VHF-UHF Antenna Rotator

thingiverse

Human: 3 x 608ZZ Bearings.\r\nNodeMCU V3 ESP8266\r\nA4988 Stepper Driver\r\n12V 2A Buck Converter\r\nNEMA 17 Stepper Motor\r\nEnd-Stop Switch\r\nLinear Bearing 15mm OD, 8MM ID, 24mm long\r\n8mm Bolt for lower pivot. Smooth shank where the bolt passes through the linear bearing. Nylock nut on the bottom to stop it coming undone! Grease well!\r\nLoads of 4mm x ~20mm bots and hex nuts for case assembly.\r\nA few 3mm bolts for fixing bits to other bits.\r\n\r\nThe tube used in the design is 34mm OD High Pressure PVC.\r\nThe printed parts that fit over the tube could be sleeved/redesigned for smaller diameter tube. Knock yourself out and Remix to your heart's content.\r\n\r\nBear in mind, I have designed this to carry a 9 Element Yagi (4 x VHF/5 x UHF) which is made from PVC pipe and Aluminium elements, so quite light. \r\n\r\nThere is also a thermostatically controlled 40mm fan on the bottom to provide airflow during hot weather (this is Australia! LOL)\r\n\r\nAs all of the Case parts are printed in PLA (tried ABS but too much trouble printing big parts, as happens grrr) and I will be filling and painting it in a very light color for protection from the sun and other elements.\r\n\r\nI haven't used it yet, so this might be a complete waste of time, but it's been fun creating it. \r\n\r\nIt uses an ESP8266 Arduino compatible processor (NodeMCU V3) which runs a basic web server, so the whole thing is controlled wirelessly. The only thing that needs to go to the case is 12V. The rest is magic. Added current source code for Arduino environment. Very rough at the moment but it basically works.\r\n\r\nSo, it's here definitely as a WIP.\r\n\r\nHave Fun\r\n\r\n:-)\r\n\r\nMike\r\n\r\n28/4/2020. Source code is not currently available as it is not good enough. Found lots of bugs, so I will post a newer version when I am happier with the code.\r\n\r\n2/5/2020 Added wiring diagram. Yeah, I know, it's rough! Added a version of the source code I'm reasonably happy with. The INO File was renamed to something more understandable. The interrupt pin for the Optical Endstop is A0 on the NodeMCU. Provide 5v to the optical endstop and Ground.\r\n\r\nNext possible addition is a pin lock to stop the antenna rotating in heavy winds. Later.\r\n\r\n5/6/2020 - Added blanking plate (flange on the inside of the cover). Added Optical Endstop Interrupter, Optical Endstop Holder plate and an Access Cover with the Optical Endstop mount integrated and strengthened a bit, and added little cable tie loops to keep the optical endstop wiring out of harm's way. Added a Bottom Plate with a hole enlarged to allow an XT60 connector to pass through just in case you want to use one of these to connect the 12v power up to the unit (maintenance issue I found). I'm just going to use a file, not reprint the whole thing. Not worth it. :-) Enjoy!