Need sources for pot with planetary drive

Greetings:

Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor at
http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
Resistance = 1K

It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637

Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
sufficiently robust.

Regards,

Michael
msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org

i remember these used to have slippage problems at the ball to shaft (after
a few hundred rotations)  and required feedback looped mechanical drives to
accurately position anything they were used to control.

try something new!


"msg" <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote in message
news:139f22h91ghhna7@corp.supernews.com...
> Greetings:
>
> Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor at
> http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> Resistance = 1K
>
> It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637
>
> Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
> larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
> sufficiently robust.
>
> Regards,
>
> Michael
> msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org

On Jul 13, 10:12 am, msg <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote:
> Greetings:
>
> Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor athttp://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> Resistance = 1K
>
> It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637
>
> Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
> larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
> sufficiently robust.

Wow, I had seen those in the past but not for many many years.

If you are truly updating some rotators, there are some articles in
QST, CQ, 73, etc. from the past 20-30 years on doing it using
something other than 360-degree pots. Some of them use essentially
homebrew shaft encoders.

Tim.

On Jul 13, 8:02 am, "HapticZ" <hapt...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> i remember these used to have slippage problems at the ball to shaft (after
> a few hundred rotations)  and required feedback looped mechanical drives to
> accurately position anything they were used to control.
>
> try something new!
>
> "msg" <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote in message
>
> news:139f22h91ghhna7@corp.supernews.com...
>
> > Greetings:
>
> > Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> > pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor at
> >http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> > Resistance = 1K
>
> > It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637
>
> > Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> > nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> > rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
> > larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
> > sufficiently robust.
>
> > Regards,
>
> > Michael
> > msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org

I remember them, also, and the slippage. I used to lube them to make
them work better. They didn't.

I now know they must never be lubed and must be kept really clean.
They work because of the friction between the shaft, the ball and the
housing. Our pick-and place machine, used to place SMT components on
circuit boards, uses the same technology to convert rotary motion to
very accurate linear motion. The wheels and shaft must be kept very
clean, or we get positioning errors.

I have no clue about the current source of the devices, but probably
have a few in the junk box!

Paul, KD7HB

agreed, i have used pc mouse encoders with a hacked mouse circuit board for
various projects.

2 axis, three butttons , plenty of  easy to use software, even write your
own visual basic

can even determine direction and speeds!

its all simple enough and uses standard rs232 ports.

mouse click buttons can be used to determine limit positions at extreme
points

the newer mice with some 6  or 7 variables can do lotsa stuff!



"Tim Shoppa" <shoppa@trailing-edge.com> wrote in message
news:1184355500.197655.253270@n2g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 13, 10:12 am, msg <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote:
> > Greetings:
> >
> > Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> > pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor
athttp://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> > Resistance = 1K
> >
> > It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637
> >
> > Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> > nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> > rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
> > larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
> > sufficiently robust.
>
> Wow, I had seen those in the past but not for many many years.
>
> If you are truly updating some rotators, there are some articles in
> QST, CQ, 73, etc. from the past 20-30 years on doing it using
> something other than 360-degree pots. Some of them use essentially
> homebrew shaft encoders.
>
> Tim.
>

http://cgi.ebay.com/CTS-Potentiometers-137-8418-VA45R502A-Ball-Bearing_W0QQi
temZ7595963466QQihZ017QQcategoryZ58164QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

try ebay  search  "ball potentiometer"


"msg" <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote in message
news:139f22h91ghhna7@corp.supernews.com...
> Greetings:
>
> Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor at
> http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> Resistance = 1K
>
> It was made in 1966 by CTS; stampings: 36129 137.6637
>
> Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> nowadays? I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> rotator assemblies in a space that does not permit using
> larger multi-turn pots and using trimmer versions is not
> sufficiently robust.
>
> Regards,
>
> Michael
> msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org

msg <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote in news:139f22h91ghhna7
@corp.supernews.com:

>  I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
> rotator assemblies 

Do you mean the rotator or the controller?

For the rotator, you can maybe use a standard pot with gearing. I made an 
old 3 wire rotator a 5 wire with a pot an a 4 to 3 gear. One gear was fixed 
to the output shaft, the other to the pot, so that one full rotation (360 
degrees) of the rotator shaft turned the pot its full path, or therabouts 
(270 degrees). The controller just had a typical 270 degree pot and a 3/4 
scale that rotated N-E-S-W-N.

On Jul 13, 7:12 am, msg <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote:
> Please view these photos of a three-turn planetary drive
> pot that uses a conventional "stackpot" formfactor athttp://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> Resistance = 1K

Interesting.  I've never seen a pot like this.

So the turns ratio is determined by the shaft diameter to ball
diameter ratio?
And the wiper arm is connected to the ball carrier?
So this assumes the metal to metal, shaft to ball won't slip, but the
ball will turn in the carrier, causing the carrier to have 1/3 the
rotation of the shaft?

Sorry, this doesn't help you at all...
Alan Nishioka

Gary Tait wrote:

> msg <msg@_cybertheque.org_> wrote in news:139f22h91ghhna7
> @corp.supernews.com:
> 
> 
>> I need the form factor for modifications to antenna
>>rotator assemblies 
> 
> 
> Do you mean the rotator or the controller?
> 
> For the rotator, you can maybe use a standard pot with gearing.
<snip>

I had considered gearing but the available space and the
necessary additional fabrication was more involved than
the solution I chose.

Here are photos of the modified rotor:

http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/rotor/

This rotor is common to a number of makes and models; the controller
that came with it was for the Cornell-Dubilier AR22R, an interrupter
based spring and escapement controller version.

The modifications permit continuous rotation and rely on the
controller to manage limits.

Regards,

Michael
msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org

msg wrote:

<snip>
> http://www.cybertheque.org/homebrew/rcvr/images/antennas/pot.jpg
> Resistance = 1K
<snip>
> Does anyone recognize this pot technology? Any suppliers
> nowadays?

Thanks to all for replies so far.

Regards,

Michael
msg _at_ cybertheque _dot_ org