Babolat Star Iii Info

[botticelli]

I just received a Babolat Star 3 machine and I need help calibrating this machine. The machine is off by two pounds so if I am stringing a racquet at 65 pounds then the machine is really stringing at 63 pounds. I have been searching for a manual, but even the Babolat website does not have this information.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Gaines Hillix]

Removing the cover

http://www.racquettech.com/members/calibration/images/babolat_cover.jpg

1. On the pulling head, locate the dial pin that holds the pulling head to the post that comes up through the top of the cover, and push it out with an awl or any other small tool. Remove the dial pin from the opposite side.
2. Lift the pulling head off of its post.
3. Remove the two screws from the top of the cover, using the large Phillips screwdriver.
4. Carefully raise the cover. There is a cable connecting the cover to the rest of the machine, so you want to lift the cover just enough to reveal the cable.
5. Trace the cable from the cover to its connection on the circuit board (black connector). Grasp the connector with your thumb and forefinger at 12:00 o'clock and 6 o'clock, and pull upward to disconnect the cable.
6. Set the cover aside for now.
7. Locate the black connector where you just disconnected the cable coming from the cover. Just to the right, you will see a long, thin gray or yellow electrical component, with the number "35" written on top of it. Farther to the right, you will see another similar component with the number "10" written on top of it. On the end of each these components, facing the front of the machine, is a small adjustment screw. These are used to set the calibration of the machine. Note: DO NOT remove the clear dust cover that protects the circuit board.
8. With the cover still off, replace the pulling head on the post. You may have to push down on the pulling head to align the holes for the dial pin.
9. Have someone else hold the cover for you, and reconnect the cable from the cover to the circuit board. DO NOT force the cable connector. It is designed to plug in one way only.

Calibrating the low end

http://www.racquettech.com/members/calibration/images/babolat_circuit-board.jpg

1. Set the dial for the reference tension to 10 kg (20 pounds).
2. Pull tension on an accurate calibrator.
3. If the machine calibration is off, turn the adjustment screw on the component marked "10". If the machine is pulling low, turn the adjustment screw clockwise. If the machine is pulling high, turn the adjustment screw counter-clockwise. Note: Use small adjustments only (such as, one-eighth or one-quarter turn).
4. Repull tension, check, and make further adjustments as necessary.

Calibrating the high end

1. Set the dial for the reference tension to 30 kg (65 pounds).
2. Pull tension on the calibrator.
3. If the machine calibration is off, turn the adjustment screw on the component marked "35". If the machine is pulling low, turn the adjustment screw clockwise. If the machine is pulling high, turn the adjustment screw counter-clockwise. Note: Use small adjustments only (such as, one-eighth or one-quarter turn).
4. Repull tension, check, and make further adjustments as necessary.

Finishing up

1. You may have to go back and forth several times between checking and adjusting the low end, and checking and adjusting the high end, in order to get both correct.
2. If you turn either of the adjustment screws more than eight times and the calibration is still not correct, contact Babolat before going any further.
3. Replace the cover. Happy stringing!

Additional troubleshooting

It is always possible that the reason the machine is out of calibration is that one or more components have failed or are starting to fail. One easy-to-check component is the dial for setting reference tension.

1. Turn the dial to a very low reference tension (less than 10 kg / 20 pounds).
2. With no string attached to the pulling head, push the button to activate the tension head. Note the speed at which the head is moving.
3. Once the tension head has begun to move, turn the dial to a higher tension. The speed of the tension head should increase. If it does not, the tension dial is defective and must be replaced.

If the tension dial passes this test, but the calibration on your machine does not settle down, there is a possibility that there is a problem either with the load cell or other internal components of your Star 2 or Star 3. Contact Babolat for further information.

As quoted from racquettech.com .

 

[abllee2198]

Gaines: Good reply.

Slight correction to reply. The Star 2 and 3 machines do not have a loadcell, they measure tension by comparing pulled tension to a reference spring. The reference spring is measured with a precision potentiometer called a Megatron (brand). This part costs about $200. It's costly because the potentiometer is is laser trimmed for linearity over the measurement span. There is no computer in the Star 2 or 3.

The Babolat Star 4 and Sensor use a loadcell.

A..Lee

 

[gregraven]

The mistake is not Gaines but mine: I wrote "load cell" when I should have written "Magnatron" (or whatever the part's name is). I've fixed it for future reference.

By the way, although Gaines doesn't explicitly mention it, this calibration sequence is from the Calibration section of the USRSA website, RacquetTECH.com. The information is a combination of published Babolat materials and conversations I've had with Ken Farris, in Babolat Machine Services.

 

[Gaines Hillix]

Oppssss, thanks Greg.