RESEARCH CONCEPTS RC2000C Manual page 73

RC2000C Polar Tracking Antenna Controller Chapter 7 Troubleshooting/Alarm Codes 67
When this occurs the controller is generally losing or gaining position counts for a given axis as the
antenna moves about that axis. Please review the items mentioned in Section 3.2 - Azimuth and
Elevation Position Sense.
If the cause of the problem is not found and only one axis is affected, consider replacing the position
sense module and/or magnets in the actuator. If both axis are affected the motor drive wires may have to
be shielded. This is seldom necessary, but if it is, follow the rules for connecting the shields as outlined in
Section 3.2.
THE CONTROLLER RETURNS TO APPROXIMATELY THE CORRECT POSITION BUT MUST BE
PEAKED MANUALLY TO ACHIEVE A GOOD SIGNAL
This is generally an indication of mechanical hysteresis (slop) in either the actuator or the mount. When
this occurs the antenna will peak up in one position when approaching the satellite from the west and
another when approaching the satellite from the east. To test for this, move the antenna quite a distance
west of the satellite and manually move the antenna east at slow speed until the peak is reached.
Repeat the procedure when approaching the satellite from the east. The difference in azimuth position
between the 2 peaks is the mechanical hysteresis. In this situation, try to eliminate the slop in the mount.
If this is not possible, always approach each satellite from the same direction in which it was originally
programmed (typically east to west).
THE ANTENNA AZIM ERROR or ANTENNA ELEV ERROR OCCUR
To determine the cause of this error go to RESET mode. One of the following error messages will be
displayed: JAMMED, RUNAWAY, or DRIVE. Here are the likely causes of each of these errors:
JAMMED - This error indicates that the drive was commanded to move, but movement was not sensed.
This can be caused by an mechanical jam at the antenna, or the antenna may be moving but position
feedback pulses are not getting back to the controller. Determine which condition exists.
If the antenna is not moving there may either be a faulty motor, a wiring problem, a mechanical limit
switch has been encountered, or the breaker in the drive circuit has tripped (the breaker may be reset
from the back of the unit). If the antenna is moving but position pulses are not reaching the controller,
check the sensor wiring of the sensor module in the antenna actuator.
RUNAWAY - This error occurs when position pulses are recorded but the antenna has not been
commanded to move. Check the items listed in Section 3.2 - Azimuth and Elevation Position Sense. If
this error occurs just after the antenna has been moving and the drive signals are released, review the
'DEADBAND' CONFIG mode items described in section 5.10.7.
DRIVE - This error indicates that the controller's electronic overcurrent sensing has detected an
overcurrent condition and has shut the drive down. There are pots which control the level at which the
electronic overcurrent sensing trips. These pots may have to be adjusted. Please consult the factory.
Under no circumstances should the load current supplied by the controller be allowed to exceed 8 amps
for more than several seconds.
THE AUTOPOL SYSTEM DOES NOT SEEM TO WORK PROPERLY
This error is usually caused by the horizontal and vertical polarizations for a given satellite being
programmed at the same position. If you turn off the AutoPol function and the controller does not toggle
the polarization position as the H and V keys are pressed in MANUAL mode, the polarization positions
have probably been programmed at the same value. Other AutoPol problems result from not having a
ground wire connected between the satellite receiver and the controller. Please refer to figures 3.2 and
3.3.
WHEN A SATELLITE IS SELECTED VIA AUTO MODE THE CONTROLLER DISPLAYS THE
MESSAGE 'ENTRY SELECTED HOLDS INVALID DATA'.
Before the controller executes an automatic move it checks to see if the azimuth, elevation, horizontal
polarization, and vertical polarization are within their respective limits. If they are not, the error message
is displayed. This error can occur if the limits were reset after the satellite position was programmed into
memory via SETUP mode. This error can also occur if the state of the 'ROTATING FEED PRESENT?'
CONFIG mode item was changed after the satellite was programmed into non-volatile memory.
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