Using Old C Band Dish Mount to track Sun. Is it possible?

[Industrial Toys]

I am trying to figure out a simple way to move a single 3 foot x 8 foot solar water heating panel for a hot tub. I have an old C band dish mount. I know it tracks in a polar arc. Would it be of any use to track the sun? Can it be modified? It does not have to be perfect.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I am trying to figure out a simple way to move a single 3 foot x 8 foot solar water heating panel for a hot tub. I have an old C band dish mount. I know it tracks in a polar arc. Would it be of any use to track the sun? Can it be modified? It does not have to be perfect.

It would not be automatic. I may use a couple of gell-cells and a toggle switch. I may move the panel a couple of times a day, just to position it a little better. It beats feeding the wood stove I made for this purpose!

 

[k0ua]

Thse ideas may be of some use to you. There are many more resources on the web.

403 Forbidden

https://www.pc-control.co.uk/howto_tracksun.htm

 

[Mendonsy]

I'm not sure what your mount looks like, but do some searching for a "linear actuator". There should be something available that you could use. There are a lot of them that run on a 12 volt motor which could be run from a battery and solar charger.

Here's one I just found on ebay. Linear-Actuator-12-inch-Stroke-Heavy-Duty-12-Volt-DC-200-Pound-Max-Lift

 

[MossRoad]

There were two identical threads, so I merged them together. Please continue discussion.

 

[techman]

I did designs on sun trackers a few years ago and became quite versed. You could do a single axis with minimal mods. You could set the azimuth for mid year (equinoxes) and gain 15% or so. A two axis will get you 20%+ improvement, but requires two actuators and a more complex mount.

Your bigger issue will be the flex of water lines, etc.

paul

 

[Industrial Toys]

Where the math comes in, I'm kind of lost. It never ceased to amaze me how those NASA people could figure out such complicated stuff with nothing but a slide rule!

I have the mount and actuator. I just wondered if the design of the mount would or could be of any use in tracking the sun, if only to a limited degree.

I don't think the thing will ever see enough use to worry about the tubing breaking. Besides, it is very low pressure. I have rad hose coming out of the collector and high pressure steam hose covered in foam insulation tubes inside a 4" duct from the hot tub..

 

[oosik]

I had an old C-band antenna and it moved E to W with a remote control. It could have been easily adjusted up/down to face into the sun and moved periodically throughout the day to keep up with the sun. Sound like an idea worth exploring further. And if you still have the dish attached - line with with HD aluminum foil and you will probably be boiling water, pretty pronto.

 

[MossRoad]

Equatorial mount would work best....

I don't know anything about your satellite mount. I have played with telescopes since I was a kid. On a telescope you point the mount at the north star, make a couple adjustments on the object you want to track, and from that point on, you only have to turn one adjustment to keep following that object throughout the night.... you could put your linear actuator on that adjustment and off you go. Or, find a slow motor and gear it for the proper RPM. My dad made one from a grill rotisserie motor. The sky turns 360 degrees in 24 hours. So that's 15 degrees per hour. That's .25RPM. If you found a 1RPM motor and a 4:1 gear reduction, you'd get the proper tracking speed.... I think. :laughing: Anyhow, its not hard to do, just have fun experimenting.

The sun works the same way....

Simple Polar Alignment for Beginners

http://bushnell.com/getmedia/5a750638-428a-4cfe-9504-7874387a8d09/78-4502.pdf?ext=.pdf

Watch this utube video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhKYvwl86pA

 

[jaotguy]

photo cell to a relay ... relay handles the power for the linear actuator ( any voltage ) .... photo cell mounted to the dish , and a cover strip over the photo cell .... sun moves away from dead on , the light hits the cell and triggers the actuator ... moves the dish till the strip covers the cell again ...

need a cover strip at each end ( dawn and dusk ) to stop the travel of the actuator ( any any stray night lights / full moon , etc )

reset button reverses the actuator to dawn position ..