elescopes and antennas constantly scan the night sky, observing across the electromagnetic spectrum as part of ground-breaking research into the nature of our universe. While the first telescopes relied solely on
visible light, now observatories can detect radio and microwaves. An area that has spurred intense research is the CMB, a remnant of the
Big Bang. Highly sensitive telescopes and antennas located far from sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI) observe deep space at this spectrum to research the creation, expansion and composition of our universe. As the Earth rotates, the telescopes and antennas must move axially
and elevate to keep aligned with a particular observed section of the sky. Sometimes, the dishes and receivers must be rotated to ensure accurate reception of signals from space. The rotating ranges of the telescopes are limited because of cabling, cooling hoses and mechanical constraints – and this is where Stromag Geared Cam Limit Switches come in.
The company manufactures a wide range of Geared Cam Limit Switches at its facility in Unna, Germany. These are designed to provide slowing and stopping functionality at pre-set limits. CPI VERTEX ANTENNENTECHNIK contacted Stromag to provide limit
switches for equipment destined for a new observatory being built in Chile. Although typically used on cranes to limit the movement of loads, the company is using them on its telescopes and antenna for space research. The Geared Cam Limit Switches are being used to protect the highly sensitive equipment from damage in case of malfunction. The Simons Observatory is being constructed at 5,200m (17,000 ft)
inside the Chajnantor Science Preserve, making it one of the highest telescope installations the world. It will join the operational Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Simons Array to aid in the next generation of CMB research, adding several new telescopes and cameras with state-of-the-art detector arrays. For the application, the company provided Series HGE and HEG Geared Cam
Limit Switches. These limit the axial, elevation and polarisation movements of the telescopes and antenna. Devices offer two contact points at both the upper and lower (or left and right) limits, the first for initially slowing the movement and the second for a complete stop. We design each geared cam limit switch to offer a certain number of turns from the upper to the lower limit, which we tailor by modifying the gear ratio. We can offer a switching point repeatability to 1/1000th of the travel pass, which for 20m of travel would equate to 20mm accuracy of limit switch adjustment. This level of accuracy is highly beneficial for sensitive equipment collecting scientific data, like a telescope or antenna. By adjusting a worm gear, operators can set the limit as desired. In
addition, the worm gear is self-locking, which ensures that, once set, there will be no subsequent change in position. Encoder integration is also available to provide the information to the control systems regarding the current position in between the contacts. The contacts are responsible for the safe stopping of the antenna at the end of its travel range.
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