RESEARCH CONCEPTS RC1500B Manual page 21

RC1500B Single Axis Tracking Antenna Controller Chapter 3 Installation/Setup 15
4. If the sensor cable is spliced the or is routed through a connector, the drain wire should be
spliced an not allowed to come in contact with earth ground.
See the Operation Troubleshooting Tips section of Chapter 7 for more information on count
problems.
The RC1500 supports two different pulse type positions sensor – Hall effect and reed switch.
Both types of sensors employ one or more rotating magnets.
For a Hall effect sensor, the magnetic field causes a Hall effect transistor to alternately switch
on and off to create the pulse waveform. A Hall effect sensor has three connections to the
controller. 5.7 volts DC (J1-11 labeled 5.7V), ground (J1-6 labeled Sensor AZ -), and the pulse
output (J1-7 labeled Sensor AZ +). The drain wire must also be connected to the J1-6 terminal
labeled Sensor AZ -. Some Hall effect sensor modules employed by Thomson Saginaw in
their actuators employ an unusual color scheme. The red lead is connected to 5.7 VDC, the
black lead is the pulse output (connected to Sensor AZ +), and the green lead is the sensor
ground connection which is tied to the Sensor AZ – terminal.
With a reed switch type sensor, the alternating magnetic field causes a mechanical switch to
make and break. A reed switch sensor has two connections to the controller: ground and the
pulse input. Internally, the pulse input of the controller is tied to 5.7 volts through a pullup
resistor. A reed switch sensor is not polarized, either output wire from the reed switch module
can be connected to either terminal of the controller. One of the reed switch outputs should be
connected to the controller's J1-6 terminal (labeled Sensor AZ –). The other reed switch
output should be connected to the controller's J1-7 terminal (labeled Sensor AZ +). The drain
wire of the interface cable MUST be connected to the controller's J1-6 terminal (labeled
Sensor AZ –).
Some installers feel that Hall effect switches are more reliable because they contain no moving
parts. Hall effect sensors, however, are more vulnerable to lightning strikes because of the
Hall effect transistor device.
Figures 3.2 and 3.3 detail the connection of an RC2000 to reed switch and Hall effect type
sensors, respectively. For the RC1500, connect the antenna actuator in a manner similar to that
depicted for the azimuth position sensor and motor. Under no circumstances should the motor
drive current be carried within the same shield as the position sense lines. Note that satellite
antenna actuator cable typically includes two unshielded 14 or 16 AWG conductors for motor
current and a shielded triple with bare drain wire for the sense lines all enclosed in a common
insulating jacket – this type of cable works well with the RC1500.
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