[TowerTalk] Motorized tower auto-lower

[Dave]

I was reading through the archives and noticed someone had asked about
lowering a motorized tower automatically when the wind reached a preset speed.

I didn't see any replies, so I thought I would throw this out. Some one
could probably make a buck off the idea, *if* it hasn't already been
presented and/or done.

I have been doing electronic design of many sorts for the past 21 years.
There are a lot of approaches that could be taken to do this, but I like
simple when it fits the bill.

A "go no-go" system could be bread-boarded together and would basically
consist of the following.

Davis Instrument wind vane (or equivalent)
timer chip
counter chip
reed relay
battery
solar cells
some sort of mount

Since the anemometer outputs pulses for the wind speed, simply counting the
pulses for a given sample period would determine wind speed. Above a preset
level, the reed relay is momentarily triggered. The relay would activate the
"lower" relay in the control circuit for the tower hoist motor. The device
would be mounted on the tower just below the mast.

Caveats:
---------
-The relay would be presented small current and voltage demands. This might
mean a slave relay setup for the larger voltages and currents likely used in
the normal control circuits for raising and lowering the tower.
-The solar cells would be to charge a small 6 volt gel type battery. Since
the circuit would be built using cmos devices, it could be powered from a
couple of 3 volt lithium cells, but that would mean having to remember to
swap them out occasionally.
-It's 3:30 am as I write this, so I likely missed something.

I have little spare time these days, so I can't do the design, but if there
is sufficient interest, I will try to squeeze out a basic circuit. I won't
have time to test it though. I would have to leave that to interested parties.

73,
David W4DLB
 


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sir, are you classified as human?
"Ah, negative. I am a meat popsicle"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


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