Distinctive Merit

TrakBox Jr.
The TrakBox Jr. is a follow-up to the original (no longer available) TrakBox, which was used to track antennas in real time and provide a hardware interface to control antenna rotors. Similarly, the TrakBox Jr. provides an interface between a PC running a tracking program (Nova) and a rotor controller. A 5-V power supply, a serial interface, a rotor interface, and an H8/3664 CPU comprise the project. The PC collects real-time satellite tracking data and sends the rotor’s azimuth and elevation commands to the TrakBox Jr. via a serial port. The system then compares the commanded position to the current position and generates the appropriate correction signals. The rotor controller accepts digital signals to drive the elevation rotor up or down and the azimuth rotor clockwise and counterclockwise.

Steve Lubbers
U.S.
steve.lubbers@delphi.com

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