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A Few Things I Learned About ATU-10

 

So, I ordered an ATU-10 from AliExpress and it arrived dead. It would appear to go through the motions of tuning but even with a matched antenna it would result in a high SWR. I also couldn't figure out how to connect it to the computer to run the test software. I connected it the computer but it didn't show up as a drive as expected.

After going several rounds with the seller, he finally agreed to send me a second tuner for free. This tuner appeared to tune well and was able to find a match for the test situations I tried. However, I still could't get it to connect to the computer. After debugging that issue for some time, I learned that the tuner cannot connect to a USB-C port on your computer and it cannot charge via USB-C. Apparently, it cannot negotiate a power setting with the USB-C chip set. Your have to connect it to your computer or charger using a USB-A (computer) to USB-C (tuner) cable.

Once I got that figured out, I downloaded the relay test software and ran it. All relays appear to be working. When I went to reinstall the main firmware, the display was corrupted with what appeared to be missing fonts. My computer is a Mac, so on a hunch I connected the tuner to my work laptop, a windows machine, and flashed the tuner again. Voila! It worked. So you can't flash the firmware from a Mac apparently. The Mac filesystem copy is somehow corrupting the hex file or the flash memory.

73,
Scott
AK5SD
 

Scott, sorry to hear of your problems.??? But it should be possible to get that non working unit to work i imagine without too much trouble.

If the connection to a computer does not bring up a drive then it might be the result of two things:
The PIC16F1454 wasn't factory programmed,
or, the connection from the PIC16F1454 is open circuit.? You could circuit trace the two lines between the USB-C socket on the PCB and the appropriate pins on the PIC.
Re the high SWR reading.
You could check the Forward and Reverse voltages. There are small un marked pads on the PCB between the TUNE switch and the relays. They are forward and reverse voltages. ? Hook up your transceiver as you did when it was showing high SWR (into a 50ohm load) and check the voltages on these two pads, with refernce to ground.? One should have a much higher voltage than the other.
vk3pe


On Fri, Jan 21, 2022 at 03:54 PM, Scott Dupuie wrote:
So, I ordered an ATU-10 from AliExpress and it arrived dead. It would appear to go through the motions of tuning but even with a matched antenna it would result in a high SWR. I also couldn't figure out how to connect it to the computer to run the test software. I connected it the computer but it didn't show up as a drive as expected.
 

Glenn,

Thanks for the reply. The problem connecting to the computer has been solved. I did not realize that you must use a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect the tuner to a computer, not a USB-C to USB-C cable. With that realization, I should be able to go back to the original tuner I received and load the relay test program on it. I just haven't done that yet.

I did notice in the tuner that I now have working that one of the enameled wires in the power/SWR bridge was rubbing up against the screw that holds the ground lug in place. If that wire gets shorted to ground it would definitely cause a problem with the forward or reverse reading (I don't know which side of the binocular core is forward and which is reverse). I adjusted the wire on the core to prevent the rubbing on my good tuner but I have not gone back to the old tuner to see if this wire has been compromised. It's something that could definitely happen in transit due to vibrations and rough handling.

Come to think of it, I think I will put some Kaptan tape over the screw head as an additional safety measure on my good tuner.

73,
Scott
AK5SD
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

OK Scott,

My post was more in line with getting the 1st unit working.

Glenn

On 22/01/2022 2:03 am, Scott Dupuie wrote:

Glenn,

Thanks for the reply. The problem connecting to the computer has been solved. I did not realize that you must use a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect the tuner to a computer, not a USB-C to USB-C cable. With that realization, I should be able to go back to the original tuner I received and load the relay test program on it. I just haven't done that yet.

I did notice in the tuner that I now have working that one of the enameled wires in the power/SWR bridge was rubbing up against the screw that holds the ground lug in place. If that wire gets shorted to ground it would definitely cause a problem with the forward or reverse reading (I don't know which side of the binocular core is forward and which is reverse). I adjusted the wire on the core to prevent the rubbing on my good tuner but I have not gone back to the old tuner to see if this wire has been compromised. It's something that could definitely happen in transit due to vibrations and rough handling.

Come to think of it, I think I will put some Kaptan tape over the screw head as an additional safety measure on my good tuner.

73,
Scott
AK5SD

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