[23:24 UTC] [Thu, 28 Mar 2024]
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Hardware Reviews
Editorial Review [13 May 2003]
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DiSEqC 1.2 motors - Mini group test (Page 3 of 4)
Aston and Moteck
Aston
TracSat DH12
The
initial impression is that Aston is not as much trying to compete for
the laurel of motorised setup leader but to simply secure compatible motors
for their own range of receivers. Despite evident similarities in the
internal design the Stab HH120 model I tested was to the TracSat like
the Volkswagen Beetle to the Porsche 356 - both have an engine designed
by the same guy and yet the style, comfort and the finish of the whole
is miles apart.
Thanks
to aproperly cut and finished pole driving gear the DH12 is much quieter
and smoother, and more pleasant sounding to the ear than the HH120 (scroll
down for an audio sample).
The
clean moulding of angle finder, rotation scale on the top closure and
even the Aston logo on the mounting pole make this product look classy.
And there is no doubts whatsoever where the 130 Euros go. The motor, together
with mounting brackets and set of screws, is shipped in a top-notch photo
colour box with glossy manual of a quality that one would like to see
more often in bookstores than in the greasy, dirty hands of a dish installer.
The parisian blue manual is, very much in the Aston style, kept traditionally
in French only, leaving no doubts what part of European market is the
product addressed to. |
Apart
from the finish, the most distinctive of the Tracsat unique features
is without a doubt the output for the polarizer. Highly unexpected in
a DiSEqC 1.2 motor, this very custom feature was added to accommodate
the extra functions of Aston Xena 2000, which among other things is
also ready to steer magnetic polarizers in search of inclined analogue
and digital birds up on the sky. The Xena series have an auto focus
option, relying on software to fine tune the dish to the strongest possible
signal between the transponders (see video below), especially helpful
when watching programs on group of satellites set slightly apart from
each other on the same position - Sirius on 4.8 and 5.0 degrees East
springs to mind. To achieve high precision repetitively the gears inside
DH-12 will move the pole with speed of roughly 1 degree a second. Dynamics
as well as the outcome of the obstacle course were almost identical
to that of Stab H-H120 .
[click
below to view Aston's autofocus in action - DiVX 5.0 format]
[ high
resolution version - 3.7Mb] [ low
resolution version - 1.8Mb]
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Upon
installation, the rotor with 88cm steel dish attached to it survived
5 windy days until one afternoon few hours of 50 kph gusts left the
dish installation pointing at the neighbours' Fiesta on the parking
lot rather than Clarke's belt.
The
weak link appears to be the mounting collar and brackets. The collar
is made of 4mm steel, approx 2 mm less than any other manufacturer would
go for in competing motors. The galvanised sheet used for mounting the
DH12 is not only thinner but also softer. With the wind pushing the
dish towards the front, the bottom part of the collar, originally moulded
into V shape to better fit on the rod, simply bent and started warping
around the pole. The threaded lower mounting bracket also got bent under
the pressure.
To
continue the tests I had a 5mm steel collar made at local metalworks and
the Tracsat equipped with a custom collar and brand new brackets kept
driving 6 kg of steel dish for several stormy weeks of October and November
2002. During the infamous 100 km/h November gales plundering London the
DT12 successfully brought the dish to safety all the way from the 30 degree
west horizon to maximum east position and, unlike the dish itself, survived
great deal of abuse to finally let go after being torn and molested by
storm of the decade for 7 hours.
I've examined all external and internal components of the motor itself
very carefully and it seemed fine, no sign of gears worn out or broken
by the sudden hits of wind, all in perfect shape and condition but the
pole used for mounting the dish developed some 10 degree slack. Given
the conditions I think the rotor did marvellous job and survived through
more abuse than expected proving it is a great piece of engineering and
design. Yet, it has to be said, sadly the final product was let down by
a silly mount.
Click
here for an audio sample of Aston DH12 (mp3, 101Kb) |
Quality of build |
|
8 (that mount...) |
Performance |
|
8 (beware of extreme conditions) |
Features |
|
8 |
Support |
|
8 |
Value for money |
|
9 |
|
Moteck
Digipower DG 2100
Instead
of working with ready reference designs Taiwan based manufacturer Moteck
decided to create their own rotor from scratch. The originality of the
SG2100 is clearly visible at first sight as the pole rotating the dish
is pointing downwards, rather than upwards. As much as this first look
might not provide any confidence (it's hard not to imagine your 6 kg dish
sliding down and rumbling down from the roof) this design has more pros
than cons. A bulge at the end of the pole easily secures the dish, so
even if the dish mounting brackets go loose, they won't pass this point.
The obvious advantage of such design is that the rotor works with help
of gravity rather than against it, so there is less chance of the entire
construction developing slack after months of holding your dish upwards
against winds in different angles. |
The
advantages of SG2100's design don't just stop there. The Digipower is
about the only DiSEqC 1.2 rotor to have adjustable hardware limits. The
manufacturer also included manual east and west button to make setup easier
as well as a memory reset switch, hidden inside the chassis and accessible
with a pin in case of trouble.
Aligned with the East/West button is a multicolour LED indicator - it
flashes green when motor is in operation, red when an overload occurs,
and blinks briefly when motor is being reset. Easy, effective and so helpful.
|
Upon
beginning the tests I was really surprised and pleased by the quality
and detail of this rotor considering its price (SG2100 is approx 15-20%
cheaper than the competition).
All the scales and reference points on the chassis were clearly marked
and moulded spot on. The caps and covers fitted perfectly, and even the
collars around the F connectors, protecting receiver and LNB input points
underneath the main body from rain and snow, were made of flexible rubber
rather than the difficult to mount stiff plastic crowns used by the other
manufacturers in this review. The rumour has it there are black versions
of the same mount available under the symbol SV2200. |
After
opening the motor I noticed the cog used directly to rotate the main rod
was made of plastic rather than metal like the rest of the mechanism.
At first I was disappointed. But observing the opened motor in action
made me realise that this design made more than perfect sense. Rather
than reinforcing the main gears, Moteck has invested in a proper overload
circuit, preventing the mechanism from getting damaged should the dish
hit an obstacle or be stopped by a strong wind. So using nylon for the
main gear made it quieter, smoother, and perhaps less prone to structural
changes in extreme temperatures.
With
reduced points of mechanical failure and simplified setup, in use the
Moteck SG2100 was the fastest out of all three scoring at nearly 2 degrees
per second. Speed in both directions was even marginally faster than that
of Stab's smaller rotor - the HH100. As I already mentioned, the DG2100
is also much, much quieter than the rest of the rotors in test. |
The
endurance test worked in favour of the Digipower too - after approx. 2500
rotations the motor looked as good as new inside out without any slack
on the joints or in the internal motor mechanism. There was also no sign
of rust or corrosion after the water test. To add impact to the final
score I also discovered the SG2100 seems to draw less current than the
competition while in operation even though the specs sheets reckon otherwise.
The SG2100 worked suprisingly well connected to my usually troublesome
Nokia 9200 via 20 meters of cable and additional DiSEqC 1.0 switch. It
also performed much better than the compatition when powered by Hauppauge
DVB card. This is good news for owners of the receivers that suffer from
generally low output, either because of design deficiencies (original
Force Dmaster 1122S, 2002 series of Dreambox DM7000) or simply lack of
support for rotors in original design (Dbox1, Dbox2).
Click
here for an audio sample of Moteck SG2100 (mp3, 191Kb) |
Quality of build |
|
10 |
Performance |
|
10 |
Features |
|
10 |
Support |
|
8 |
Value for money |
|
10 |
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