Radio Remote Control Crane Set

The whole made of transmitter, relay-output receiver, antenna, wiring diagram and manual. Its weakest link, often the antenna placement, sets performance.

A radio remote control crane set is the whole made up of the transmitter the operator carries, the relay-output receiver connected to the machine, the antenna, the wiring diagram and the user manual. In AXI's SF100 set this content is supplied as the LF200 remote control, the LF100R panel-mount receiver, the antenna, the diagram and the manual; the channel option varies with the set and is 2 channels on the SF100 and the SF200.

The three layers of the set

Although the set is sold as a single product, it consists of three interdependent layers: the transmitter that generates the command, the receiver that picks the command up over the radio and turns it into a dry contact, and the antenna that brings these two sides together. The diagram in the box shows which terminal of the receiver belongs to the supply and which to the relay contact; the manual contains the learning procedure needed for the transmitter and the receiver to recognise each other. If that procedure is lost the set does not stop working, but teaching a spare remote control in the field becomes impossible.

The differences between the sets

On the remote control side there are two power approaches: the LT200 is Li-Po rechargeable and IP67, while the LF200 runs on 3×AAA batteries and is IP64. On the receiver side there are two housings as well; the LT200R has cable glands and a gasketed cover. The answer to the question panel-mount or outdoor receiver depends on where it is mounted, not on the name of the application.

The weakest link sets the performance

If you choose the right receiver but leave the antenna inside a metal panel, you will get a result far below the open-field range stated in the catalogue. When the antenna stays close to a metal surface it is not only the distance that suffers but the direction as well; the range is adequate on one side and unusable on the other, and the fault is unfairly put down to the remote control. The same logic applies to the protection rating: the receiver being IP67 does not protect the remote control from rain, and the protection ratings of the two sides are independent of each other. That is why, when making your choice, you should bring the mounting environment into the decision as much as the number of channels.

Where the set is not enough

A relay output is an on/off contact; on jobs that require stepless speed or proportional movement it is not enough on its own. The smoothness of the movement is provided by the driver, the contactor or the valve on the machine side. Nor is the set a safety system: limit switches, direction interlocks and the emergency stop chain are built separately on the machine side, and the remote control does not take their place.

Take account of what does not come out of the box as well. The set consists of the remote control, the receiver, the antenna, the diagram and the manual; the contactor, the fuse, the terminals, the cable and the mounting plate are the responsibility of whoever does the installation. The most frequent delay in the field comes from having bought the set without having prepared the panel. Keeping a spare remote control on a line that runs without a break through the shift belongs on this list too; a fault in the remote control stops the machine on its own.

What to do

Before choosing, answer three questions in order: how many independent movements will be driven, where will the receiver be mounted, and in what weather will the remote control be left. Decide the number of channels from that list; write the antenna placement into the mounting plan from the start as well, because that is the most troublesome part to correct afterwards.

The context in which this term is used: Wireless Crane Remote Control Selection Guide

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