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Author Topic: RCS Comstar  (Read 3006 times)

trkeenan

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RCS Comstar
« on: December 31, 2022, 11:05:06 AM »

All,

My Stargate has failed after 25 years of solid service.  I have a RCS Comstar unit that I thought was a direct replacement.  The WinEvm Softare will not start the schedule or update the time even though it will download the schedule.  Is there special Comstar software to use?  Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Tim
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guyl

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2022, 12:22:12 PM »

What seems to have failed in the Stargate? Could be something as simple as a bad capacitor, or a power supply issue.
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Brian H

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2022, 02:16:47 PM »

I remember. I believe it was Jeff.  Saying they replaced the power supply capacitors and fixed it.
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brobin

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2023, 06:04:59 PM »

What specifically has failed with the Stargate? I may be able to help you with that.  Have you tried replacing the 16VAC wall wart?
There are other things I can suggest with more info.

Also, I have an original disk with the Commstar version of WinEVM 3.08.4 and associated files that I can copy for you.
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trkeenan

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2023, 08:31:17 PM »

Thanks for the ideas,

To be more specific on my Stargate failure.  I went to reset the unit because I could no longer communicate with the Win EVM.  When I cycled the power I heard a winning noise. I still could not communicate with the unit.  I removed the voice and the network boards and tried the again.  No noise and still no communication.

I disconnected the onboard battery:  no difference

The 16 VAC brick is still working
The 2 5 volt regulators at still outputting 5 volts
Xmit LED is ON
REC Led in ON
Run is ON
Active is OFF

What else could I check?

Thanks very much for the help!
Tim
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brobin

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2023, 08:55:09 PM »

So if I understand correctly, the Stargate is working fine EXCEPT for not being able to communicate with your PC.  If that's the case and you've verified that the serial port (or USB adapter)and cable on your PC is good, it could be a bad RS-232 serial chip which is an easy fix.
But if you're using COM1 for the PC and the X10 signals are still being sent from the SG1 to the TW523/PSC05 that's probably not it.
With the WebX installed can you operate modules from a browser? If yes, then the serial port is OK and it's like a problem with the PC or cable.
One other thing to check is in WinEvm verify that the serial port is configured properly. Sometimes that needs to be refreshed. Click Utilities:Options and try different serial ports 1 through 4.  If you're using a USB to serial adapter see how it's set up.
Report back with the results and we'll go from there.
I really have no idea what the whining noise might be.
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trkeenan

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2023, 10:41:37 PM »

Thanks for the ideas and communication!
I don't think the Stargate is working as the Run and Active LED are not blinking.
I know the serial port and cable is fine as I can communicate through them to a Time Commander.
Thanks,
Tim
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brobin

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Re: RCS Comstar
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2023, 12:09:22 AM »

Sounds like a more serious problem, but since you've got a Time Commander and a CommStar you should be good for another 20 years!  Let me know if the file I sent got your CommStar running.
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