Magnet sensors in Satellite dish position sensing in the DTH industry

A satellite dish is a concave device used to transmit and receive information and is used primarily in the direct-to-home (DTH) TV industry. Most DTH providers use dishes that are fixed to a permanent location, but satellite TV enthusiasts used motor driven dishes so that the dish can be moved to face any satellite position towards the sky. This makes searching and locking on to custom or private broadcasts easier.

The satellite dish is mounted on a pole and driven by two servo motors, which are used to control and rotate the dish to face any direction. When the satellite dish is signalled to rotate by the controller, a feedback system is required to help the controller know how much the dish has rotated so that it can correlate it to actual direction angle or elevation.

This is done by using Magnet Sensors paired with multi-pole ring magnets mounted on the rotating motor shafts. The pulse counting square wave output of the Sensors are fed back to the controller. This not only helps in recording the position of the satellite dish when locked into a signal, so it can be used in future, but to also systematically scan the sky for signals. Scanning is useful in mobile news trucks

Application Classification

Applications are classified as Position Sensing, Pulse Counting, Electromagnetic or Relay, Temperature Sensing or Magnet Biasing types. This application is classified as follows and the link gives more information on best practices to help select the most suitable AT band and matching magnet.

Pulse Counting Type

When an application requires the volume of a fluid, or a distance, or the RPM of a machine tool measured, such an application can be Continue reading -> Dec 2, 2024

Recommended Products

The Reed Switches and Sensors used in such applications need to be robust, durable and efficient in meeting a high life expectancy. Our engineers work hard in life testing our products under various conditions, and our intention is to ensure end product durability and life. Although we wouldn’t want to restrict any of our products for use in only certain applications, the recommended products for use in this application are listed below.

M5 Threaded Sensor Cylindrical Sensor, MS-225

MS-225 Threaded Magnet Sensor drawing starFeatures10W Contact Rating. Normally Open contact. Three sensitivity bands. Sputtered Continue reading -> Dec 2, 2024

M8 Threaded Sensor Cylindrical Sensor, MS-228

MS-228 M8 Threaded Sensor Drawing starFeatures30W Contact Rating. Normally Open contact. Three sensitivity bands. Sputtered Ruthenium Continue reading -> Dec 2, 2024