Roderick M. Fitz-Randolph wrote:
>
> >Has anyone heard of modifying a garage door opener into a robust
> >rotator? Cheap, slow and lotsa torque, no brush noise, but more
> >difficult to modify than a prop-pitch for sure. (..and ya got to go
> >to the sun visor in your car to rotate it.)
> >
> >de KD7LS
> ___________________________________________________________________
>
> Wow, now THIS could start a new thread!! Ok, all you mechanical
> genii: here's your chance to shine. One of the worm-drive garage
> door openers that could be modified to operate and stop at a particular
> place would seem to be a great candidate for even tower rotation!
> Rod, W5HVV
Well, I have used TV antenna rotors, including the big ones like HAM-M,
T2X. I have used PropPitch. I have used, and still use the TelRex
2140RISX.
I have also installed 4 or 5 garage door openers, screw and chain drive
types.
I would say all the garage door openers are way too flimsy. Open the
cover and look at what they use for a gear box, look at the plastic
gears, the drive coupling, everything. They barely manage to open a door
that a 5 yr old can lift. NOTHING in a garage door opener looks strong
enough to drive even a small tri-bander in any wind.
If you need a rugged drive, you can build one from scratch more easily
than you could convert a door opener. Visit any gear and bearing
supplier and ask to see the catalog for speed reducers. You can get one
with a reversible motor, 1/3 or 1/2 hp, output 2 rpm to a keyed 7/8 in
shaft. Buy a keyed sprocket drive and heavy industrial drive chain and
you're ready to turn anything. That's all the TelRex rotors used.
73 John K1ER
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