[amsat-bb] AlfaSpid issue FIXED

[kb2mjeff at att.net]

After obtaining a copy of the reset procedure all appears to be working well 
in KB2M sat land again. I still have to re-attach the coax, and zero the 
elevation and align to north. Too windy to go back up on the roof today, To 
my sat buddies, I will be back on tomorrow afternoon. I wonder why the 
documentation doesn't have the simple reset procedure in the manual, it 
would of saved me the trouble of the relay replacement. If I wasn't 1/2 
Polish I would be really pissed at AlfaSpid :-)

73 Jeff kb2m

-----Original Message----- 
From: kb2mjeff at att.net
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2018 11:53 AM
To: Amsat
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AlfaSpid issue

Someone just emailed me a reset procedure for a ROT1, does anyone happen to
have the procedure for a ROT2 ? Thanks...

73 Jeff kb2m

-----Original Message----- 
From: kb2mjeff at att.net
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2018 11:08 AM
To: Amsat
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AlfaSpid issue

After going over the schematic (Thanks Dimitry) I see nothing wrong with the
hardware, in fact I wonder if there was ever a hardware issue. I used the EL
cable to move the antennas CCW about 1.5 turns. When I fired it up after
replacing the relays it was stuck in CW on. I had to do this in an odd way ,
by resetting the el down 20 degrees at a time to bring the antennas back to
north. Now I get no tactile(relay click on CCW AND EL up with the cables
disconnected. All 4 relays seem good, this to me appears to be in the ROT2
firmware. Jerking around with the buttons in the setup routines in a meaning
less way will get all for relays to click, but when I go to operational mode
I’m back to CCW and EL only. Monday I’m going to try and contact someone who
represents this company in the US. Anyone have a contact for AlfaSpid in the
US? It seems there are lots of issues with this controller...

73 Jeff kb2m


I had similar problems to this over the last 18 months with the SPID ROT2
controller.

It was replaced 3 times and showed the same issue as you have intermittently
over this time. I am using MacDoppler and my supplier and the manufacturer
were convinced it was software.
On returning to the manufacturer and taking the trouble to get my concerns
and issues translated into Polish. I track numerous satellites, some one
after another and listed all of this. So I returned the controller and rotor
to Poland (at their expense) but they only tracked the ISS over a couple of
days and found nothing wrong. Not wanting to continue with the ROT2 as I was
convinced this was the issue I upgraded to their MD02 controller. Although
this has its own quirks I have not suffered from the same relay related
issue since.

There are also several YouTube videos of the problem that yours is
exhibiting https://youtu.be/GWbhez5vadM

Sorry I haven’t got the cure.

Best 73
Pete G0ABI



On 20 Oct 2018, at 23:37, kb2mjeff at att.net wrote:


  Here I go answering my own questions. I think I found part  of my problem.
The buttons don't
  line up in the case very well and caused the rotor to hung up turning in
one direction. That was problem number two, I fixed problem number one the
bad relay that started all of this.To fix this temporality  I have the board
out of the case to test and what is now  happening is that I still can't
turn CCW. All buttons work ok except for the CCW  button. I tried a reset
thinking that I'm over some set location in the firmware that I cant go CCW,
but the reset doesn't work. I replaced all 4 relays. With the rotor
completely disconnected I can get a relay click for every rotational control
button except CCW, it has to be a glitch in the firmware I can't clear, as I
replaced all four relays.  And no I really don't want to spend the $900 for
the green heron controller. Any other ideas?
  Thanks for your help...

  73 Jeff kb2m

  -----Original Message----- From: kb2mjeff at att.net
  Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2018 3:37 PM
  To: Amsat
  Subject: [amsat-bb] AlfaSpid issue

  I’m back at my winter home in Florida and decided today, to work on my
AlfaSpid rotor control box issue. I replaced two relays to fix the Elevation
issue but in testing it before I replaced the other two relays I’m now
having a problem with the azimuth that’s been working 100% until this point.
When I turn on the rotor control the elevation now seems to work ok, but now
the azimuth immediately goes into a clockwise rotation. No matter what I do
to the controller, upon startup it starts turning CW, only way to stop is to
power it down The azimuth was working fine this morning when a worked a
couple of sat passes. Anyone have any ideas? Does anyone know where I can
send this to have it fixed? I have no schematic, or even simple instructions
on how to reset, etc.

  73




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