ELECRAFT K1 Owner's Manual download pdf (Page 9)

From March 2001 QST © ARRL

solder pads themselves are rather small.

Since I received my kit, the silk screen-

ing has been improved and Idiom Press

has indicated that they intend to increase

the size of the pads at some point.

Functional Review

My Rotor-EZ equipped control box

has been trouble-free. Although I live

quite close to a number of 50 kW AM

Broadcast stations, I haven’t encountered

any RF interference problems either to or

from the unit. Calibration was straight-

forward and it didn’t require multiple

trips outside to verify which direction the

antenna was actually pointing.

To operate the modified controller,

what was previously the

CALIBRATE

knob is now used to set the meter pointer

to the desired bearing. A short press of

what was once the

BRAKE RELEASE le-

ver then initiates antenna rotation. If you

prefer, you can still use the

CW and CCW

(clockwise and counterclockwise) le-

vers—in combination with the

BRAKE

RELEASE lever—in the “original”

manual mode. Either way, the brake will

automatically reengage 5 seconds after

rotation stops.

The direction LEDs show what the

unit is doing. In case of trouble, the sta-

tus LED will blink or the meter will

wiggle to alert the operator.

A really neat feature is the gradual

change of color of the multicolored sta-

tus LED. When a turn command is ex-

ecuted, the LED first appears red. As the

rotator gradually turns toward the set

point, the color changes from orange to

green. I found myself turning the antenna

just to watch the cool light show put on

Figure 7—The electrolytic capacitors, the relay (the white

plastic cube) and the diodes in this photo are a modification

that I added a few years back to provide a brake delay. This—

and any other circuit changes that have been made—must be

eliminated before Rotor-EZ installation begins.

Figure 8—The Tailtwister control box with the Rotor-EZ system

installed. Close comparisons with Figure 6 will reveal a

significant number of new connections between the original

components and their new master.

by the LED!

I connected the RS-232 cable to my

PC and exercised the unit’s computer con-

trol functions through a terminal program.

The command protocol is listed in the

user manual. I will eventually command

the rotator through my logging software.

The software protocol for Rotor-EZ is the

same as that of Hy-Gain’s DCU-1.

I have not tried the Overshoot option

(which allows big antenna systems to

coast through the last three degrees into

position) or the 90-degree offset feature

(for antennas mounted at right angles).

Have I found Rotor-EZ to be useful?

You bet! I can set, start and forget—just

like on the more expensive rotator con-

trol boxes. I never find myself acciden-

tally holding the control levers down

while brake wedge is stuck. I now even

occasionally catch myself trying to use

the Auto-Point mode on my currently (but

not for long) stock Ham-IV control box.

Summary

Rotor-EZ is a simple, useful product

that fills a common need in ham shacks

at a reasonable price. You sacrifice none

of the functionality of the old control unit

by installing it. The consistent and reli-

able method by which the rotator motor

will be operated should prolong its life

and save wear and tear on the tower and

antennas. I—for one—am for any station

improvements that will help keep Murphy

at bay. Rotor-EZ is a product I can heart-

ily recommend.

Price: Rotor-EZ kit including RS-232,

$129.95; Rotor-EZ basic kit, $99.95 (plus

shipping and handling).

Manufacturer: Idiom Press, Box

1025, Geyserville, CA 95441; 707-431-

1286; sales@idiompress.com; www.

idiompress.com.

FEEDBACK

◊ Sam Ulbing, N4UAU, author of “The

World’s Smallest Code-Practice Oscilla-

tor,” QST, Feb 2001, pp 39-41, has pro-

vided a part-placement diagram for his

homemade PC board. You can download

a picture of the diagram from Sam’s Web

page http://n4uautoo.home.sprynet.

com and as ULBPIC.ZIP from the ARRL

site www.arrl.org/files/qst-binaries/.—

tnx Sam Ulbing, N4UAU

◊ Please refer to Ron Stone, KA3J, “The

UniCounter—A Multipurpose Frequency

Counter/Electronic Dial,” QST, Dec 2000,

p 34, Figure 1. Ron advises he incorrectly

showed U1 pins 12 and 13 connected to

DS1 pins 1 and 2, respectively. Correct the

schematic to show U1 pin 12 connected

to DS1 pin2 and U1 pin 13 connected to

DS1 pin1.— tnx Ron Stone, KA3J

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ELECRAFT K1 Owner's Manual Page 9

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