[TowerTalk] AlfaSpid on AC

[Julio Peralta]

I don't know how many guys are using the AlfaSpid rotors out there but I
want to make them aware that the rotor will work on AC voltage. One of
the objections that I most often hear about using the AlfaSpid rotors is
it doesn't come with a power supply and if you use it on the station
12VDC supply it takes over 2 minutes to go from 0-360. I have been using
an old DC supply that I had home brewed sometime ago to be used as a
0-15VDC @ 10A bench supply. Since I had replaced it I went into it and
found that the output at the filter cap was about 22VDC which was good
for powering the AlfaSpid rotor. The problem was the PS box was about
the size of a 1/2 loaf of bread and was taking up a lot of space behind
the operating desk.

I had read in the AlfaSpid manual that the rotor would work on either
12-24 volts AC or DC so when I ran across a 24 volt 4A  AC transformer
in the All Electronics catalog I thought I'd give it a try. I like to
report that I hooked it up today and the transformer is running two
AlfaSpid rotors with no trouble. I can now remove the larger PS and
attach the transformer at a convenient location to the back of the desk.

The transformer cost $17 plus shipping and as far as I can see is a
great option to the power supply problem with the AlfaSpid rotor.

Julio, W4HY