Pace 200 positioner problem

[Andy730]

Hi,

I'm look for help with a Pace MSP 2OO positioner that seems to have lost its position.

But, this is not for a satellite dish.

Let me explain so hopefully you'll understand where I'm coming from...

I'm a licenced radio amateur and i use this pace 200 with a 36inch screw jack to elevate for 23 element yagi antennas from horizon, to about +60 degrees up, along with a rotator i can point the antennas at the moon as it transverses across the sky. All quite manual with no computer tracking.

I originally set the controller up while it and the jack was on the bench (on a pole with hinge mechanism) I set each satellite position as a degree, i.e. sat 1 = 1 degree and so on up to + 60 degrees.

This set up been working well for years.. BUT last night the power went off, and when it came back on, the controller displayed something like "setup" then a figure 1 i think . it was late and i didn't take note.. And today, when i try to move from sat one to sat 10 for example, the controller seems to want to drive the screw jack, but then displays ERR and returns to the sat position i want but not having moved the screw jack.

It would seem that all the positions are still retained, but it doesn't drive the jack..

Now, if i press "east" it jumps from normal to PGM and displays "end" i guess all those years back i must have set the end to be sat 1, so "end" seems to be right, so i the press "west" the controller displays OOO as if it wants to move, and i hear an internal relay click, but nowt happens and the i get ERR for a second.

Last night, using the east/west buttons i managed to get the screw jack back to sat 1 or horizon and i could hear the jack working, so i'm hopeful tghis might be a simple fix.. , BUT my question, or more like a plea for help, is how????

I no longer have the manual, so don't know what to check, and i'm concerned to simply trying different things will loose me my settings.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Regards...

Andy

 

[Captain Jack]

Can you check what voltages you are getting from the motor connection when the relay clicks? If it's around 36-40v then that side is OK.

The jack's reed switch could have failed or is intermittent, so the positioner doesn't know that the jack is moving, hence you are getting the ERR.

 

[a33]

Here I found a manual for the Pace MSP200: Pace Multi satellite positioner MSP 200 - Service Manual Free Download
>> Download document <<

Is this the one you have?

greetz,
A33

Edit: Is this thread maybe of help? :

MSP 200 /990 /995 User Manual

Hi, can anyone point me in the of a User Manual for an MSP 200/R. I have read here that it is similar to the 990 AND 995. I saw a post here with 4 pages of the 990's manual but I need a bit more. Thanks for the help. Regards

www.satellites.co.uk

 

[ozumo]

The manual for the MSP995 (reported to be similar in operation to the MSP200) is available here:

MSP 200 /990 /995 User Manual

Hi, can anyone point me in the of a User Manual for an MSP 200/R. I have read here that it is similar to the 990 AND 995. I saw a post here with 4 pages of the 990's manual but I need a bit more. Thanks for the help. Regards

www.satellites.co.uk

"When power is restored after the power failure, all three front panel LEDs will illuminate and the words "set" then "up" then "1" (set up position 1) will flash on the front panel display. The Positioner is now in a "recovery" mode.

Using your receiver handset, reselect a programme number which corresponds to position 1. Use the EAST or WEST handset key to move the dish until you see this programme on your TV screen. Press the STORE key on the Positioner handset or the standby on/off button on the front panel.

The Positioner will now function as it did before the power failure and all of the previously programmed positions will have been restored."

edit beaten to it ;)

 

[Captain Jack]

Here I found a manual for the Pace MSP200: Pace Multi satellite positioner MSP 200 - Service Manual Free Download
>> Download document <<

Is this the one you have?

greetz,
A33

Edit: Is this thread maybe of help? :

MSP 200 /990 /995 User Manual

Hi, can anyone point me in the of a User Manual for an MSP 200/R. I have read here that it is similar to the 990 AND 995. I saw a post here with 4 pages of the 990's manual but I need a bit more. Thanks for the help. Regards

www.satellites.co.uk

Nice!

Page 19 looks helpful.

 

[Terryl]

With power failures a problem at my location, I have installed UPS systems on all critical equipment, (Ham equipment, computers, TV and entertainment center) the ones I use come with attached equipment insurance, if after a power failure (or before) there was a spike on the power line and the attached equipment was damaged, you get new stuff.

A small UPS is not that expensive, it is good insurance for preventing equipment loss due to power failures caused by weather or power poles getting knocked down, it run time is determined by the load on the UPS.

You can do a google search for this type of equipment at your location, it is well worth it.

P. S. one good thing is I can watch and record TV (if I have a show scheduled to record) during a power failure, that UPS is rated at 1500 VA, and it has an extended run time battery attached, it will give me about 8 hours of run time, if I need more then I can start a generator.

This is the company I use, and their protection plan....

https://www.apc.com/us/en/support/equipment-protection-policy/

 

[Andy730]

Hi to all,

my grateful thanks to everyone that has responded to my plea for help. some good suggestions and advice, a real credit to those on this board..

So, I was hoping that this would be a simple "reset" of the Pace controller, but alas it was not to be. I found out last night that, somewhere a long the line, the controller has lost all the original settings, so all the "satellite" positions i'd put in all those years ago (1 to 60) giving me zero to plus 60 degrees in elevation have gone.

Something is wrong with the controller, and it might very well be an easy fix, but times have changed and technology has moved on, so it's time to up grade.

I have decided to opt for a simple tilt inclinometer, that will feed back to my PC, along with a very simple relay control board that will send the right amount of the +36v to the screw jack, that will allow for automate tracking of the moon, i am at the same time auto mating azimuth control of the rotator that is with it.

the upgrade parts are in kit form, but have cost me less than £150 from these guys in Germany ERC-Shop

And a special thank you to Terryl,, your info was appreciated. Fortunately, the local power supply here is very reliable and never really fails. The loss of supply here was self inflicted by a 432mhz amplifier flashing over that took out a residual current device that took the house supply out. my wife wasn't best pleased, but calmed down when normal service was returned :-) The amplifier is also up and running again as well. So all is good.

Thanks again to all... happy Christmas,

Andy

 

[imirtelecom]

Hi, sorry for my bad english...
Anybody know the serial data codes in transit on pin12 to the encoder connector of this MPS200?? For use this serial data with computer, arduino or raspberry, and move the positioner by some program...

 

[Captain Jack]

This is from my archives....

----------------
Hello, I try the same thing as you, i.e. motorizing the dish
from a PACE MSS 1000. As you, i posted a question about signal and
protocol on AV2.
I analysed the pin 12 on AV2 and extracted this information :

Each time you change program, you get a serial transmission of 9 bits
coded as this : Pulse of 3us(5 V) followed a delay of 64us for a "0" and
86us for a "1".

The stream is organized as follow D0, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, SAT

D[0:7] : number (binary order) of the selected satellit (for 1 to 63)
SAT equal 0 if you disabled the option "positionner pol.")
equal 1 for Horizontal polarisation (if option enabled)
equal 1 " Vertical " " " "

When you force the receiver to stand by, all the bits are "1"

Beware of the state of the pin 8 :

If pin 8 = 0 at power on, the receiver will output the satellit number on pin 12

If pin 8 = 1 (12 V) at power on, the reciever will send a stream like this :
200 ms at 1,
30 ms at 0,
10 ms at 1,
10 ms at 0 and then
60 ms at 1.

This bitstream is used for downloading configuration between receivers.

 

[imirtelecom]

Wonderfull....
i'm not a programmer but i want try with some friend to understand this information...the final aim is to be able to use a PC instead of the old receiver to move the MSP200 positioner from anywhere in the LAN.... perhaps some of you have a project already created for this purpose.. I hope to be able to realize as soon as possible the dream of using my old motorized Horizont to Horizont dish with a positioner made with a Raspberry with integrated webserver that manages the pulses of the reed relay and two relays for the movement of the motor east to west with the possibility of memorize the positions to be managed in the LAN from any PC connected to the network, and be able to get rid of the Pace MSP200 positioner...

 

[Captain Jack]

That's exactly what I wanted to do to. Pipe in receiver output into Arduino and send the serial data to Pace positioner. It becomes a V-box, though with limited positions - perhaps a modified firmware and a larger EEPROM can solve that issue.

 

[imirtelecom]

Any news about this possibility to move the dish by indipendent raspberry or by send command to older PACE MSP200 or similar?

 

[Captain Jack]

I've not tried anything since posting this. One day maybe... All the information is above though