The GLA800-N model is a relatively long-travel yet compact-bodied actuator available in three different sizes of 400mm (15.75"), 700mm (27.6"), and 800mm (31.5") stroke.
Typical applications include automating windows and skylights, as well as access hatches and furniture. Each actuator may provide a pushing or pulling force of up to 800N (81kg, 179lbs) and offers a travel speed of up to 15mm/s when under no-load.
This model has replaced our older GLA700-N model and offers many improvements over the older version, including a greater load capacity, much lower noise level when operating and a more stylish powder coated body and stainless steel extending rod. In addition to this these actuators come with a hall sensor encoder, enabling accurate speed and position control with a suitable motor driver.
Please see below for more product details.
The GLA800-N actuator model has been developed to be ideal for automation of hatches, furniture and other features in and around the home. It is compact, generates a much lower noise than many similarly sized actuators when in operation, and has a stylish body with a stainless steel extending rod.
A hall-sensor encoder inside the actuator means that when paired with the appropriate controller two (or more) of these actuators can be synchronised to run at the same speed, even if one is under a greater load than the other (please contact us to find out more about available control options).
Operation at 12V DC means that the actuator can be driven from low cost lead acid batteries, or by common sizes of AC/DC power adapter. We also stock 8mm-pin steel mounting brackets suitable for this actuator.
The actuator body is rated to IP66 (this applies to newer versions, with silver sleeve end-caps), it may be used outdoors but should be shielded from direct long-term rain exposure (washing/cleaning and the occasional splash are OK). The surface quality of the actuator is excellent, ideal if you want to maintain a quality look when they are exposed.
As with most of our stock actuators this model has built-in limit switches at the ends of travel, meaning the actuator should stop automatically at the fully retracted and the fully extended positions.
Integrated Encoder (for position sensing and synchronising)
The actuator has a hall-sensor based quadrature encoder built-in to the motor. The encoder is powered by two of the six cores of the main cable (+Vcc Red, -GND Black) and can run from a DC supply of between 5-24V. It has a dual-channel output (channel A Yellow lead, Channel B White lead), with each channel generating approximately 17.4 pulses per millimetre of travel. One of the channels is out of phase with the other, as such it is possible to tell both the speed (from pulse frequency) and direction (by reading the pulses of one channel and comparing it to the other) of the motor. The nature of the signals that are generated is illustrated below. Given a maximum no-load travel rate of 15mm/s for the 12V motor (when at 12V) the pulse frequency may be up to 261Hz per encoder channel (or the frequency rate may be greater than this if your controller is counting all rising/falling edges as opposed to only HIGH/LOW signal state changes). When used with the appropriate controller the encoder signals can be used for positional control with much greater accuracy and consistency than potentiometer-based actuator feedback systems.
The actuator comes with a 2m long PVC-insulated lead as standard, this has six internal cores: Blue and Brown (to the motor, thicker wires), Red and Black (positive and negative power to the hall sensor encoder circuit, thinner wires), and White and Yellow (outputs from the encoder, channel 1 and channel 2, also thinner wires). If you are only running a single actuator (don't require synchronised control) and don't need position/speed feedback then you can connect directly to the brown and blue motor leads and ignore the others. The connections are illustrated in the below diagram which also shows the limit switch circuit inside each actuator, in series with the brown and blue motor leads.
Options are provided above for us to add a Male 6-pin 'mini-fit jr' style connector (4.2mm pitch, 3x2 format, latched) onto the actuator lead, bringing the total lead length to either 1m or 2.5m. If you have a custom lead length or connector requirement, please contact us.
To change the direction of travel simply swap the polarity of the DC power source to the two motor leads (this may be achieved using hardware such as our rocker switch harness or GLA-CU-X3 remote control unit). By varying the input voltage between 0-12V DC it is possible to control the speed of the actuator. Reducing the voltage will also reduce load capacity (for example at 6V the actuator will have roughly half of the maximum load capacity at 12V, and draw half the current).
This actuator is designed primarily for compression loads, it will typically work OK in tension up to the same rated maximum load, but is is more vulnerable to damage from overloading when under tension. Avoid shock or impact loads (exceeding the rating) through the mounting points which could damage the actuator.
Due to the construction of the motor and gearbox of the GLA800-N model this actuator is particularly vulnerable to damage if it is run at a voltage above the nominal 12V DC so please ensure that your power source does not exceed this. Running at a higher voltage than the nominal 12V DC will invalidate the warranty. A 12V lead acid battery is OK which may in practice be up to 13.8V when fully charged, but this should be an absolute limit. Mains adapters should be adjusted to 12V output maximum.
Be aware of the 'duty cycle' rating of the actuator, which determines the maximum proportion of the time that the actuator should be in operation for, to prevent overheating and ensure longevity. This is specified under 'Technical Details' below.
Ensure that the control hardware and power source are capable of providing sufficient current for the loads you expect the actuator to experience. We cannot be held liable for damage caused to connected hardware due to inappropriate hardware selection. If you would like any recommendations, or for us to put together a complete power and control package, then please get in touch.
A fast-action fuse, or digital overload protection such as the GR-SENS current limiting switch, should be used to protect the actuator against stalling due to an overload, which can permanently damage the motor.
CAD models (STEP, IGS) of the actuator are available upon request.
Motor: | Nominal 12V DC, up to 40W |
No Load speed: | 15mm/s |
No Load Current: | 1.2A |
Full Load Speed: | 9mm/s |
Maximum load: | 800N (81kg, 179lbs). The maximum load should be reduced if the load is not straight, parallel to the movement of the actuator. Longer-travel actuators are affected to a greater extent by off-axis loads. |
Current for max. load: | 5.7A (do not continue to apply power to the actuator if the load exceeds the maximum rating, this would void the warranty and be likely to damage the gearbox or bearings) |
Noise levels: | < 48dB under no-load < 50dB under full-load |
Maximum duty cycle: | 15% (this is the maximum proportion of time that the actuator may be in operation for, up to 2minutes during any continuous stretch. The duty cycle should be reduced below 10% for average loads >500N) |
Life expectancy: | Nominal 40,000 strokes (though this is load dependent) |
Please be aware that there may some variation in the operating performance from actuator to actuator, as a rule-of-thumb allow for a 5% difference above/below the given values. If you intend to use the actuators in sets of two or more driving the same assembly then you must ensure that the driven assembly is rigid enough to transfer forces between them effectively or else the output could twist and put excessive stress on the framework and actuators. If your structure is not rigid or needs to stay level throughout its travel (e.g. tabletop surfaces rising/falling level to the ground) then please get in contact to discuss automatic synchronising control options. |
If you have any queries about this item, including for information on controller options and bulk pricing, then please contact us.
An overcurrent protection device for DC motors & actuators. With automatic resetting upon input polarity reversal or power reset.
Secure remote control system for operating DC motors and actuators between 12-36V and up to 20A. Many control features included.
A compact high efficiency power adapter, tuned for use with DC electric motors and other inductive loads in mind
Folded laser-cut stainless steel bracket for actuators with a 8mm mounting hole size such as the GLA1500-N