Any way to test a rotator

[protivakid]

My father gave me an old Channel master 9510 rotator. I wired it up to test but could not get the rotator to move. I am not sure however if my problem is with the rotator motor or the control box. The control box's red dot will move when you turn the knob but that's all. I tried to hook up a multi-meter to two of the 3 connections on the control box yet when I turned the knob the multimeter would show a blip of DC voltage coming out and then go back down to pretty much 0.

Does this sound like the control box is the issue or am I not testing it correctly with the multi-meter? It was hard for me to find any information on the control box's pinouts.

[Stereocraig]

CM rotors operate on AC, as I believe all of the name brands do.
Output voltage should be noted, on the bottom.

AC is used, so the motors don't burn up, if the rotor seizes.
DC views coils as pretty much, as a straight wire that offers very little resistance.

Unless the controller has a broken wire to one of the terminals, it IS putting out.
Otherwise, the dot would not be moving.

I would suspect corrosion, or hardened grease inside the rotor.

[protivakid]

Originally Posted by Stereocraig

CM rotors operate on AC, as I believe all of the name brands do.
Output voltage should be noted, on the bottom.

AC is used, so the motors don't burn up, if the rotor seizes.
DC views coils as pretty much, as a straight wire that offers very little resistance.

Unless the controller has a broken wire to one of the terminals, it IS putting out.
Otherwise, the dot would not be moving.

I would suspect corrosion, or hardened grease inside the rotor.

Alright my bad for thinking it sent dc to the motor. I will try again with the multi-meter tonight and see what I get.

Does it matter that the dot moves even when none of the pins are connected on the back? Your comment made it sound like that should not be the case.

Any idea on what the pinouts are for 1 2 3? I read somewhere that 1 might be CW rotation and 2 CCW.

[Stereocraig]

Originally Posted by protivakid

Alright my bad for thinking it sent dc to the motor. I will try again with the multi-meter tonight and see what I get.

Does it matter that the dot moves even when none of the pins are connected on the back? Your comment made it sound like that should not be the case.

Any idea on what the pinouts are for 1 2 3? I read somewhere that 1 might be CW rotation and 2 CCW.

With a DC motor, that theory would make sense, but this system simply selects between the two pairs of windings, which are each oriented to spin the armature in opposite directions.

I made my statement in reverse.
If the dot is moving, then it IS putting out, because the controller motor is working. Meaning that there is voltage at that motor.
The motor in the controller, is used as a timer and is identical to the one up on the mast.
In a perfect world, they would both complete their cycles at the same time.
The one in the house is not subject to wind and other factors, and hance, needs to be calibrated, from time to time.

You could also try rocking the rotator, like you would a stuck car.
This will not damage anything.
Otherwise, you will need to open the rotator ant try spinning the first gear that the motor meshes with, to free it up.
If you decide to remove the mast shaft, watch for the 10 ball bearings.

[protivakid]

Alright so after using the multimeter again I got my rotator moving. The small motor was frozen but I was able to get it going again. The rest of the gears still moved fine.

Questions:

What type of grease can I use to lube up the gears some? Will something like automotive wheel bearing grease work?

Any idea where I can find a rubber gasket for the top seal of the rotator housing? The old one is junk

[Stereocraig]

Originally Posted by protivakid

Alright so after using the multimeter again I got my rotator moving. The small motor was frozen but I was able to get it going again. The rest of the gears still moved fine.

Questions:

What type of grease can I use to lube up the gears some? Will something like automotive wheel bearing grease work?

Any idea where I can find a rubber gasket for the top seal of the rotator housing? The old one is junk

Yeah, I just use the grease gun and spread it w/ a blade screwdriver. It doesn,t hurt to do the bearing right under the rubber boot, too.
I've seen where that pipe clamp gets oxide powder buildup.


UV really takes it's toll on those rubber boots.
I have one I thought about repairing, but it feels like another crack, may not be too far in the future.

Something would need to be fabricated, or you'd need to find a parts unit, cause CM does not offer them.