Table of Contents
Advertisement
Quick Links
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and overview................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Power Supply...................................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Buttons and Controls.......................................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Network / Offset Setup....................................................................................................................................................4
3. Connecting and Wiring The Rotors..................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 DIP1: Low Range or High Range....................................................................................................................................6
3.2 DIP2: CW and CCW Reversed........................................................................................................................................6
3.3 DIP3: Prop Pitch..............................................................................................................................................................6
3.4 DIP4: Rotor Brakes..........................................................................................................................................................7
3.5 DIP5: Soft Start................................................................................................................................................................7
3.6 DIP6: AC or DC...............................................................................................................................................................7
3.7 DIP7 and DIP8: Voltage Configuration...........................................................................................................................8
3.8 Rotor Connection Examples............................................................................................................................................9
3.8.1 Low Range DC Rotors............................................................................................................................................9
3.8.2 Low Range AC Rotors..........................................................................................................................................10
3.8.3 Single Phase High Range AC Motors...................................................................................................................11
3.8.4 Three Phase High Range AC Motors....................................................................................................................11
3.8.4 Prop Pitch Motors.................................................................................................................................................12
3.9 Testing and Verifying.....................................................................................................................................................12
4. The Electromagnetic Sensor............................................................................................................................. 12
4.1 Sensor Correction..........................................................................................................................................................14
4.2 Recalibrating the sensor.................................................................................................................................................15
5. Control software................................................................................................................................................ 15
5.1 Windows App.................................................................................................................................................................15
5.1 Windows App - new features in 1.3.0...........................................................................................................................18
5.2 Android App...................................................................................................................................................................19
Abbreviations:
RG
Rotator Genius
PSU
Power Supply Unit
IPv4
Internet Protocol version 4
⬆
Back to table of contents
Rotator Genius Manual
During the time of writing the firmware and app versions are 1.4.3
Revision 4.
Page 1
Advertisement
Table of Contents
Related Manuals for 4O3A Rotator Genius
Summary of Contents for 4O3A Rotator Genius
-
Page 1: Table Of Contents
Rotator Genius Manual During the time of writing the firmware and app versions are 1.4.3 Revision 4. Table of Contents 1. Introduction and overview........................... 2 2. Power Supply..............................2 2.1 Buttons and Controls...............................3 2.2 Network / Offset Setup..............................4 3. Connecting and Wiring The Rotors........................5 3.1 DIP1: Low Range or High Range............................6... -
Page 2: Introduction And Overview
A diagram of a typical Rotator Genius setup with a single sensor, controlling a single rotator: ① Rotator Genius is wired to the rotor motor. It is mounted on the base of the tower in a waterproof housing. Alternatively it could be hung on a wall in the shack. -
Page 3: Buttons And Controls
As soon as you power the device the LED display will show azimuth values for the connected sensors. If the sensors are not connected, azimuth values will be shown as N/A (not available). 2.1 Buttons and Controls The bottom of the device features three buttons. The buttons have dual functions. They are used for either manual control of your rotors or configuration. -
Page 4: Network / Offset Setup
2.2 Network / Offset Setup IP address configuration is done using the on device settings menu (using the device buttons and LCD display). Enter the menu by holding the MENU button for two seconds. Use ▲ ▼ buttons to navigate between items. When you navigate to an item in the menu this item will be considered selected. -
Page 5: Connecting And Wiring The Rotors
3. Connecting and Wiring The Rotors Rotator Genius can control five different categories of rotors: 1. Low Range DC motors - 3 to 48V, up to 15A of current. 2. Low Range AC motors - 3 to 48V, up to 15A of current. -
Page 6: Dip1: Low Range Or High Range
Low range should be selected if your motor is 3V to 48V AC or DC. Maximum current is 15A. Set DIP1 to OFF to configure your rotor as Low Range. Note that even though you can control 3V motors the minimum power required for Rotator Genius to work properly is at least 12V (13.8V recommended). -
Page 7: Dip4: Rotor Brakes
3.4 DIP4: Rotor Brakes Breaks are commonly found on Low Range motors. Voltage on the breaks must be the same as the voltage on the rotor motor. Set DIP4 to ON to enable using breaks. Set DIP5 to OFF to disable soft start (these features are not comparable). -
Page 8: Dip7 And Dip8: Voltage Configuration
3.7 DIP7 and DIP8: Voltage Configuration You can use DIP7 and DIP8 switches to configure supplying 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of your power supply voltage to your rotor. This only applies to Low Range motors. Take a look at the table with examples of 12V, 24V, 36V and 48V: If the 25% increments are not accurate enough, you can use a small potentiometer inside the device on the PCB for fine tuning. -
Page 9: Rotor Connection Examples
3.8 Rotor Connection Examples The examples below are designed to provide you with a clear idea of how to connect your rotor to the RG. Models may vary over time, so make sure you double check your rotors documentation before connecting. 3.8.1 Low Range DC Rotors AlfaSpid (Spid in Europe) motors are mostly 12V DC electric motors. -
Page 10: Low Range Ac Rotors
Lastly a 12V PSU configuration would look like. DIP7 and DIP8 set power with 100% voltage: In order to verify you connected the rotors correctly, use the CW and CCW buttons on the device control your rotor manually. Use Select to switch between the selected rotators. 3.8.2 Low Range AC Rotors Low range AC motors are AC motors that use between 3V and 48V. -
Page 11: Single Phase High Range Ac Motors
3.8.3 Single Phase High Range AC Motors Set DIP switch 1 for your corresponding rotor (A or B) to ON. This configures the rotor to high range. Supply the AC power for driving the rotor on to the dedicated 3 phase port. This power will be outputted over the High Range port. -
Page 12: Prop Pitch Motors
3.8.4 Prop Pitch Motors Common wire is connected to PIN2 (pins are counted from left to right). CW and CCW lines are connected to PIN1 and PIN3. Make sure to set DIP3 to ON, this specifies the special case Prop Pitch motor. Set DIP1 to ON to configure the motor as DC. - Page 13 BROWN Once connected, the azimuth value will be displayed on the Rotator Genius LCD screen. Move it around and verify it works before installing it on your antenna. It should be parallel to the floor and moved only in X and Y axis so place it on some flat surface like a table.
-
Page 14: Sensor Correction
8. Enter the values to the corresponding boxes. 9. Press Save. Rotator Genius will now take into account the real world values and recalculate the azimuth accordingly. You can uncheck the Active box at any point to revert to raw sensor data. -
Page 15: Recalibrating The Sensor
The app is designed Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. It can be used on a Windows tablet and phone as well. Follow the setup. Rotator Genius icon will appear on your desktop. ⬆ Back to table of contents... - Page 16 Device selection Add device This is how your window looks like when you first open Name your device and enter its IP address and port the application. You first need to add your device to the number. list. Check how to set your IP address and port number in the Press the button to add.
- Page 17 Setting the target Tabs You can double click anywhere within limits to easily There is a tab for each rotator. At the moment, Rotator 2 move your antenna to the desired azimuth. The green aria does not have a sensor connected. will start to flash, and the stop button will appear below The other rotator azimuth is represented as the orange line the gadget.
-
Page 18: Windows App - New Features In 1.3.0
Preset examples We recommend naming your presets with the maximum of three letters, though it is not a technical limitation. 5.1 Windows App – new features in 1.3.0 Move by clicking the GO button Rotate Manually As well as double clicking you can now click on the You can click on the Azimuth in the top right corner and azimuth you want to move once to and click the GO enter a value manually, then click Rotate. -
Page 19: Android App
New Preset Features Invalid Preset Value The presets now show the saved value on the label. When Presets marked in red are indicating your preset value is you mouse over them, they will let you know if they are out of bounds of limits. Clicking it will not issue a go within limits. - Page 20 directly. ⬆ Back to table of contents Page 20...
Need help?
Do you have a question about the Rotator Genius and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers