[TowerTalk] Rotor-EZ Kit

[Roger Borowski]

Greetings;

I thought I'd pass along some information about a new kit called Rotor-EZ, which
I recently built and installed in a Ham IV control box for a friend. This kit
provides for RS-232 control of the standard and Tailtwister CDE/Hygain/ (now
MFJ) rotator control boxes, utilizing identical programming code as the Hygain
DCU-1. It is an ideal solution for those wishing to incorporate computer control
of their "HAM" type or Tailtwister rotators, or just simplify operation with
"set and turn" automation .

The circuit board is of high quality as are all components and everything is
well layed out. I found this kit a real pleasure to build, although I might
caution it is definitely not for novice builders. There are approximately 75
component parts including five IC chips and attention to detail and good
soldering techniques are definitely required. It also requires some precise
drilling of the front panel for the addition of four LED's. It took me
approximately six hours to build, install, calibrate and check out this project.
I have enjoyed building various kits over the past 40 years, my first being a
Knightkit T-60 Transmitter in 1960 at age 11. It worked too!  Back to this
Rotor-EZ kit now!

Once completed, the Rotor-EZ allows you to operate the control box manually as
before, use the old calibrate pot to "preset" the desired position you want and
then hit the brake lever to start movement to the preset setting, or use your
computer (through an available COM port) to position your antenna via the RS-232
port, using identical commands as the Hygain DCU-1 or with any of the popular
logging programs using DCU-1 protocol.

Some additional features are also added with Rotor-EZ, such as a 5 second brake
delay, which is standard. Also standard is the ability to stop the rotation at
any time just by touching the brake lever. Optionally, there are three user
selectable features, each one enabled by default and overridden by the addition
of jumpers on the circuit board. First there is the "Unstick Routine" where upon
starting a rotation, the rotator first pulses in the opposite direction for 1
second, then turns in the desired direction. Any experienced owner of a
Tailtwister knows what this is about! My own DCU-1 does this and it is a real
nice feature. The second user selectable feature is what is called "Electronic
End Point" where the rotor power cuts out 5 degrees from either end of the meter
scale, limiting the possibility of the rotor jamming on an end stop. The rotor
still can be manually turned to the end stops if desired. Though not an
extremely common problem, some rotors, especially Tailtwisters, have been known
to jam themselves at an end stop, stopping in a position where the limit switch
is open, making it impossible to turn the rotor back. One must keep the brake
release on and wait for the right wind to move the array to a point where the
limit switch closes and normal operation is restored. It is also possible for
users of "Swinging Gate" side mounted antennaes to order a replacement custom
CPU (which mounts in a socket) for their Rotor-EZ that sets the endpoints at
custom bearings to avoid bumping into the tower. The third user selectable
feature is called the "Overshoot Option" which turns off the rotor motor 3
degrees before the setpoint is reached, allowing the array to coast into the
desired setting. This is pretty self explanatory and is useful for all but the
smallest of antennaes. I found all of these features desirable and did not
install any jumpers to defeat any of them. If you felt that you would like to
have the ability to switch any/all of these features on and off, I would suggest
wiring in small switches during initial construction to the assigned jumper
points on the circuit board and mounting them on the rear panel. Once the board
is mounted in its final position to the back of the meter and completely wired
in, it would take considerable efforts to add the jumpers on the Rotor-EZ
circuit board later.

Upon calibrating according to the instructions with a spare rotator connected
that I have on my workbench, I was extremely pleased with the "New" rotor
control box. It does everything indicated above in my review extremely well,
just as the advertisement claims. A real nice feature is the addition of
CW/CCW/Brake Release LED's to the front panel to give a visual indication of
operation. In addition there is a multi-colored "Status"  LED that glows green
in the steady state condition. Turning the preset knob (old calibrate pot)
changes the color to red. Press the brake lever to start rotation and the LED
changes to orange, then as the rotator moves to the new bearing, this LED
changes slowly from orange to yellow to green, giving you an indication of how
close the antennae is to the desired final position. Really Neat!

This is a brand new product with little current advertising that, I feel, will
be a real asset to many. The kit is also available without the RS-232 control,
which can be added later for those who wish the preset automation and other
features but are not interested in computer control. I found it at;
www.idiompress.com  and thought I'd tell the world that it is all that it is
advertised to be. I have no ties with this manufacturer but was overly impressed
with this product. If you feel that it is something you would like to have, but
lack the time or talents to do, contact me at; K9RB@arrl.net and maybe we can
work something out as I truly enjoyed the wiring and installation I did and
would consider working a deal for doing more of the same.  73, Roger-K9RB



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