Head type settles this purchase. Somfy builds the Sonesse ULTRA 506A2 RTS in two head styles, and reference 1002564 is the round head build. Somfy names it Sonesse ULTRA 506A2 RTS RH. That RH suffix tells you which LT50 mounting plate to put in the pocket. Order a star plate for this motor and the job stops at the bracket.
Round head, star head, and the plate that follows
The 506A2 RTS platform carries the same motor in either head: 6 Nm of torque at 24 rpm, a 433.420 MHz Radio Technology Somfy receiver, and a 38 dB noise rating. Head geometry changes the hardware at the drive end. A round head takes a round LT50 plate. A star head takes a star plate. Neither one substitutes for the other, and no adapter bridges them.
Installers choose the round head on two kinds of job. Retrofits come first, where the pocket already holds round LT50 plates from an earlier motor and the shop wants to reuse them. New builds come second, where the fabricator standardises one head across a floor so the service kit stays small. Check the plate stock before the motor ships.
Interior shades and projection screens
This reference covers interior window coverings and projection screens. Six newton metres drives mid-size and large interior roller shades, and 24 rpm moves a tall screen down at a pace that holds an audience. The 38 dB rating earns its keep in rooms that fall silent. A home theater before a film, a boardroom mid-presentation, a bedroom at six in the morning: every motor in the ceiling announces itself in that air. The ULTRA platform runs 38 dB where the Sonesse 50 line runs 45 dB, and Somfy built the ULTRA gearbox for rooms that notice the difference.
Projection screen fabricators lean on this motor for the same reason architects specify it in libraries and recording spaces. Quiet travel plus a 250 turn electronic limit range covers long drops without a mechanical limit reset halfway through the season.
Verified specs for reference 1002564
| Torque / speed | 6 Nm (53 in-lb) / 24 rpm |
| Control | Radio Technology Somfy (RTS), receiver built in |
| Radio frequency | 433.420 MHz, rolling code |
| Memory capacity | 12 controls |
| Power supply | 120V AC, 60 Hz |
| Rated current | 0.95 A |
| Power consumption | 114 W operating, 0.5 W standby |
| Noise level | 38 dB |
| Limit switch | Electronic, 250 turn capacity |
| Head type | Round head (RH) |
| Motor external diameter | 1.77 in |
| Minimum tube inner diameter | 1.85 in |
| Protection index | IP 31 |
| Insulation class | Class I |
| Power cable | SJTW 3-wire, 9.84 ft, white |
| Operating temperature | 32 to 140 °F |
| Storage temperature | -4 to 176 °F |
| Thermal protection | 4 minutes |
| Certification | UR |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Two of those rows decide whether the motor fits your tube. The body measures 1.77 in across, and the smallest tube it will enter carries a 1.85 in inner diameter. A 47 mm inside dimension is the floor. Anything tighter leaves the motor jammed against the wall of the tube.
Tube diameter, crowns and drives
IP 31 puts this motor indoors. The 1.85 in minimum tube inner diameter opens up the standard 50 series roller tubes, and the crown and drive set you choose has to match the tube profile rather than the motor. Octagonal tube takes an octagonal crown. Round tube takes a round crown.
Two octagonal sets cover the common tube sizes on this platform. The Somfy Octagonal LT50 70mm Crown and Drive Set (9012234) seats the motor in 70 mm octagonal tube, the size fabricators reach for on wide commercial shades and long projection screens. The Somfy Octagonal LT50 60MM Crown/Drive Set (9012233) handles 60 mm octagonal tube on narrower openings. Measure the tube inside, not outside, and measure before you order the crown.
The drive half of the set keys into the motor output and transfers torque to the tube. The crown half locates the motor head end inside the tube and stops it rotating. Buy them as a set. Mixing a crown from one profile with a drive from another leaves slop in the tube that shows up as a shudder on start.
RTS control, pairing and limits
A receiver inside the motor means you pull power to the shade and nothing else. No control wiring runs back to a switch, no separate receiver box hides in the pocket, and no low voltage home run shows up on the electrical drawing. The motor stores 12 controls, which gives an installer room for a handheld, a wall switch, a timer and a hub on the same shade.
Start with a single channel handheld for commissioning. The Somfy Situo 1 Channel RTS Pure Remote (1870571) pairs to the motor and sets the upper and lower limits, and shops keep one in the van as a service tool whatever the client ends up controlling the shade with. For a room with several shades, the Somfy Situo 5 Channel RTS Pure Remote (1870575) runs four shades on their own channels plus a fifth group channel that moves them together.
Clients who want a fixed control on the wall take the Somfy DecoFlex 1 Channel RTS Wall Switch, White (1810897). It mounts anywhere because it talks to the motor over RTS, so the electrician skips a control run and the drywaller skips a box. Pair it the same way you pair a handheld.
Electronic limits hold 250 turns of travel, and the motor remembers them through a power cut. Set them once with the handheld. A long drop screen that needs the bottom limit nudged after the fabric relaxes takes a limit adjustment, not a reset of the whole shade.
Order the motor with the parts that fit
Four items make a complete order for this motor: the Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 50 506A2 RH RTS 120V Motor (1002564), a round head LT50 mounting plate, the crown and drive set that matches your tube profile, and one RTS control to commission with. Confirm the plate against the round head on the motor you receive. Somfy backs the motor for five years and the UR listing covers the install.
Builds that already run RTS elsewhere in the house add this shade to an existing handheld channel. Builds starting fresh pair the Situo first and layer a wall switch or a hub on afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What does RH mean on a Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 50 motor?
RH stands for round head. Somfy names reference 1002564 the Sonesse ULTRA 506A2 RTS RH, and the head at the drive end is round rather than star shaped. Pair it with a round LT50 mounting plate. A star plate will not hold a round head motor, and no adapter converts between the two.
What size tube does the Sonesse ULTRA 50 506A2 RH RTS fit?
The motor needs a tube with a 1.85 in inner diameter at minimum, which works out to 47 mm inside. The motor body measures 1.77 in across. Standard 50 series octagonal and round roller tubes clear that figure. Measure the inside of the tube before ordering the crown and drive set.
How quiet is the Sonesse ULTRA 50 compared with a Sonesse 50?
Somfy rates the Sonesse ULTRA 50 platform at 38 dB and the Sonesse 50 line at 45 dB. Those seven decibels change what a client hears in a quiet room. Theaters, boardrooms and bedrooms are where specifiers pick the ULTRA, and projection screen builds take it for the same reason.
Do I need a separate receiver for this motor?
No. The RTS receiver sits inside the motor and stores 12 controls. Run 120V power to the shade and pair a handheld or a wall switch over the air at 433.420 MHz. Skipping the control wiring saves a home run back to the switch location on every shade in the room.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
