Antenna Rotator Controller
Contents
1. ANTENNA MAST EXISTING ENCLOSURE HOLE UE CORD GRIP 4 Loon X 1 X 3 5 L X 1 8 THK ALUMINUM ANGLE Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH Figure 7 CMPS03 99999999 SW3 Rit LO cg Ui paparap 2222 O R PERF BOARD ASSEMBLY VIEW A A DESIGN KG4JJH TESTED KG4JJH 09 23 07 01 15 08 KG4 JH ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER MAG SCALE 1 1 NETIC SENSOR DETAILS SHEET 4 OF 5 12 of 14 TO CONTROLLER COMPASS MODULE tr lt PIPE NIPPLE PIPE FLOOR FLANGE DESIGN KG4JJH 09 23 07 K 4 J H ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER MOUNTING DETAILS SCALE NTS SHEET 5 OF 5 Figure 8 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 13 of 14 Antenna Rotator Controller Materials List Part Qty Description Part Number Source U1 1 Microcontroller 24 Pin DIP Cubloc CB220 U01002 comfiletech com U2 U3 2 IC 12C Bus Extender 8 DIP Philips P82B715 C7 P82B715 comfiletech com U4 1 Voltage Regulator TO 220 12V 1A 511 L7812ACV mouser com U5 1 Voltage Regulator TO2. 3 os 04 Ge 1 DB9 F Le a os NC NC NC NC NC ROTATOR Se Ss 9 is N C NC CONTROL CABLE j od d a CON 3 2006 a 2 P 277901 793 6 160NP 108 FT i 2 111 zl 2 MOTOR TS1 1 i t 33 3 990 RCV DS1 CND 04 751 2 50 ROTATOR ENCLOSURE 120 irr mnia 50 9 01 N C UL 24 1_1600 VIN mi m2 2 vss pum 0 4 4 KEYPAD KEYPAD capers 22 nc 753 5 el 1 1 2 3 EON 4 vss vDD eL NC gt of gisi 4 5 pis 2 wc E PL o e P14 H2 4 15 6 pnr z H 5 ilte v 9 np P3 ol p12 LZ SHIELDED is Tre ESI 9 5 iso od 9 P4 p11 HE TWISTED NC nc 19 15 22 E PRIR 810 ON R324 7 K nc 21 sacouz ok x CND PS pio H RI VDD deo FD TUN 5 VDD Tu A cw 9 ecu PST 11 pg pg 14 SDA LDA 14 LDA sna CoL as 12 pg 13 24 i lt 154 2 i 5 CALIBRATING ISi 18 Ae ess 82B715 50 3 3 7194 3 sy 828715 NC Pun Lec 4 7K 414 gt 4 TS4 4 3 spa So Qui scL mE z 5 5 lt SHIELD TS4 5 50 6 scL KEYPAD Lrs1 12 Jon 7 2 pa 5 18525590 D4 D7 4 7K 4 7k Ds2 5 er 47 1N4148 V RIL j L 390 v 5u H COMPASS SENSOR PERF BOARD TL COMPASS SENSOR ENCLOSURE F1 e 84VCT TS3 4 E
3. 1 54 1 TURN 129 Y vac 120 05 50 1 n Out n Out 7 ae con T 16 com 131 ce 10 SER e Ti Poar B Ti 1 L CONTROLLER PERF BOARD CONTROLLER ENCLOSURE COIL NC END OU a tJ 1 55 IN GND OUT rom KG4JJH aoe 2N3904 LM78es cor ano TOP VIEW cuore Si Antenna Rotator Controller RELAV TOP VIEW TOP VIEW Rev 1 0 TOP VIEW Allen Baker 9723 2007 Page 1 of 1 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH Figure 3 8 of 14 KG4JJH ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER c PC KEYPAD 5 00000 0000 J T 1 FRONT VIEW REAR VIEW DESIGN KG4JJH 09 23 07 KG4J J H TESTED KG4JJH 01 15 08 ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER ASSEMBLY SCALE 1 1 SHEET 1 OF 5 Figure 4 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 9 of 14 ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER KG4JJH 00000 0000 FRONT VIEW KG4JJH ANTENNA
4. 2 from either direction Additional testing with 10 through 17m wire Moxon antennas worked equally well No RFI problems were observed using power levels up to 100 watts One problem was observed during clockwise rotation to azimuths near 359 If the compass sensor indicates 0 or higher due to high winds or mast slippage the ARC will misinterpret the next command It will attempt to rotate clockwise and the mechanical stop between 359 and 0 will prevent this However no damage will result because the motor overload Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 6 of 14 protection removes power The easiest solution is to jog counter clockwise until the azimuth is 359 and then move to the next target When time permits re align the compass sensor and rotator to 0 Summary The ARC has a level of accuracy and repeatability not available from the rotator s original controller It is unique among all commercial controllers in that it continually senses the earth s magnetic field instead of relying on a potentiometer and when connected to one of the light duty rotators it presents an economical package that works well for small beams So if you have an unused rotator lying around or just want to update the controls the ARC is ideal as it will free the busy contest operator to do other tasks I am looking forward to the next VHF contest as well as general HF use with this new setup Good luck and happy building 73 Allen Baker KG4JJH h
5. ROTATOR CONTROLLER LAYOUT SCALE 1 1 SHEET 2 Of 5 Figure 5 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 10 of 14 4 59555555556 R5 20002222222222 CHASSIS SIDE VIEW EN is SCALE 1 2 1 PAD 1 1 1 1 W 5 2 CHASSIS TOP VIEW CHASSIS BOT SCALE 1 1 TTOM VIEW DESIGN KG4JJH 09 23 07 K G 4 H SCALE 1 1 TESTED KG4JJH 01 15 08 J J ANTENNA ROTATOR CONTROLLER CHASSIS amp PERF BOARD DETAILS SCALE NOTED SHEET 3 OF 5 Figure 6 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 11 of 14 1 3 4 RESIN SUPPORT BLOCK CLAMP DX ENGINEERING DXE RSB I13400 E 019 zasa HE 0542 EMS 2
6. V1 0 8 to Azimuth Miles Jog CW Rotate Jog COW COMI ARC by KG4JJH Figure 2 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 5 of 14 Accuracy and Calibration Like a compass or GPS the compass sensor must be level to get accurate readings Similarly keep the unit away from magnets motors and large metallic objects to reduce interference The resolution of the compass sensor is listed as 0 1 but due to calibration accuracy and local interference the accuracy is 2 Calibration of the CMPS03 compass sensor only needs to be done once the calibration data is stored in EEPROM on the compass module The module has been factory calibrated to an inclination of 67 and if your location is close to this you may want to try the compass without re calibrating The inclination at my is 65 so I chose to re calibrate You will need a flat level surface free of motors magnets and metal and a decent compass to perform the calibration I found it helpful to place the sensor and reference compass on a rotatable board and align them along parallel drawn lines The compass points can be set in any order but all four points must be calibrated to magnetic compass points With the compass sensor level press SW3 and hold it down for one to two seconds at each compass point N E S and W To aid in calibration I added an LED from pin 5 to 5VDC through a 390Q resistor The LED will light when calibration is in progress Setup and Operatio
7. and wait for a new target When a valid Target azimuth has been entered and GO is pressed the rotator will begin turning to the desired azimuth Pressing STOP at any time during rotation cuts power to the rotator Pressing GO continues turning to the Target Pressing JOG CW or JOG CCW will move the rotator approximately 2 in each respective direction The RST button resets the microcontroller and reinitializes the software If the rotator is unable to travel in the desired direction the motor current will increase Power is then removed from the motor and the status line will indicate STALLED for several seconds When SW2 is switched to PC the controller receives azimuth target values from MixW via J1 and rotator movement is controlled from the program MixW sends the target azimuth to the ARC starts rotation and then simulates rotator movement with on screen graphics see Figure 1 Rotator status can then be monitored on the ARC display which displays the same information as it does in KEYPAD mode except the keypad is nonfunctional To set up the ARC in MixW Figure 1 first ensure that your latitude and longitude have been entered Configure Personal Data Then turn on the World Map display View World Map select Yaesu rotator Configure Rotor Yaesu and serial port number Configure Rotor Settings Set the baud rate to 38400 8 data bits no parity 1 stop bit and the azimuth offset to 0 When a call sign is entered the short path azim
8. then switch one side of a non polarized capacitor C4 to each of the two motor windings to obtain CW and CCW rotation Diodes D2 and D3 serve as spike suppressors when the coil is turned off protecting Q1 and Q2 Current transformer T2 monitors the motor current and outputs a proportional AC voltage A one turn loop of 18AWG insulated wire through the coil serves as the transformer s primary winding The secondary is sent to a full wave rectifier formed by D4 D7 Filter capacitor C11 and load resistor R10 converts the AC voltage to DC An A D converter in UI then translates this voltage to a value of 0 1023 Whenever the current exceeds a preset amount in software 750 the ARC removes power from the rotator motor and displays Stalled in the status line This feature protects the motor from damage in the event that the rotator attempts to rotate past its stops or is otherwise unable to turn Construction The circuit layout is not critical and can be built on perf board with point to point wiring using component leads and small gauge wire wrap wire Terminal strips serve as a convenient transition point between perf board wiring and external components Transformer T1 and capacitor C4 are mounted on top of the enclosure s internal chassis To minimize the amount of metal around the compass sensor nylon hardware is used for the standoffs and the compass sensor perf board is mounted in a plastic enclosure A cable grip clamp is used on the c
9. 220 5V 1A 511 L7805ACV mouser com M1 1 Keypad Module 4x4 Cubloc Note 2 P02007 comfiletech com M2 1 Keypad Controller Module Cubloc Note 2 U07008 comfiletech com M3 1 Compass Module Daventech 503 snailinstruments com DS1 1 Display LCD 20x4 Cubloc CLCD420 B Note 2 D08001 comfiletech com T1 1 Transformer Primary 120VAC Secondary 24VAC CT 22A 553 F192X mouser com RLY1 RLY2 2 Relay 12VDC SPDT 10A Contacts 893 812H1CS12VDC mouser com Q1 Q2 2 Transistor NPN 2N3904 512 2N3904 D10Z mouser com D1 1 Diode Bridge 583 DB107 mouser com D10 D11 2 Diode 1N4148 512 1N4148 mouser com SW1 1 Switch Toggle DPDT 108 1MD1T2B3M1QE EVX mouser com SW2 1 Switch Toggle SPDT Note 2 108 1MS1T2B3M1QE EVX mouser com SW3 1 Switch Pushbutton Momentary 10PA018 mouser com F1 1 Fuse Holder 8 1A Fuse 441 R3 13 GRX mouser com 2 Heatsink TO 220 707 821902B00 mouser com C1 1 Capacitor Electrolytic 1000uF 250V 140 XRL50V1000 RC mouser com C2 C3 2 Capacitor Electrolytic 1uF 50V 140 XRL50V1 0 RC mouser com C4 1 Capacitor Electrolytic Non Polarized 160uF 125VAC 87F1264 newark com C5 C10 6 Capacitor Ceramic 0 01 50V 581 SR215C103JAR mouser com R1 R5 5 Resistor Metal Film 1 4W 4 7K 271 4 7K RC mouser com R6 R7 2 Resistor Metal Film 1 4W 330 271 330 RC mouser com R8 R9 2 Resistor Metal Film 1 4W 10K 271 10K RC mouser com R10 1 Resistor Metal Film 1 4W 1K 271 1K RC m
10. Antenna Rotator Controller A stand alone or PC controlled rotator controller with true azimuth indication amp control uring the last VHF contest I came to the realization that my portable station was in dire need of an antenna rotator As a single operator I found myself caught in the frantic pace of manually aiming antennas working contacts and logging duties After the contest I resurrected my old TV antenna rotator from the garage and did a quick check to assure that it was still working While it was hooked up I taped a GPS on top of the rotator and compared the controller and GPS readings for several rotations I was surprised to discover that not only were the controller indicator lines off by as much as 25 but the controller also had poor repeatability This discovery led me to think about building a new controller with better accuracy While searching the internet I came across a compass sensor that senses the earth s local magnetic field and outputs a 0 359 signal If the sensor was mounted on the mast I could read the rotator s magnetic position A simple math routine could then add my local declination to the magnetic reading and display true azimuth Intrigued I decided to build a prototype to test the idea The Antenna Rotator Controller ARC was successfully built and debugged over the next several months and has proven to be a valuable asset to my station It features a back lit LCD displaying the current azimuth targe
11. e the I2C bus is restricted to a maximum distance of 12 feet In this application the compass sensor will be mounted up to 100 feet away on the antenna mast By adding a bus extender chip at each end of the cable distances up to 4000 feet are possible A 100 foot length of twisted shielded 2 pair cable connects the compass sensor to the ARC LCD Display Module DS1 Cubloc CLCD420 B This module features a blue 20x4 digit back lit LCD display with communications via RS 232 or I2C bus The Cubloc I2C bus normally supports multiple devices but when used for displays only one device is permitted Therefore the display uses channel 1 of the microcontroller s two RS 232 ports Set the module s baud rate to 115200 on the rear by setting DIP switches 1 2 and 3 to ON The power requirement with the backlight on is 5VDC 100mA Power Supply Transformer T1 provides 24VAC to the rotator motor and 12VAC from one side to the center tap to full wave bridge rectifier D1 Capacitor C1 provides filtering and feeds voltage regulator U4 to provide 12VDC to UI and the two relays The output of U4 feeds voltage regulator US which provides 5VDC to the rest of the circuitry Both voltage regulators are mounted on heat sinks to dissipate the heat Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 2 of 14 Rotator Motor Drive amp Protection Digital outputs on U1 ports P8 and P9 turn on transistors Q1 and Q2 to drive relay coils RLY1 and RLY2 respectively The relay contacts
12. e version and initialize program parameters During initialization the target azimuth is set equal to the current azimuth All values are updated every 200mS or less and displayed during rotation The displayed values are Azimuth 0 359 current true azimuth Target 0 359 desired true azimuth Status Idle Turning CW Turning CCW Jog CW Jog CCW and Stalled Control Keypad or PC The output of the compass sensor is 0 3599 with the last number representing tenths of a degree True azimuth is calculated by adding the user s local declination value to the magnetic reading as sensed by the compass sensor Based on whether the declination is positive or negative math routines then add or subtract 3600 to prevent the true azimuth from reading greater than 359 or less than zero After the declination math has been performed only the first three digits are displayed When SW2 is switched to KEYPAD the controller operates in stand alone mode and receives all commands from the built in keypad When CLR is pressed the Target value clears and the user enters a three digit azimuth Azimuth values are restricted to values from 000 to 359 and values less than three digits i e 8 must be preceded by zeros 008 Pressing CLR at any time clears the entered value and waits for a new value If an invalid azimuth has been entered and GO is pressed the target azimuth will clear and the display backlight will flash several times
13. gineering com Table 1 Antenna Rotator Controller KGAJJH 14 of 14
14. n Connect all cables between the ARC rotator and compass sensor Turn the ARC on and set the rotator to 0 by moving CCW until the rotator will not turn Secure the rotator to a stationary pipe and make every effort to ensure that it is plumb Mount the mast on the rotator loose enough so that it can be manually turned Mount the compass sensor on the mast in an area away from large metallic objects or motors For installation on the side of an RV or camper mount the compass sensor 2 3 feet above the vehicle Next mount the antenna s and align the antenna beam direction and compass sensor so they are aligned to true north Tighten the rotator s U bolts on the mast and confirm that the displayed azimuth is 0 Finally perform a trial run to ensure that the mast is turning unobstructed A newly constructed 222 MHz transverter and Yagi provided an opportunity to test the ARC in the upcoming 2008 ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes With the rotator mounted on a length of galvanized pipe driven into the ground the compass sensor and antenna were mounted on a painter pole and extended to 16 feet Although conditions were less than optimum the ARC performed well Subsequent testing was performed with the arrival of warm weather The compass sensor 3 VHF UHF Yagi s and a 6m Moxon were mounted on a fiberglass mast Max Gain Systems MK 6 The rotator had no problems turning this 35 pound load and the ARC repeatedly rotated to the target azimuth within
15. ntroller ladder logic The chip features two serial ports 16 I O ports 80K flash memory eight 10 bit A D analog inputs I2C bus and three 16 bit PWM analog outputs in a 24 pin DIP that is pin compatible with the Basic Stamp BS2 Serial port 1 is dedicated to the LCD display and serial port 2 is shared between program downloading and computer control The power requirement at 5VDC is 40mA The chip has a built in 5V regulator that allows it to run from 5 5 to 12VDC power sources Keypad and Controller M1 amp M2 Cubloc P02007 amp U07008 A 16 button keypad and controller provides operator input to U1 U1 has a dedicated port for keypad inputs and can create interrupts when a key is pressed simplifying the programming The keys are labeled using dry transfer lettering or labeling machine by removing the clear key covers and applying the labels Compass sensor Devantech CMPS03 This 2 axis compass sensor was designed for use in robots as an aid to navigation The module uses two Philips KMZ51 magnetic field sensors which are sensitive enough to detect the earth s magnetic field The output from two sensors mounted at right angles to each other are used to compute the direction of the horizontal component of the earth s magnetic field The outputs are pulse width modulation or I2C bus and the power requirement 15 SVDC 15mA The 2 bus is used in this application Bus Extender U2 U3 82B715 Due to cable loading capacitanc
16. ompass sensor enclosure to reduce the risk of water leakage SW1 turns power on and off SW2 selects keypad or computer input and SW3 is used to calibrate the compass sensor Programming To program the microcontroller download Cubloc Studio from the manufacturer s website Install this free software on your PC and practice opening editing and saving programs while connected to U1 CB220 If your PC doesn t have a serial port use a USB to serial adapter such as the IOGear GUC2324A and set up the communication port in Cubloc Studio to match your port number When you first connect your PC to the CB220 the software may prompt you to do a firmware download from their website This is a good idea as it will install the latest firmware and bug fixes to the microcontroller The firmware version used for this project is version 2 2 f Next download the ARC zip file which contains two Cubloc files Look up the desired magnetic declination and direction E or W and inclination from a Magnetic Field Calculator and jot these down To customize the program for your declination follow the instructions in program lines 286 288 and then edit line 290 using Cubloc Studio Save the program and then load it into the CB220 by typing Ctrl R Unplug the serial cable and the microcontroller is ready to run on its own Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 3 of 14 Software Features amp Operation Upon power up the display will show the title author softwar
17. ouser com R11 1 Resistor Metal Film 1 4W 390 271 390 RC mouser com J1 1 Connector DB 9 Female Chassis Mount 152 5109 mouser com J2 1 Connector XLR 3 Pin Female Chassis Mount 565 5113A mouser com J3 1 Connector XLR 5 Pin Female Chassis Mount 565 6854 mouser com P2 1 Connector XLR 3 Pin Male Plug 565 6851 mouser com P3 1 Connector XLR 5 Pin Male Plug 565 5126A mouser com TS1 TS2 2 Terminal Strip 12 Contact PCB Mount 158 PO2ELK508V12 E mouser com TS3 TS4 2 Terminal Strip 5 Contact PCB Mount 158 PO2ELK508V5 E mouser com 1 Enclosure Controller Bud PortaCab WA 1540 WA 1540 adproductsco com 1 Chassis Controller Bud AC 402 AC 402 adproductsco com 1 Enclosure Azimuth Sensor Hammond 1555EGY 546 1555EGY mouser com 1 Power Cord 6 ft 173 53101 E mouser com AR Perf Board 0 1 inch hole spacing mouser com 1 Socket 24 Pin DIP 575 11044624 mouser com 2 Socket 8 Pin DIP 575 893308 mouser com 50 Cable Rotator 3 Conductor 20 AWG Radio Shack 15 1150 radioshack com 50 Cable Twisted Shielded 2 Pair Alpha 5472C 602 5472C 100 mouser com 1 Strain Relief Controller Enclosure Heyco 836 3210 mouser com 1 Strain Relief Sensor Enclosure Heyco 836 3207 mouser com 4 Standoff Hex 0 25x0 50 Aluminum 534 2203 mouser com 16 Screw 4 40NCx0 25 5721 440 1 4SS mouser com Clamp Resin Support Block 1 3 4 DXE RSB 113400 dxen
18. t azimuth rotator status and control input It uses software defined limits to restrict the rotation to 0 359 and features motor overload protection The ARC is not an add on unit as it replaces the existing controller and supplies power for the rotator motor microcontroller circuitry and compass sensor The microcontroller program is easily customized to the builder s magnetic declination using free software The ARC is unique in that it senses displays and controls to the earth s true magnetic field The compass sensor mounted in a waterproof enclosure is attached to the mast and sends its signal to a microcontroller The ARC can receive azimuth commands from its internal keypad MixW or ARC VB a custom grid square program and will control many low cost 24V rotators to a level of precision not found in the original controller Rotator Magnavox M61415 The antenna rotator used in this project is representative of the light duty single axis rotators that employ a 24VAC motor These rotators are usually north centered and feature a mechanical stop between 359 and 0 Comparable models from Channel Master Gemini Philips Radio Shack and Zenith work well for small VHF antenna arrays with at least one company selling the rotator alone for 5457 Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 1 of 14 Microcontroller U1 Cubloc CB220 A new type of microcontroller is available that combines Basic programming with PLC Programmable Logic Co
19. ttp www ke4jjh com kg4jjh arrl net Notes 1 MixW Digital Mode Software N Fedoseev UT2UZ D Nechitailov UU9JDR http mixw net 2 Magnavox M61415 Replacement Rotor Motor Part M 61415 Summit Source http www summitsource com antenna rotor motor rotator antennacraft universal 3 wire replacement for philips magnavox m61415 steren automatic signal locator outdoor offair tv antenna rotator replacement rotor motor part m61415 p 9152 html ExpressPCB http www expresspcb com Cubloc Studio Comfile Technology http www comfiletech com KG4JJH website http kg4jjh com program ARC zip Magnetic Field Calculator National Geophysical Data Center http www ngdc noaa gov seg geomag jsp IGRF WMM jsp 7 Calibrating the 501 CMPS03 Robot Compass sensors http www robot electronics co uk htm cmps_cal shtml Quo d Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 7 of 14 PROGRAMMING amp PC PORT
20. uth is displayed on the world map Click on the World Map Up Arrow lower left to move to the short path azimuth and the Down Arrow lower right to move to the long path azimuth There is also Antenna Rotator Controller KG4JJH 4 of 14 a command to turn to a user specified azimuth Configure Rotor Turn To Clicking on the CCW and CW arrows at the top left and top right will jog the rotator 2 in its respective direction A black line emanating from the center of the globe simulates the rotator turning by moving approximately 1 per second This speed is very close to the rotator s actual turning speed This rotator does not have braking so to prevent the rotator from exceeding the target azimuth rotation stops when the azimuth is within 2 of the target The microcontroller programming port and the MixW port are shared so if the MixW cable is connected when starting MixW the ARC will reset Figure 1 ARC VB Figure 2 A custom grid square program was written to control the ARC from a computer serial port It supports Yaesu and Orion rotator formats com ports 1 through 12 and communicates at 38400 baud 8 data bits no parity and 1 stop bit Enter your grid square the target grid square and click the Calculate button to see the azimuth and distance to target Then click on Rotate to rotate to the target heading Once there click on Jog CW or Jog CCW to fine tune the azimuth in 2 increments ARC VB
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