Patent ID: 7030579

Claim:
A mechanism for retrofitting a turret that has a manual rotation system with a motorized turret rotation system, the mechanism comprising: a gear box mechanically coupled to the turret; an electrically powered prime mover unit mechanically coupled to the gear box; a user operated control device electrically coupled to the prime mover unit; an electrical power supply electrically coupled to the prime mover unit, wherein the turret rotates relative to a body structure, the gear box and the prime mover unit are mounted to the body structure, the control device and the electrical power supply are positioned on the turret, the power supply provides electrical power to the prime mover, the control device presents a control signal to the prime mover when the user actuates the control device, and the turret rotates in response to the control signal; and an electrical power source that is positioned on the body and electrically coupled to the power supply via mating electrical connector halves that are disengagable in response to a predetermined tension force, a first tether connected to a first respective half of the connector halves and the body and a second tether connected to a second respective half of the connector halves and the turret, wherein the electrical power source provides a charging current to the power supply, and the tethers are sized such that when the turret is rotated beyond a predetermined range, the tethers provide a tension force that exceeds the predetermined tension force.