[TowerTalk] Reply to Rotor cap questions de K0FF

[K0FF]

The first question was from Jerry "was where to get the rotor capacitor"

Hi Jerry, it's just a 130 MFD at 50 VAC (non polarized)rated motor cap.
Don't try any gimmick with polarized power filter type capacitors. Get a
motor capacitor.
If not available from Norms or HY-Gain/MFJ etc, just go to the nearest
heating/cooling company. Similar caps are used on AirConditioner motors for
the home. W.W. Grainger also has every value needed ( and those will last a
lifetime). I put my cap at the tower top, and don't hook any wires to the 4
and 8 terminal. Somehow it makes no sense to me to run the motor wires all
the way to towertop, and then all the way back to the shack to go through
the capacitor, then all the way back to the towertop again. Uses only 6
wires that way instead of 8 too. This mod cuts the motor directional lead
resistance to 1/3 of the original value ( the common lead is already a
larger wire) . Of course it has to be in a weatherproof enclosure.

One of the runs of cable here is over 450 feet, so I put a homemade bank of
24VAC relays at the tower base, and picked up a local 24 VAC from a large
transformer. When I push the buttons on the control box, the relay pulls in
and sends the fresh 24 V up to the rotor. In doing so, I added 2 extra
relays, and with the now free 4 and 8 leads, can use them for other control
functions. No mods to the control box except two toggle switches on the
panel. One of the functions is to momentarily boost the usual 24V to a
higher value, to kick start the Tailtwister when there is an ice jam up
there.

The next question concerned mod info on the Propeller Pitch (prop-pitch)
motors we use for rotors sometime.
There is a source with all the mods, articles and historical data, but the
fellow is swamped right now, so if you need same, and don't know the source,
contact me direct. He charges a nominal fee, but can't be bothered with
dozens of individual phone calls right now, so we can get together and place
one order.

PS, The selsyns are all gone, but I still do have some of the big 24 pin
Jones connector sets for rotor cable quick-disconnect.

Happy Building, Geo>K0FF

>have a question, where is a good place to get the AC capacitor for the HAM
II?
>
>Jerry W9FS



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