The information you seek/suggest (4 points of connection and the recommended heat sink) are already in the build instructions… along with a schematic (to identify the 4 points of connection: RF IN, RF OUT, POWER +/-, and the PTT of 3V or more).? Because there are so many QRPers/groups that have opted to use this PA, I usually work with one of them… early on… ?and let them write detailed instructions for using this PA for their group if it warrants it.? ? I could spend the remainder of my life writing documentation on incorporating this PA into other people’s radios (even though most have figured it out without much discussion).? I have no intention of doing that since it is such a basic thing to do… and is not different than connecting an outboard linear amplifier to any radio. ?My time is better spent continuing to design more ham radio devices that are dirt cheap… giving more new amateurs a way to get on the air for the minimum $ with radios that are very well designed, and will last them a long time. ? What I do, however, is answer any and all questions from people while they are building and installing their PAs.? ? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Gordon Gibby Sent: Sunday, October 8, 2023 12:44 PM To: [email protected]Cc: Jack Purdum <jjpurdum@...> Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? So what you’ll need to do is come up with mounting and connection information for people so that it becomes a real add-on kit. ? Just a board by it self is not sufficient. ? ?
On Oct 8, 2023, at 12:40, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
? Well Gordon, we meet again… ? Yes after suffering through the uBITx project with a bunch of people who really wanted to correct many of the design deficiencies (like the pre and PA section for example)… spending much of my time with simulations and redesigns.? I published many alternatives to that box that went much farther than Allisons…all dirt cheap to make. ?? I have a section out there with a few of my contributions. ? So after that project, I set out to build a small QRP PA section that was gain flat 1-54MHz, 20W PEP, operated from 12V for portable operation, capable of key-down forever, indestructible (open or short antenna jack), and DIRT CHEAP.? I did that last year.? The design is out in the files section of this forum… contains the schematic, BOM, build instructions, and GERBERS for everyone’s use.? FREE FREE FREE.? I even sell just the boards for $2, or a semi-kit that contains everything but the 1206 sized resistors and capacitors for under $20.? To date, I’ve sold over 800 of them at Hamvention and online… just received another 200 boards a day ago because I got another order for 50 from a place in the UK.? Picture attached. ? I saw Farhan at Hamvention (actually the QRP forum) and mentioned it to him… even sent him a kit GRATIS.? ?NADA… Dead silence.? I ORDERED TWO of his sBITx radios… cut the PA section out of one of them with a hack-saw and replaced it with mine.? Works perfectly, 20W PEP and you can’t blow it up no matter how hard you try.? Meanwhile I read the mail and see new people every day blowing up their sBITx.? There are some things that cannot be fixed.? This is not one of them.? Don’t get me wrong, Farhan is an outstanding RF designer.? He has really done a lot for radio kits. ? Its there.? Its available.? People know about it. ? I’m now working on a 100W module… same specs as the 20W module except 110W PEP… and guess what.? Its indestructible!? Almost ready for release.? Will be less than $100 by a lot and its actually smaller than the 20W module. ? ? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? It’s easy to see things to criticize. The trick here would be to create a upgrade kit that would make with the design and allow a better amplifier to be daughter boarded. ? That would give a great option for a lot of people and be a help! Gordon KX4Z?
On Oct 8, 2023, at 10:49, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
?This was not directed at the T41. Rather the likes of the Bitx family. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ? From: K9HZ
Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
So what you’ll need to do is come up with mounting and connection information for people so that it becomes a real add-on kit. ? Just a board by it self is not sufficient. ?
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On Oct 8, 2023, at 12:40, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
? Well Gordon, we meet again… ? Yes after suffering through the uBITx project with a bunch of people who really wanted to correct many of the design deficiencies (like the pre and PA section for example)… spending much of my time with simulations and redesigns.? I published many alternatives to that box that went much farther than Allisons…all dirt cheap to make. ?? I have a section out there with a few of my contributions. ? So after that project, I set out to build a small QRP PA section that was gain flat 1-54MHz, 20W PEP, operated from 12V for portable operation, capable of key-down forever, indestructible (open or short antenna jack), and DIRT CHEAP.? I did that last year.? The design is out in the files section of this forum… contains the schematic, BOM, build instructions, and GERBERS for everyone’s use.? FREE FREE FREE.? I even sell just the boards for $2, or a semi-kit that contains everything but the 1206 sized resistors and capacitors for under $20.? To date, I’ve sold over 800 of them at Hamvention and online… just received another 200 boards a day ago because I got another order for 50 from a place in the UK.? Picture attached. ? I saw Farhan at Hamvention (actually the QRP forum) and mentioned it to him… even sent him a kit GRATIS.? ?NADA… Dead silence.? I ORDERED TWO of his sBITx radios… cut the PA section out of one of them with a hack-saw and replaced it with mine.? Works perfectly, 20W PEP and you can’t blow it up no matter how hard you try.? Meanwhile I read the mail and see new people every day blowing up their sBITx.? There are some things that cannot be fixed.? This is not one of them.? Don’t get me wrong, Farhan is an outstanding RF designer.? He has really done a lot for radio kits. ? Its there.? Its available.? People know about it. ? I’m now working on a 100W module… same specs as the 20W module except 110W PEP… and guess what.? Its indestructible!? Almost ready for release.? Will be less than $100 by a lot and its actually smaller than the 20W module. ? ? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? It’s easy to see things to criticize. The trick here would be to create a upgrade kit that would make with the design and allow a better amplifier to be daughter boarded. ? That would give a great option for a lot of people and be a help! Gordon KX4Z?
On Oct 8, 2023, at 10:49, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
?This was not directed at the T41. Rather the likes of the Bitx family. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ? From: K9HZ
Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Well Gordon, we meet again… ? Yes after suffering through the uBITx project with a bunch of people who really wanted to correct many of the design deficiencies (like the pre and PA section for example)… spending much of my time with simulations and redesigns.? I published many alternatives to that box that went much farther than Allisons…all dirt cheap to make. ?? I have a section out there with a few of my contributions. ? So after that project, I set out to build a small QRP PA section that was gain flat 1-54MHz, 20W PEP, operated from 12V for portable operation, capable of key-down forever, indestructible (open or short antenna jack), and DIRT CHEAP.? I did that last year.? The design is out in the files section of this forum… contains the schematic, BOM, build instructions, and GERBERS for everyone’s use.? FREE FREE FREE.? I even sell just the boards for $2, or a semi-kit that contains everything but the 1206 sized resistors and capacitors for under $20.? To date, I’ve sold over 800 of them at Hamvention and online… just received another 200 boards a day ago because I got another order for 50 from a place in the UK.? Picture attached. ? I saw Farhan at Hamvention (actually the QRP forum) and mentioned it to him… even sent him a kit GRATIS.? ?NADA… Dead silence.? I ORDERED TWO of his sBITx radios… cut the PA section out of one of them with a hack-saw and replaced it with mine.? Works perfectly, 20W PEP and you can’t blow it up no matter how hard you try.? Meanwhile I read the mail and see new people every day blowing up their sBITx.? There are some things that cannot be fixed.? This is not one of them.? Don’t get me wrong, Farhan is an outstanding RF designer.? He has really done a lot for radio kits. ? Its there.? Its available.? People know about it. ? I’m now working on a 100W module… same specs as the 20W module except 110W PEP… and guess what.? Its indestructible!? Almost ready for release.? Will be less than $100 by a lot and its actually smaller than the 20W module. ? ? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Gordon Gibby Sent: Sunday, October 8, 2023 10:05 AM To: [email protected]Cc: Jack Purdum <jjpurdum@...> Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? It’s easy to see things to criticize. The trick here would be to create a upgrade kit that would make with the design and allow a better amplifier to be daughter boarded. ? That would give a great option for a lot of people and be a help! Gordon KX4Z?
On Oct 8, 2023, at 10:49, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
?This was not directed at the T41. Rather the likes of the Bitx family. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ? From: K9HZ
Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
It’s easy to see things to criticize. The trick here would be to create a upgrade kit that would make with the design and allow a better amplifier to be daughter boarded. ? That would give a great option for a lot of people and be a help!
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On Oct 8, 2023, at 10:49, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote:
? This was not directed at the T41. Rather the likes of the Bitx family. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com
email:??bill@... ? On Oct 8, 2023, at 6:45 AM, Albert Peter <albertfpeter@...> wrote:
? The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ? From: K9HZ
Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
This was not directed at the T41. Rather the likes of the Bitx family. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com
email:??bill@... ?
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Show quoted text
On Oct 8, 2023, at 6:45 AM, Albert Peter <albertfpeter@...> wrote:
? The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ? From: K9HZ
Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
The T41 design was a compromise on several fronts – primarily price vs performance., hence the situation with the power out. ? T41 is designed to be a teaching tool with flexibility and modularity. At the time we designed the PA, RF power transistors like the RD16HH were quite expensive and had limited availability. We did not feel that the price point with the extended frequency range at 20W suited our cost goals, hence the reduced power at 10M. T41 is meant to be QRP+, so some reduction of the higher end was the compromise to keep the price point down. We consciously made the decision to go with the less expensive output transistor design, knowing that the RF PA could easily be changed out if desired. ? By the way, the T41 costs several hundred dollars, not the many times higher price of ICOM or other commercial rigs. The popular ICOM 7300 goes for $1100 vs T41 at about $350.) ? That situation has changed somewhat, with the availability of $4 RD16HHs, making a redesign possible. Four years makes a difference. The K9HZ 20W amp is rated for 15W RMS and over 20W PEP, and it suits many builders. It is especially attractive for those who might wish to drive an external Linear. ? I personally also like the performance of the 20W K9HZ amp. It is alos pretty much indestructible. ?On the other hand Jack and I have made numerous contacts with the original T41 amp with excellent signal reports. ? We aim to provide choices. Regards, ? Al AC8GY ?
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From: K9HZSent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 7:07 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Thanks Dave.? Yep, that little thing is a real gem.? I designed and built it because I just can’t stand hobby-ish radios that put out 40 watts on 7 MHz, and then 3 watts on 28 MHz.? It just means the designer didn’t care enough about his design to make it wide-banded… or didn’t know enough about RF design to make it happen.? Can you imagine what would happen if your brand new ICOM radio did that? ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of D Solt Sent: Saturday, October 7, 2023 1:47 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [AmateurRadioBuilders] [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 ? Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards. I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display. ? On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ? I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round. I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ? -------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011 Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe. I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away. ? On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, <bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ? ? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
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Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Bill, this week I assembled two of the 20Wt amplifiers and they work great.? I was sweeping them at about 5watts with my NanoVNA and a 49dB attenuator (calibrated nano with the attenuator chain). I measure 48.6dB gain at 3.5MHz, 47.9dB at 7MHz, 47.8dB at 30MHz, and 43.7dB at 54MHz.? I am running with no filtering and see a lot of harmonic content at high frequency after adding C24 at 100pF (added to boost high freq performance), so I don't think I am seeing a 3dB roll off at 50MHz.? Thank you for you work on this.? I look forward to the v12 boards.
I will start next week on programming the Teensy4.1 and connecting it to the display.
dave, n3ds
On Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 12:32?PM K9HZ < bill@...> wrote: I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ?
I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it:
email:??bill@... ? ? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round.
I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ?
-------- Original message -------- Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away.
-- John G0ORX?
On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, < bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it:
email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
|
Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
I also have a conference this week in Denver so things will pause for a few days on my end. ? I did send schematics to Al to review yesterday though so trying to multitask and get stuff out ASAP. ?
I did receive an order of 20W PA boards yesterday ?so those are back in stock. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com
email:??bill@... ?
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On Oct 7, 2023, at 10:09 AM, VA3NCA Wayde via groups.io <wayde@...> wrote:
? > Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round.
I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ?
-------- Original message -------- From: "John Melton via groups.io" <john.d.melton@...> Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away.
-- John G0ORX?
On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, < bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it:
email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
|
Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
> Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers > I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
And, for our Canadian hams...? Once the new boards are finalized and available from K9HZ, I'm happy to offer to import and distribute them in a new round.
I'll also be away for a work conference for the next week ( I plan to sneak out to get a couple POTA activations in though, so look for VA3NCA/W9 on spots) so probably won't be very quick to reply, but I will start collecting item orders and quantities once Bill's ready, and I'm back and caught up after travel ?
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-------- Original message -------- From: "John Melton via groups.io" <john.d.melton@...> Date: 2023-10-07 10:01 a.m. (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [SoftwareControlledHamRadio] V010 vs V011
Once the boards are finalized and I can get the Gerbers I will start getting boards made for UK and Europe.
I am in Dubrovnik for the next few days but once I have them I can get started straight away.
-- John G0ORX?
On Sat, 7 Oct 2023, 15:31 K9HZ, < bill@...> wrote: I started sending final production schematics to Al as of last night.? It wont be long.? A few things left to resolve on the RF board and we can go into production. ?
Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it:
email:??bill@... ? ?I can give you some ideas.
I know several people worked on the project is small steps as I did.
First, buy the Teensy 4.1 and the display.? Using a breadboard and a power supply, you can connect the Display to the Teensy and load the software.
Setting up the IDE and the libraries and getting the Teensy properly programmed and the display working is a major step.? Getting the Display delivered may take weeks.
Next I would build and test the power supply board, and then the Main board.? Now see if the Teensy in the Main board successfully drives the display.
Build the Switch Matrix board, which is easy, and connect to the Main board and see if you can get past the switch matrix calibration.
Also another huge step is getting the 3D printed case built and assembled.
Regarding the BOMs, what we did in the early days was collaborate quite a lot in the discussions here to get the correct parts.? There are errors in the published BOMs, and also
parts which are no longer available and need substitutes.
4SQRP should be publishing their BOMs soon, and they should be quite accurate, being adjusted for the current supply chain issues.
Another idea would be to proceed through the breadboading of the display and IDE setup and programming, at which time the V012 boards could become available.
I don't know the current schedule for that to happen, but I do know it will take you a while just to get to the working breadboard stage.
--
73 Greg KF5N
|
Re: Learning while on vacation
FWIW Flex actually split the processing between their fpga and TI DSP chips (TMS320). See this video for some more info:
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On Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 03:06 PM, Lou, KI5FTY wrote:
Flex uses fpga for all the processing
On Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 2:01?PM John Melton via <john.d.melton= [email protected]> wrote:
I think you will have problems implementing the DSP functions in the FPGA.? It is fairly easy to get samples from an A-D or D-A and do some processing on it to implement a DDC or DUC, but to do any more requires complex mathematics which would have to be implemented on the FPGA using some code to implement a CPU that has floating point.
I may be wrong but most of the FPGA based SDR radios just implement the DDC? and DUC in the FPGA and leave the rest to a CPU (ARM or Intel) using either a USB or Ethernet interface to send/receive the I/Q data.
-- John G0ORX
On 22/09/2023 19:44, K9HZ wrote:
What you say works for regular processors, even with multiple cores.? Not for FPGAs.? They always have many thread-equivalent tasks running independent of the rest. They CAN communicate if you want them to but its not necessary… and the type of communication is akin to using shared memory so that the individual tasks so they don’t wait on each other.
?
Once I am proficient in programming my FPGA kit, I will build the equivalent of the QSE, QSD, the DSP functions, and all the “other stuff” into my FPGA as separate and independent tasks.? Nothing will be interrupt driven.? That is drastically different from Arduino or RPi processing.
?
?
Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ
?
Owner - Operator
Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC
Staunton, Illinois
?
Owner – Operator
Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ
Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I.
Rent it:
?
Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO.
Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO.
?
email:? bill@...
?
?
?
On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 06:35 PM, K9HZ wrote:
[T]he Teensy is a device that executes code tasks serially… meaning NOT with parallel functions… and it must be interrupted to generate I/O.
?
Interrupts, no matter how fast the processor is, cause chaos with radio functions.? Makes audio discontinuous.? Makes screen updates discontinuous. For code, it makes perfect sense.? For continuous processes like streaming audio, or a demodulator…. It’s bad.
Late to the discussion, but.. those are dangerous words. :-) The primary rule of real-time programming is that software must never cause a task to miss its timing deadline. The corollary is that when real-time software in a device meets all its deadlines, a person perceives that the device is running continuously. Yes, interrupts can cause problems, but good design techniques have created plenty of real-time applications, for instance your car's engine controller, where the timing never fails.
Now, the T41-EP software has kludged together "soft" real-time operation on a platform not designed for it, Arduino. Uncertain timing for interrupts and DSP functions is probably one reason why the T41, like the Convolution SDR it's based on, uses direct memory access (DMA) to buffer several milliseconds of each IQ and audio channel to get around timing issues. The price of this is transmitter and receiver latency. I'd guess all SDR transceivers suffer many milliseconds of signal latency. (See, for instance the September 2023 QEX.)
73,
Wes Plouff AC8JF
?
?
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Re: 20w rf amp - need help
On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 01:07:28 PM EDT, Bruce VA3BKI <kuppersbruce@...> wrote:
Bill:
I am responding this way as I can't read your email address. The ending is blocked and I don't know how to get around that. Go to YouTube and look under "Winding toroids" and watch a few.
?
I became a ham in Dec 2021. Passed Basic with Honours. So I am very new.
?
I can’t send a picture since I tried 3 times to do the winding so it would look like your picture. The last time taking it apart I didn’t pay enough attention and lost the FT50-43 toroid.
?
I always seemed to be short about a half inch. I used vice to hold toroid, alligator to hold first end and pulled hard- no luck – and wire piece measures 6 inches. Look at for length
?
Comments and questions:
- Can I use any 20 gauge coated wire or is special wire required? #26 is usually good enough. Don't chintz on the quality.
- I can buy toroid from kits and parts. Yes Consider buying more than necessary to reducing cost each. You'll find projects for them (e.g., antenna tuner) I requested a quote on 3 ft of the wire from NNC if they will sell me such a small amount. Siill waiting their quote.
- Can I buy replacement parts from you? Both parts of L2 2ft wire and toroid.. I am in Canada and how would I pay you?
?
Thank you for responding to me.
?
?My email is Kuppersbruce@...
73,
?
Bruce Kuppers
VA3BKI
-- Jack, W8TEE
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Re: 20w rf amp - need help
Bill:
I am responding this way as I can't read your email address. The ending is blocked and I don't know how to get around that.
?
I became a ham in Dec 2021. Passed Basic with Honours. So I am very new.
?
I can’t send a picture since I tried 3 times to do the winding so it would look like your picture. The last time taking it apart I didn’t pay enough attention and lost the FT50-43 toroid.
?
I always seemed to be short about a half inch. I used vice to hold toroid, alligator to hold first end and pulled hard- no luck – and wire piece measures 6 inches.
?
Comments and questions:
- Can I use any 20 gauge coated wire or is special wire required?
- I can buy toroid from kits and parts. I requested a quote on 3 ft of the wire from NNC if they will sell me such a small amount. Siill waiting their quote.
- Can I buy replacement parts from you? Both parts of L2 2ft wire and toroid.. I am in Canada and how would I pay you?
?
Thank you for responding to me.
?
?My email is Kuppersbruce@...
73,
?
Bruce Kuppers
VA3BKI
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Re: 20w rf amp - need help
Bruce, you can send eMails to bill@...? I get them 24/7 ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Bruce VA3BKI Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2023 4:53 PM To: [email protected]Subject: [AmateurRadioBuilders] 20w rf amp - need help ? Don't know how to send this to one person as K9HZ probably has to answer this.
In winding L2 I find I cannot get 7 turns done I am a little short - maybe not strong enough to pull it tighter.
My questions. I have 18 gauge wire - is that adequate to create L2 or do I need 20 gauge.
I can get 20 gauge at aliexpress but it probably is not silver coated and finish is not TFE.
I found it at one vendor but the min length is 100 ft. at an insane price.
Can I use 20 gauge PVC wire - no silver coating.
IF not can I buy another piece from K9HZ.
Thanks for any help
73,
Bruce VA3BKI
|
I ordered another 200 boards for the K9HZ 20W PA last week… they will be here next week.? I have about 5 kits left but hope to have at least 100 kits ready just after CQWW… ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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Re: 20w rf amp - need help
Picture please! ??I’ll get you situated! ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ VP2EHZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: ? Moderator: North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. Moderator: Amateur Radio Builders Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Bruce VA3BKI Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2023 4:53 PM To: [email protected]Subject: [AmateurRadioBuilders] 20w rf amp - need help ? Don't know how to send this to one person as K9HZ probably has to answer this.
In winding L2 I find I cannot get 7 turns done I am a little short - maybe not strong enough to pull it tighter.
My questions. I have 18 gauge wire - is that adequate to create L2 or do I need 20 gauge.
I can get 20 gauge at aliexpress but it probably is not silver coated and finish is not TFE.
I found it at one vendor but the min length is 100 ft. at an insane price.
Can I use 20 gauge PVC wire - no silver coating.
IF not can I buy another piece from K9HZ.
Thanks for any help
73,
Bruce VA3BKI
|
Don't know how to send this to one person as K9HZ probably has to answer this.
In winding L2 I find I cannot get 7 turns done I am a little short - maybe not strong enough to pull it tighter.
My questions. I have 18 gauge wire - is that adequate to create L2 or do I need 20 gauge.
I can get 20 gauge at aliexpress but it probably is not silver coated and finish is not TFE.
I found it at one vendor but the min length is 100 ft. at an insane price.
Can I use 20 gauge PVC wire - no silver coating.
IF not can I buy another piece from K9HZ.
Thanks for any help
73,
Bruce VA3BKI
|
Re: Learning while on vacation
The superscalar aspect of the pipelines was when they added additional execution units to handle branch prediction so that they could compute both paths. As they added more simultaneous instructions to achieve higher throughputs (4-way superscalar), that was hen when the hyper threading abstraction came into existence.
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Re: Learning while on vacation
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Re: Learning while on vacation
Somewhere I have an article about the DSP/CPU versus FPGA wars of the late 1990s/early 2000s.
FPGA won!? Even though FPGAs clock at much slower speeds, the ability to transform data in a single clock cycle wins!
There are three distinct hardware technologies which can be combined in various ways for an optimal solution to a specific problem.
In order of fastest to slowest:
1.? Hard silicon.? (meaning you take the algorithms in FPGA and make an IC)
2.? FPGA.
3.? General purpose CPU + DSP specific hardware.
One of the vendors I worked with while still employed (Thank God I am retired!) told our team story of what was going on in the defense industry at the time.
There was a huge and growing demand for IC designers of the hard silicon type.? They wanted to replace the FPGAs in aircraft and other flying objects with hard silicon.
Why would that be?? It turns out there were so many FPGAs in them it had become a significant weight and power factor which was limiting the aircraft's performance!
So when you take an FPGA and turn it into hard silicon, there is a significant size and power reduction.? But you can't re-program hard silicon.? So you have to make
damn sure the algorithm you are going to turn into hard silicon is well refined!
At the time I had no idea how dependent the defense industry had become on FPGAs.? I guess even the smallest missiles have a handful of FPGAs in them.
FPGAs also found their way into the finance industry for high-speed trading type applications.? A bunch of the very best technical talent got sucked up by Wall Street!
Same goes for the crypto miners.? They were cranking out hard-silicon for that purpose.? Super-strong motivation to be the fastest!
I'll keep my eyes out for that article about the FPGA versus DSP wars.? Interesting stuff!
73 Greg KF5N
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K9HZ
Wayde VA3NCA/AD2GX
Jack, W8TEE
Steve Clark