[TowerTalk] Or2800DC smoking control box

[Nathaniel Lee]

Hi Terry and all,

The box was indeed pouring out smoke while idling. No activity by me inspired this action. The fuse was being protected by the electronics within.

The rotor, cable and box worked perfectly on the dining room table before installation. It also worked for 2 days after installation. When testing, I tested the entire length of the cable so as to fully simulate the complete installation. 

 It was installed along with the mast in the top section of the tower and the cable was sent down the inside of the tower. There are no breaks from the little box, which I assembled VERY carefully knowing full well it would be unreachable afterwards, all the way to the control box. 

At the suggestion of M2, I did check the line voltage coming in and it has the appropriate voltage coming in. This line also supplies a tail-twister, the TS-930s, lights, 4 square controller and computer. Nothing else has smoked and there are no weird instances of electricity causing other maladies.

I will attempt to spin the rotor from ground level with a 12v supply. It should move slowly but at least spin and it will give me a chance to put it in another more useful direction. I will try this after work.

Nat Lee

Somersworth, NH

--- On Fri, 6/1/12, Zivney, Terry <00tlzivney at bsu.edu> wrote:

From: Zivney, Terry <00tlzivney at bsu.edu>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Or2800DC smoking control box
To: "Towertalk at contesting.com" <Towertalk at contesting.com>
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012, 7:14 AM

What do you mean by 'smoking?'  Does a fuse blow?

 Does the control box stop smoking when you fire it up
on the dining room table?  

You should be able to turn the DC Orion with a 12v
power supply or battery at the base of the  tower.
I can do that with my prop pitch which uses an Orion
control box.

I know it's insulting, but did you check the voltage on
the AC socket going to your Orion control box?  
An overvoltage (such as from 240vac into a 120vac
outlet) or a missing neutral at the main power panel
can raise hell with things.  A few years back the
neutral at the power company's transformer burned
up, resulting in unequal voltages on the 120 lines
 throughout the house.  One side had over 150v,
the other side less than 100v.  This was discovered
when my daughter's hair dryer would cause the 
lights to dim dramatically.

Switching power supplies, such as in many newer
electronics devices are relatively immune to varying
AC voltage (up to a point) but the Orion (and the
Green Heron) motor control circuitry is pure
analog so overvoltage could strain things!

Terry Zivney, N4TZ
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