[TowerTalk] Motorized tower auto-lower

[Robin E. Midgett]

Since I do fabrication, I could design & build the mounts.


At 03:38 AM 8/6/00 -0500, you wrote:

>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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73,
Robin E. Midgett KB4IDC/R
KB4IDetestCaptive/Roving
rmidgett@bellsouth.net
1/2 of the NT4L Rover Team
http://kq4tv.aprs.net/vhf/vhf.html


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