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Old 04-28-2009, 07:08 PM   #1
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Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

I had a circuit breaker problem that occurred and left me wondering what would happen if I were in the middle of nowhere and the top was up. Is there a way to manually raise and lower the PH if the motor is not functioning?

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Old 04-28-2009, 08:01 PM   #2
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

Good question. This is something we asked SMB about during our build and never got an answer. How would you lower the top if power or motors failed?? Of course as Jage suggests maybe we should worry about the top powering down on us in our sleep. My wife is still having nightmares about that. Thanks Jage! I hope the solution is simple.

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Old 04-28-2009, 09:55 PM   #3
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

I actually thought that they went over this with me on my walk through, but I can't find my notes on the topic. It is hard to believe it was almost 5 years ago. Anyway looking at the picture I have of the actuators it looks like it may be possible to pull the pins out of the back and front and pull the actuator out.

Front


Rear






Of course you would need something to prop the top up while you did so. The actuators can be found at http://www.linak-us.com/
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Old 04-28-2009, 11:37 PM   #4
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

Pulling the pins is one way to get the top down, but as mentioned, the top would need to be raised higher than normal, and then propped up, in order to remove the actuators. The top is VERY HEAVY, and EXTREME CAUTION should be used if you attempt this.

You can locate the wires to the actuators by removing the raising/lowering control switch from the wall, and gently pulling the wires out of the access hole. On some models there is an 6amp automatic reset circuit breaker for the PH actuators that will also come out of the access hole with the wires. Once you have access to the wires, you can supply your own 12VDC power source to raise and lower the PH top. SMB would actually use a 12VDC battery pack from a small cordless drill to raise and lower the top, so it doesn't take a lot of power to operate. Simply reverse the (+) and (-) leads to raise or lower the PH top, there are limit switches built into the actuators.

If you're able to drive the SMB, then you should have enough power to operate the PH top, even if you have to "jump" the wiring at the control switch. It is not uncommom to drive slowly with the PH top up, but you do want to be careful, especially if you have any additional weight on the top. (I'm sure another thread could be started with tales of SMB's being driven with the top left up unintentionally!)

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Old 05-24-2009, 03:36 PM   #5
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

I specifically asked about this when we ordered our SMB recently. I was told it is not easy to do bypass the actuators/motor. For me it came down to deciding between manually lifting the PH (and whatever is on top) and the potential of the motor going out or being unavailable over time.
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Old 05-24-2009, 03:43 PM   #6
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

Since this would be an "under emergency" procedure, I think we are ok with knowing it won't be easy. The hope would of course be that we never have to use this procedure, BUT we now have a couple of ideas if we ever do have this problem.
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Old 05-25-2009, 12:39 AM   #7
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

Quote:
Originally Posted by emptynester
I specifically asked about this when we ordered our SMB recently. I was told it is not easy to do bypass the actuators/motor. For me it came down to deciding between manually lifting the PH (and whatever is on top) and the potential of the motor going out or being unavailable over time.
I'd rather be severly fubar'd on that one rare occasion than have to throw the top up on my own the 1,000 other times... but there are many other reasons to go with one or the other.

So, what did you decide emptynester, manual or electric?
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Old 08-18-2009, 06:32 PM   #8
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

As an engineer I've been wondering how the lift system works . . . and the information in this post is helpful. For myself and others, do any of you have any other photos showing the exposed frame/lift rods? Also does anyone know the actuator model used?

Thanks
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Old 08-20-2009, 01:44 PM   #9
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

This is what I downloaded a couple of years ago.

it is made from http://www.linak-us.com/. I probably have some additional photos at home. I will have to check.
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File Type: pdf linear_actuators_and_electronics_user_eng.pdf (1.20 MB, 49 views)
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Old 08-21-2009, 12:35 PM   #10
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Re: Can e-PH be raised/lowered if power fails?

Thanks for the response, but I'm interested in the specific Sportsmobile setup. Can you tell me if there are four actuators, one in each corner? Is the lift assisted by some type of spring system? Photos by anyone would be appreciated.

My electric PH top does not go up in a continuous smooth movement. It goes up a small distance, then pauses ever so briefly as if due to a slight binding, then jerks up another notch, etc. The motor doesn't sound like it loads up and releases, its just the action of the cross frame and top. It has been this way from day one. This may just be the way they all work. I'm wondering if there are tracks, screw drives, etc, that need to be lubricated?

Any thoughts?
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