Arduino rotor controler project...

[KW7A]

Is this project still alive?

I just stumbled upon this thread.
I am also just starting to develope an Az/El interface for my Yaesu rotor.
I am looking at having it work with HRD.

It would be nice to work together on this project.

John Long
KW7A
Utah, USA

KW7A@arrl.net

[VE2DX]

Is this project still alive?

I just stumbled upon this thread.
I am also just starting to develope an Az/El interface for my Yaesu rotor.
I am looking at having it work with HRD.

It would be nice to work together on this project.

John Long
KW7A
Utah, USA

KW7A@arrl.net

This is viewed as work in progess and discussion plateform, I strongly encourage you to ¸post information on your project here so we (everyone!) can post comments and questions about it... thus helping you and them in the process...

mine (like many other HAM projects in my shack) as slowed down a bit, but there as been a couple of others flagged here... that took some interresting twist...

One thing I do want to put together would be some type of UNIVERSAL SHIELD (Shield = expansion board in Andruino world!) for rotor control so we can all concentrat on code and not hardware... even better would be if we can get someone to get some PCBs made...

please let us know where you are at and if possible push some details of your projet...

obvously also fell free to let us know if ou have any questions...

73

Richard ve2dx

[KW7A]

One thing I do want to put together would be some type of UNIVERSAL SHIELD (Shield = expansion board in Andruino world!) for rotor control so we can all concentrat on code and not hardware... even better would be if we can get someone to get some PCBs made...

please let us know where you are at and if possible push some details of your projet...

73

Richard ve2dx

I've been away from my project for a bit.
The last time I was working on it was about 1 year ago.

I have a Yeasu G-5500 & G-1000DXA.
The G-1000DXA is opperational using a third party RS-232 interface.

For the G-5500 I had built a breadboard that allowed me to push a button and control the rotor via the external port on the back of the conrtoller.
I also purchased a prototype board that had 8 opto isolators, the PIC chip and an RS-232 port. All I needed to do was program the PIC but I got side tracted developing an USB interface for it.

Finding this thread may well be the push I need to get back on track.

I am now retired from 40+ years in the computer repair/design/programming field.

I think this week I will go over to my storage shed and dig out what ever I can find of the old project and bring it back to life.
I want to concentrate on interfacing the AzEl functions to HRD first.



John
KW7A

[samcqdx]

Hi to Richard ,John and all others in this project i would like to join in with anything i can help with and also build a controller for my yeasu G5400,what i would like to know is how far are you guys with the interfacing and code ,as i have gone through the pages and seen that there has been big changes ...since the start of the project..
What has been achieved with feedback from the rotor as to actual axis positions ..are you actually adding a circuit within the rotor motor cabinets or are you getting some feedback from the "potentiometers" within the yeasu controller ?
What i have is a arduino duemilanove ,G5400 and oak grisby encoders "2 channel 64 bit " if needed , could you perhaps forward me the latest code and files for the controller as well as the schematic diagram, as i have looked at the kit that is being sold in europe for the rotor controller but there are just some minor details which are not clear on the diagram .... thank you for understanding ...would really like to get this controller up and going and contribute to this project as well ..
73's zs6sam

[VE2DX]

Hello Sam,

My goal when I started this project was exactly what you are proposing, getting many hams involved with the evolution of the project, so I am VERY happy to see your interrest...

1- please keep in mind this is an experiment and products commercialy available like ERC have been through much more involved testing and engineering that what we did here.
2- what code is available from me is here on the forum with GS232 (A-B and AZ or AZ/EL) and DCU-1 versions, I have heard of many hams playing around with the code and adapting it, you will find some links here also of other much better programmers that also did there own projects.
3- my goal was not to push the hardware envelop and because of this I kept that part of it fairly simple, there are mutch better ways to interface then the open collector approach I and others have proposed, but with and GS5400 this is not required since the controller is interfaced Ready using the din connector in the back. this could also be adapted to relays easily for more complicated rotors.
4- feedback again is fairly simple with the GS5400 since he offers a fairly easy way to calibrate it and his output is 0-5vdc which can be directly interfaced with the ardiono, usage of and Oak Grisby Encoder is an intersting ideal that may give you better feedback, but the physical, electical and programming interfacing sounds like a headack to me, but then again, isnt that what HAM RADIO is all about and the ideal of these projects.

I am affraid finaly that because of professional obligations (also known as WORK!) I have not been spending enough time of this project and it been on hold in my shack for a while... but I will admit having heard from MANY hams here and via emails telling me of there ideal (like you!) and there variation of arduino projects that came out (or not) of this project and its been fun to here about it... I am just sorry that those ideals have not been echoed here on the forum..

I do PLEASE encorage you to go ahead and DO make the code and hardware better, as I said before I aint a programmer just a hacker... but PLEASE take the time to publish it here, so that we can ALL learn from your hard long late hours...

if you want to reach me directly please feel free via ve2dx at hotmail dot com...

73

Richard VE2DX

[vk2ziw]

Hi all,

Has anybody, a large EME dish to control?
Needs:
1) Pointing resolution of better than 0.5 deg for 1296MHz and a 5m dish. so the GS232 or DCU1 protocols are inadequate, 1 deg resolution.
The Easycom I & II protocols will do 0.1 deg resolution, the VK5DJ protocol does 0.01 deg. See the VK3UM 10m dish, www.vk3um.com

2) DC motors and potentiometers and AtoD converters are a hassle compared to stepper motors.
A 200 step motor to a 15:1 first gearbox to a 50:1 main gearbox = 150,000 steps per 360 deg turn.
All our computer interface has to do is count steps and 'remember'.

There are dozens of NEMA stepper motors and controllers for the amateur machinist on eBay.
Worm gearboxes for conveyor belt roller drives are available from China, look for Wangye Power Co. cheaper than you think.

Any thoughts...

[VE2DX]

Hi all,

Has anybody, a large EME dish to control?
Needs:
1) Pointing resolution of better than 0.5 deg for 1296MHz and a 5m dish. so the GS232 or DCU1 protocols are inadequate, 1 deg resolution.
The Easycom I & II protocols will do 0.1 deg resolution, the VK5DJ protocol does 0.01 deg. See the VK3UM 10m dish, www.vk3um.com

2) DC motors and potentiometers and AtoD converters are a hassle compared to stepper motors.
A 200 step motor to a 15:1 first gearbox to a 50:1 main gearbox = 150,000 steps per 360 deg turn.
All our computer interface has to do is count steps and 'remember'.

There are dozens of NEMA stepper motors and controllers for the amateur machinist on eBay.
Worm gearboxes for conveyor belt roller drives are available from China, look for Wangye Power Co. cheaper than you think.

Any thoughts...

I agree that Easycom II would give more precision, problem is that it is not a well documented protocol, for example there is no feedback from the rotor in this protocol based on present documentation... or what there is of it...73 Richard ve2dx