMIT ALL Selects the absolute heading for the CCW soft limit The soft limit may be set 180 degrees from the normal CCW endpoint Normal endpoints apply to systems that allow 360 degrees of rotation with mechanical stops CW LIMIT ALL Selects the absolute heading for the CW soft limit The soft limit may be set 180 degrees from the normal CW endpoint Normal endpoints apply to systems that allow 360 degrees of rotation with mechanical stops 12 SETUP MODE OPTION ALL Selects the rotor type Described earlier in this section DIVIDE HI COUNTER ORION SPID Selects the first two digits high order of the pulse divider The divider number is equal to the number of pulses in a 360 degree rotation For example if your rotor provides 1785 pul
66. ses in 360 degrees the DIVIDED HI value is set to 17 DIVIDE LO COUNTER ORION SPID Selects the last two digits low order of the pulse divider The divider number is equal to the number of pulses in a 360 degree rotation For example if your rotor provides 1785 pulses in 360 degrees the DIVIDE LO value is set to 85 Always set the DIVIDE HI first then the DIVIDE LO NOTE The divide ratio may be set as high as 50 000 23 000 prior to firmware 1 06 in order to support high accuracy high ratio custom systems If the ratio must be set higher than 9999 HI 99 then the SETUP UTILITY must be used to set the Divide Ratio value instead of the front panel SETUP Mode CAL RANGE POT HAM T2X TIC PST This is the degree range that the potentiometer calibrate routines will assume for the distance traveled between the CCW and CW calibration points This value defaults to 360 degrees and should not be changed unless you cannot rotate your antenna full 360 degrees in order to perform the potentiometer calibration A sidearm application on a tower may be one example of this You can calibrate the rotor prior to physical installation or use the CAL RANGE to set this parameter Refer to Section 5 Advanced Features for a detailed sidearm calibration procedure MODE ALL Selects the operating mode of the RT 21 controller e NORMAL Mode NORMAL mode allows manual control point and shoot and computer control via one of the rear
67. the antenna or calibrate the rotor on the ground then mechanically set the antenna to match a 0 or 180 degree OFFSET In any event you must make sure the mechanical stops of the rotor are outside the intended range of rotation MASTER SLAVE M S MODE M S mode allows multiple antennas to be rotated as if they were on the same mast even if in fact they are on separate towers masts or rotor types Primarily intended for stacked arrays of similar antennas this mode could be useful in other ways One might be the VHF operator with antennas for different bands on different rotors or towers You could turn the SHF array to a desired heading as you work a distant station on the lower bands on a different tower A controller in the M S mode sends commands to other controllers using the EIA 232 port Controllers in NRM mode or M S mode will read these commands and turn their motors to match If you wish to momentarily disable the commands from being sent from the Master unit simply press the CANCEL button and the MODE will change to MAN on the display Pressing CANCEL again will return to M S mode An M S unit will send commands for point and shoot and computer generated events but not for manual button presses If you have only two controllers both units may be set to M S and then either one will turn the stack unless momentarily disabled with CANCEL With three or more rotors in the stack only one unit may be designated as M S In additio
68. time of no display updates 14 CALIBRATION S ti 4 0 CALIBRATION NOTE 4 1 Use the CCW and CW buttons to turn your antennas during calibration steps DO NOT use the Point and Shoot knob before your rotor is fully calibrated Rotors without mechanical limits may be damaged or rotor loops may be exceeded if unintended over travel occurs These are generic procedures for calibration and are indicative of the process required in order to calibrate either a Potentiometer type system or a Pulse Count system You either do 4 1 or 4 2 depending on your rotor OPTION type Specific instructions for each documented rotor type are in the Appendix A for each rotor POTENTIOMETER SYSTEMS TIC Hamx Yaesu Prosistel etc It is recommended to begin with the default calibration settings in the controller You can restore these if necessary with the RESET EE PROM command CANCEL CCW CW buttons Always use the RESET EE PROM command when connecting the RT 21 to a new rotor type 4 1 1 Perform the following steps to properly calibrate the RT 21 1 Use the CCW button to turn the rotor in order to define the normal non over travel CCW limit e f your rotor has 360 degree stops turn the rotor CCW to the mechanical stop e f your rotor DOES NOT have 360 degree stops o If the OFFSET is at 0 turn CCW to visual due north o If the OFFSET is at 180 turn CCW to visual due South 2 Press CANCEL and CCW simult
69. tions Jumper Position Function HDR 300 RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT CW 1 1 J6 1 2 MOT CCW 2 2 J16 1 2 GND 3 3 BRAKE 4 6 POT REF 8 5 POS 9 4 GND 10 3 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE 1 Since this rotor has over travel find the center of rotation visually or simply use the existing center point of your antenna if installed 2 Turn the rotor 180 degrees CCW with the CCW button from this center point VISUALLY South North 3 Press the CANCEL and CCW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CCW xxx where xxx should be a number lt 200 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 4 Turn the rotor exactly 360 degrees CW using the CW button until the antenna is again in the same direction as in 42 South North 5 Press the CANCEL and CW together and hold 2 seconds until the display reads CAL CW XXX where xxx should be a number gt 600 It may be helpful to press the CANCEL slightly ahead of the CCW button 32 APPENDIX A APPENDIX A 10 ALLIANCE HD 73 SETUP OPTION POT SETUP MAX SPEED AC Motor AC Motor Transformer Taps Jumper Position Transformer J9 Connection NOTE J10 1 2 Brown J9 1 J14 Open Orange J9 2 J12 1 2 Position Feedback Rotor Connections Jumper Position Function HD 73 RT 21 J5 1 2 MOT CW CAP 1 1 amp 7 J6 1 2 POS 2 4 J16 1 2 GND 3 3 GND 4 3 REF 5 epost
70. uirements of your rotor system The correct OPTION for your Rotor must be selected and saved prior to changing any other items in SETUP 3 1 OPTION PARAMETER The OPTION parameter setting provides the correct startup conditions for your system and makes items that pertain to your rotor accessible in the SETUP menu The RT 21 supports the following OPTION values POT 2 or 3 wire potentiometer or variable resistor The POT option uses the potentiometer method of determining the position of the rotor The RT 21 reads the voltage on the wiper of the potentiometer using a precision A D converter and displays the result in degrees COUNTER Pulse Counter The COUNTER option uses the pulse counter method of determining the position of the rotor A reed or proximity switch generates pulses which are read and counted by the RT 21 This count is used to calculate the current position of the Rotor in degrees HAMx HAM X Hy Gain Rotor with separate wedge brake control The RT 21 uses half the potentiometer in these rotors because the wiper is grounded The software smoothes out the readings during A D conversion for HAM style rotors T2X Tailtwister T2X Hy Gain Rotor with separate wedge brake control This OPTION is very similar to the HAMx option EXCEPT that it adds automatic motor reversals to help eliminate the inherent brake stick problem in these units Prior to starting a Point and Shoot or a computer
71. ves to the same heading There is an internal setting that allows you to customize the time delay between Counter Rotation commands sent from the Master This will act to slow down or speed up the reaction of the slave to the master and reduce or increase the number of slave turn commands that occur for any motion from the Master The default value for this is 10 seconds contact the factory if you need to adjust this value Use M C for your main rotating tower base or rotating joint Use S C for the upper rotor above the tower and or Ring Rotor or sidearm installations above the rotating joint The master unit may be turned by any allowable method manual preset computer The slave units will track their current heading as set with the heading knob S C headings may be changed using the heading knob only A slave unit counter rotates beyond the soft limit the unit flops over and turns 360 degrees in the other direction DEBUG Mode 5 6 1 This mode enables troubleshooting of the system by allowing continuous rotation regardless of detected errors 1 It enables continuous updating of position data on the display 2 It disables the NO MOTION POT RANGE and v3 COUNTER RANGE ERRORS from resetting the controller so that you may determine the cause of these errors Naturally with MODE DEBUG caution to prevent over rotation should be exercised if your system has no mechanical limit switches FIRMWARE UPDATES see page iii for R
72. y if you desire to change the 90 degree OT Limit 41 APPENDIX F APPENDIX F COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL The protocol implemented in the RT 21 is a superset of DCU 1 and therefore retains its compatibility with most software packages without change If your software package does not have a Green Heron selection then try selecting DCU 1 or Rotor EZ All RS 232 communications is at 4800 8N1 the DCU 1 standard The same commands are supported over the USB port 9600 8N1 may be selected using the Advanced tab in SETUP Utility The shaded commands are DCU 1 compatible commands All commands begin with letter except the first one in the list and all commands end with a semi colon Letters may be upper or lower case You may type commands at any pace using HyperTerminal ProComm or any terminal emulator There is no inter character timeout the buffers may be cleared by simply sending a semi colon Stops current rotation immediately short ramp down Aln Reads Heading 3 digits leading zeros included in response which is xxx AWnxxx y Writes new Heading xxx y for Calibrating a Pulse Count System Bin Reads Heading with tenths Response is xxx y STn Stops current rotation immediately short ramp down AVn Sends and receives special headings on 232 port only for counter rotation function APnxxx y Sets rotation degrees to xxx optionally y tenths for the next

RT-21 DIGITAL ROTOR CONTROLLER USER GUIDE

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