Frequently Asked Questions
General
How
do I decide which actuator is right for my application?
Go to
www.actuonix.com to see
in-depth listings for each actuator type. You can also download the
datasheet for each actuator type to see all the detailed
specifications, wiring diagram, part drawings and 3D CAD files.
There is also an applications page where some examples of actuators
in use are listed. Finally, you can contact
sales@actuonix.com
for assistance.
How
do I find my product?
To
find the product(s) you're looking for your may:
1. Use
the navigation menus on the top, left & bottom of our website.
2. Type
a keyword into the SEARCH box. If you have any trouble locating a
product, feel free to
contact customer service for assistance.
Accounts
How do I create an account?
1. Click
the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right side of our
site
2. Enter
email address
3. Select
“I am a new customer”.
Then
simply follow the prompts to complete setting up your account. Your
information is never sold to any other company and is kept completely
private. Please review our privacy policy for more information.
How
do I edit my account information
Click
the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right hand side of
our site to edit your account information.
I
forgot my password
Click
the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right hand side of
our site. Under the login box you'll see a link that says “Forgot
your password? Click here”. That link will send an email to you
with your password.
I
have a question about my charges
Click
the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right hand side of
our site to review your orders. You may compare your order history on
our website with your financial records. If you have further
questions or concerns, please contact our customer service department
at
sales@actuonix.com.
Product Questions
What are the included accessories for?
L12, L16 and P16 accessories:
We have included new mounting brackets and spacers for holding the square aluminum shaft housing secure and level with
the actuator’s body. The spacers are specific for each model and are clearly
marked.


Can I
slow my actuator down?
Yes,
by lowering the voltage you drive it with. The voltage specified for
each actuator on the data sheet is the maximum allowed. If you use a
lower voltage the actuator will move more slowly, and push less
force. To lower the voltage you can use fewer batteries, add a
voltage regulator to your circuit or use PWM of the drive voltage.
There is a minimum voltage required to overcome the friction inside
the actuator, and this will depend on the load you attach to it.
Please note: the minimum voltage for the L12-I & R types and the
LAC is 3.5 volts for the control circuit to operate.
NOTE:
if using a “P” series actuator with our LAC board, you can adjust
the speed of the actuator through the speed adjustment pot located
just above the X4 connector block. You will have to power cycle the
LAC to load the new settings.
You can find the datasheet for our LAC board here.
How can I check which products are in stock?
You can check our stock status two ways:
1. From our home page click on the "Company Information" tab, scroll down to the "Inventory" tab and you will see another drop-down of all our products. Click on the one you're interested in to view our stock.
2. From a product page, you can click the inventory tab, within it there is a link to view the inventory of that product.
Will
2 actuators of the same voltage and gearing run at the same speed?
The
speed of 2 actuators of the same voltage and gearing can vary due to
internal friction variances. However if you need to have 2 actuators
running at the exact same speed, send us an email. Quite often we can
test a pair for you to be as close to the same speed as possible.
Do
you have 3D models of your actuators available for download?
Yes,
you can find all of our downloadable files on our
Product
Documentation
page.
How
do Actuonix Micro Actuators work?
All
Actuonix micro linear actuators use a lead screw driven by a PMDC
motor to create linear motion from a DC voltage. When power is
removed they will hold their position. If a force large enough to
overcome the internal friction is applied, the actuator will back
drive.
How
long will my actuator last?
The
life will vary greatly depending on your application. Everything from
load, temperature, humidity, speed, duty cycle and voltage stability
will affect the lifespan. We encourage our clients to do their own
testing to determine our product's lifetime suitability for their
particular application. To get the longest possible life from your
actuator see
these
tips.
How
to light an LED with a PQ12 “S” series actuator when the limits are
reached
Here is the link to a circuit diagram showing how to connect a PQ12 “S”
series actuator to a light an LED when the limit switch is engaged
Can I
paint my actuator?
Sure
you can! We have had great success with Plasti-Dip spray. Be careful
not to paint the actuator shaft, just the exterior housing. NOTE:
Actuators can not be returned after painting.

I
can't get my LAC board to work
Sometimes,
the LAC boards aren't loaded correctly with their default values.
Before contacting tech support, please try the following 3 things:
1. Double
check your connections, and that you have power to the + and –
terminals of connector block
2. Check
that all four of the blue potentiometers on the LAC are turned fully
clockwise.
3. Power
the LAC off and then back on to load the default settings.
Now
try the LAC again. We have a
video series on using our LAC board on your YouTube channel, you may want to check that out as well.
If you are having trouble installing the LAC software's drivers, our support department has a fix for that. Some builds of Windows 10 will not install the LAC drivers properly.
Can I
power my LAC board from USB? No
you can not. USB alone cannot provide enough power for the LAC board
and an actuator. You will need to provide DC power to the positive
and negative terminals of X6 via a battery pack or external DC
adapter.
This voltage must be the same as the actuator's required
voltage
. (6VDC or 12VDC).
The light on my LAC board won't come on
The light will only come on if the board has both power and a valid input signal. If the LED won't come on be sure to check the data sheet to ensure that you have a valid input signal connected properly.
Where
can I download product documentation?
All
of our product documentation and data sheets can be found here:
Product
Documentation
.
I
have the datasheet but what does it all mean?
Check
out this
Tech Note for an explanation of the terms and units on the
datasheet.
I
need help with Arduino
We do
not offer Arduino support. We have however put together some
information and links to articles about using our products with Arduino. You can find that page
here.
Will
the “R” series linear servos replace the servos in my RC
plane/car/boat/robot?
The
L12-R, L16-R or PQ12-R are designed to be a plug-and-play replacement
for RC rotary servos and will work with most RC receivers.
Ordering
and Shipping
When will my credit card be charged?
Your credit card will be charged within 24 hours prior to shipment of
your items.
When do you ship?
We ship all order of in-stock items at 2pm PST Monday-Friday. Note: If using your own FedEx account for shipping, the cutoff is
11AM PST. We have an early pickup as we are in a rural area.
What are my options for payment?
During the checkout process you may choose any of our current payment
options and continue to place your order. We accept Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. For qualified customers we accept Purchase Orders.
If you just need a quote to requisition payment, please choose
“Proforma Invoice/Quote” as the payment method. Please note that
we will not ship your order until we receive payment.
I'm getting an “AVS Mismatch” when I place my order with my
credit card
This means that the billing information you entered does not match
the billing information of the cardholder. You will need to change
your billing information to exactly match the credit card you are
using as our system uses address verification.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping is automatically calculated prior to submitting your payment
information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the
checkout page where you will be offered shipping method choices and
their prices.
Do you ship to my country?
Please create an account by clicking the “My Account/Order Status”
link at the top right hand side of our site. During signup we'll ask
for your shipping address details including country. If your country
is not in the drop-down menu of available countries, unfortunately we
cannot ship to your country at this time. Generally if UPS will ship
to you then we will ship to you.
Do I have to pay duties?
You the customer are responsible for duties imposed by your country
upon importation. Please be aware that if you reject a package because it has duties owing, it may not be possible to retrieve it and even if we can you will not be refunded for your order as we will have the pay these duties to get the package back.
How can I get a copy of my receipt?
After logging in, click the “My Account/Order Status” link at the
top right hand side of our site to print invoices.
How do I change quantities or cancel an item in my order?
Click the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right hand
side of our site to view orders you have placed. Then click the
“Change Quantities/Cancel Orders” link to find and edit your
order. Please note that once an order has begun processing or has
shipped, the order is no longer editable.
How do I track my order?
Click the “My Account/Order Status” link at the top right hand
side of our site to track your order
Note: If you selected “Canada Post Small Packet Air International”
for your shipping method, there is no tracking available for this
service.
I never received my order
Click the “My Account/Order History” link at the top right hand
side of our site to track your order status. Be sure that all of the
items in your order have shipped already. If your order displays your
package tracking numbers, check with the shipper to confirm that your
packages were delivered. If your packages each show a status of
“delivered”, lease contact customer service for assistance.
I received the wrong product
If you feel that you have received the wrong product, please contact
customer service within 72 hours of receiving the product.
For additional questions about shipping, please read our shipping policies.
Product Warranty
Actuonix Motion Devices' sole obligation and liability
for product defects shall be, at Actuonix's option, to replace such
defective product or refund to customer the amount paid. In no event
shall Actuonix's liability exceed the buyer's purchase price. The
foregoing remedy shall be subject to buyer's written notification of
defect and return of the defective product
within 180 days of
purchase.
This Limited Warranty does NOT cover:
-
Products purchased from an unauthorized re-seller
-
Products purchased through online auctions
-
Damage
caused by
(a)
Accident, fire, abuse, misuse, neglect, unusual
physical or electrical stress or modification
(b) Improper or unauthorized installation, wiring, repair,
testing or
(c) Use of the product outside Actuonix Motion Devices' data
sheet guidelines for that product
-
Normal wear and tear
-
Instances in which anyone other than Actuonix Motion Devices
staff alters, modifies or services the products in any way
-
Products that have had the serial numbers or date tags
removed or altered
-
Batteries contained or used in our product
- Instances in which a manufacturing defect is not present, but the product has exceeded its useful lifespan.*
*The motors in our actuators, as with all DC motors, have a rated lifespan from the manufacturer; this varies by model. The expected lifespan will decrease when the device is run in extreme conditions including:
- Higher than 20% duty cycle - Extreme hot or cold temperatures - Input voltage above or below the value indicated on the datasheet
Depending on operating conditions, it may be possible to exceed the actuator's useful lifespan within the warranty period. In such cases, the actuator will not be covered by warranty.
Customers with warranty claims must email us at sales@actuonix.com for an RMA number BEFORE returning their product. Your RMA number
must appear clearly on the outside of the returned package. Product
must be shipped back to us prepaid of all taxes.
Any RMA shipped to
us with the shipping charges or duties owing will be refused.
Returns
What is your return policy?
Actuonix Motion Devices accepts merchandise returns
subject to the terms as outlined below and will replace the product
or refund our money at your option. To facilitate processing of
returned merchandise please contact a Customer Service Representative
to obtain an RMA (Returned Merchandise Authorization) number first
prior to returning a product. You can reach customer service at 1-888-225-9198 or
sales@actuonix.com
All returns of non-defective merchandise must be made
within
30 days of the date of invoice and be accompanied by the
original invoice number and a brief explanation of the reason for the
return. Parts returned due to customer error may be subject to a 25%
restocking charge.
Returned merchandise must be in original packaging
and in unused condition.
Defective merchandise may be returned within 180 days of
the original invoice date and need not be in original packaging.
Return freight charges must be prepaid. C.O.D. Returns
will not be accepted.
Any parts specified as “Non-Cancelable/Non-Returnable”
at time of quote or sale are not returnable.
Ship items back PREPAID to the address below:
Actuonix Motion Devices RMA# Unit 201, 1753 Sean Heights Saanichton, BC Canada V8M 0B3
On the customs documents, make sure to check “Goods
returned to owner/manufacturer for repair/warranty” using tariff
code
9813.00.00.95 otherwise they will be taxed again.
When will a return credit appear on my account?
Credits usually take a couple of business days from the
time we receive your item(s).
Can I return custom units?
We do not accept returns on custom actuators.
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