Viewsat Ultra won't move dish

[OCGW]

I bought a Viewsat Ultra about 1-1/2 years ago, I hooked ot up to a Stab 90 motor on a 36" dish got it dailed in. About 9 months ago it stopped moving to G25 (97 deg). I couldn't get it to move no matter what I did. I decided to live with it. Then it stopped moving to the 74 deg bird.

I bought a SG2100 motor and a 4' dish hooked up the Viewsat to this combo, got it dailed in and was getting all the sats again. Naturaly I thought I must have burned up the other motor.

Well in the following order I lost: everything east of 97 deg, then 103, 101, 129 (PBS), 119 (NASA) then it finally parked on G10R and wont move at all.

I saw a brief comment on another forum that Viewsats had problems with motors... can anyone comment on this receiver having this problem? I have put the latest factory file in it and it didn't fix it (wonder if it was for the Version 2 receiver).

Any thoughts would be nice. If this thing is a poor choice for FTA receiver, be blunt I can take it! Just please recommend something else in the process.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Anole]

Turbosat has a Viewsat, and it might be an Ultra.
I've been following the saga for the last year or so, and I'm probably confused by all the models they seem to have.

Never been able to definitively put my finger on the problem.
About this time last year, I thought there was a firmware upgrade that took some of the models out of the "hacker-bait only" status, and made 'em into good FTA boxes.

Since you've been able to get yours to work well for extended periods, perhaps it's just the old "transponder overload"?
You could try a full factory reset, then put in only a few favorite satellites across the arc, and don't go nuts blind-scanning or restoring your full list.
Just a thought, based on what you've reported....? -

On my list of three good FTA receivers, I'd count the Pansat 3500sd , as well as the two in my signature.
Haven't heard anyone say too much bad about them.
(the PVR is my favorite!)

 

[turbosat]

I do have the VS Ultra, bought at about the same time as his, but I don't use it with a reg diseqc motor, so I can't really comment on how they move the dishes. (I had to be different, and mount mine on a c-band dish polar mount, and use a 'classic' actuator-motor, haha)
The last 2 software upgrades from VS claim they are compatible with the version 1 Ultras, but who knows? I switched mine back to 1.24 last week, and I think 1.19 was the one before that. You can google for them and get them off the net if you didn't save them-if you want to try an older version.
I found that even the newest file STILL doesn't work on all the AC-3 channels on AMC3, that is just not something they are worried about fixing. (any old version of the 'non-standard' firmware will operate them, though, go figure)
My idea would be like Anole said, delete everything , Factory Default that is, reload software, re-enter motor coordinates, re-enter satellite settings etc, and see if that helps. Ultras have good memory but I have found that mine will act weird doing blind-scans if it has dozens of empty transponders stored. PM me if you have any questions about how to check that.

 

[ng54]

OCGW

Had an ultra for awhile, I do remember motor problems. I remember it was important to start with your south sat. Assuming your using USALS you must make sure you do a save for every sat you
setup. You will find the receiver will go to the sat ok without a save, but after a few cycles it would act up just like the symptoms mentioned.
You also can not mix USALS and DISEQC motor control between sat
setups. Early units had poor power out for motor control and would
exhibit problems when there is bad connections -cables. Hope you find
the problem.

 

[OCGW]

I installed the latest factory bin file, no change in results. I bought a Visionsat reciever and it wont move the dish either... upon further inspection I found the motor (sg-2100) has a RED led lit. My manual doesn't say anything about a red led... it mentions a green and an amber... and this thing is very much red. Any ideas what the red led is telling me?

 

[turbosat]

Sounds like motor needs resetting, some of those motors have a reset switch in a recessed hole somewhere, need a paperclip or something small to push it, and others I believe have an obvious reset button someplace.

 

[glen4cindy]

I installed the latest factory bin file, no change in results. I bought a Visionsat reciever and it wont move the dish either... upon further inspection I found the motor (sg-2100) has a RED led lit. My manual doesn't say anything about a red led... it mentions a green and an amber... and this thing is very much red. Any ideas what the red led is telling me?

The light you mention indicates an over current condition, or that the hardware limits have been reaches.

 

[OCGW]

So I looked at the manual again... I do not find anywhere a hole for a reset button. I'm wondering if I need to remove the motor and ship it back from where it came? Thoughts?

I know it's the motor as I have put the reciever on another dish and it moves it fine. I changed out the Switch also with no change. I have noticed when you press the manual move east button the led will change to green and when you press the manual move west button it will move for a little while then stop and the led lights up red.

 

[Tron]

If its an SG-2100 or equivalent, look for the reset hole very close to the LED cover, sometimes hiding a little behind the edge of the cover

 

[OCGW]

There is a hole for the led and there is the translucent button. I peeled the cover off the button and couldn't see anything except the "east" button. There are also 4 small holes on the outside corners to drain water...poked around in these and found nothing.

Normally, I would take the thing apart and physically look for the reset button, but this is still under warranty and would rather send it back before I disassemble it and void the warranty.

I'm wondering if the hole for the reset button never was made due to poor mold design or missed a process in the milling of the housing, etc.

Glen4Cindy mentioned it could be hardware limits... Could the hardware stops not been tight and have moved up to the point of allowing the dish to not move at all? This problem got progressively worse ( started losing movement to the east and it progressed to only moving about 1 degree around G10 postion?)

I will post a photo tonight.

 

[Anole]

not all 2100's are equal

There are at least two designs using the "2100" name: the old and the new.
As I recall, and I don't have both, so I may not be remembering this correctly....
- One older model/design has one button and a small hidden hole where you stick a toothpick for reset.
- The other newer model/design has two buttons - to reset it, you hold both buttons in and remove then reapply power.
So, see your manual for correct method of reset.

 

[OCGW]

0k, now were getting somewhere, my manual states to push the reset button... as you can see by the attached photo I dont have one. I will try the push both, power off, power on and see if it works.

 

[voomvoom]

I think the ReSet is in that hole (to the right) next to the indicator light?

 

[OCGW]

tried the push both buttons, power off , power back on, still not moving.

 

[Anole]

I know NOTHING !

I only know from what I've read, and not having that motor, I don't pay close attention.
What I thought I read was this:
- press and hold buttons
- disconnect power
- wait a few seconds (I'd give it a good 5-count)
- restore power while holding buttons
- continue to hold buttons 'till something interesting happens with the flashing LED - maybe 3..5..10 seconds.?.

I apologize for not being more clear, but that's what I think I've read...
If nothing else, it's anal and specific enough to get the job done, if there is any prayer of the info being right.

 

[Tron]

The reset button is inside of that small hole just to the right of your LED. It is partially covered (as I suspected it might be, mine is) in your first picture by the LED cover. In the second picture (without the LED cover), it is exposed. Push a paperclip into that hole to reset the motor. The LED will blink orange and green alternately. Hold the clip until it is fully green again, then release the reset button.

 

[Anole]

Look closely at the pictures.
In the first image, look at the label above the holes.
The large round hole is labeled East button, with the LED to the right of it.

In the 2nd picture without the cover, you can see the East switch at the bottom of the large hole.
I think the small hole to the right is just the LED...

This is clearly the 2-button model.
I've never seen it reported that they had a 3rd switch for reset...
...but ya never know.

I have an earlier generation around here somewhere with the single button and the reset switch hidden under the LED cover as Tron described.
It's a whole 'nother animal.
Will see if I can get a close-up picture of it this afternoon.

 

[Anole]

older SG-2100

Okay, here is a picture of a classic (older) SG-2100 motor.
This is the one everybody knows and talks about.

Yellow: the gray rubber cover is the East/West button.

Green: translucent cover fits over the LED (see the LED down inside?), and partly covers the reset hole.

Red : toothpick actuates the reset switch.

The -new- SG-2100's don't look like this... they look like the pix posted above by OCGW.
Read his label to see the differences.

Yes, they have used the same case, with the same holes, but the guts behind the metal are different.

 

[Tron]

Looks like the casing is identical, they only changed the guts Wonder if a reset can be activated using the paperclip-hole technique on the newer model... I've heard they can be a bear to reset, glad both of mine are the classic version :up

 

[OCGW]

Well, first I want to thank you guys for helping out.

Conclusion...I'm taking it off the dish and sending it back. I have done the "Hard rest" and it still will not move the dish, just sits there.

I'm beginning to think that this brand of dish motor is a P.O.S. Wonder if one of the other motors on the market will be any better or if I should just park it on one bird and call it good.

Has anyone tried one of the other brands out there?