Re: Raduino v1.18 (improved CW performance) released
Can we add fine tune as a option that can turn on and off in the normal mode settings w/o the "tune" button? I also noted in my Bitx I am about 45Hz off so I either get 40 or 50Hz I can't fine tune the radio settings. I hope its not a lot to ask and only wish I knew enough to help.
? Thanks for the great work I will be park ops in a few mins here on 7.277 I hope I can make it out barefoot.
?
?73
?David
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 12:01 pm, Vince Vielhaber wrote:
I used the CW trick (part of the
recent Raduino mods) with the 10K resistor but instead of hooking up the other end of the resistor to the raduino, I hooked it up to a 100K pot to 5v thru a switch. Switch off, the BitX operates normally. Switch on, the BitX sends a carrier, of whatever power you want based on where the 100K pot is set, when you hit the PTT.
Excellent idea Vince! I'll include this suggestion in the "user instructions" of the raduino software. 73 Allard PE1NWL
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
Vince
Thanks.? I will try it.
Arv
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 1:01 PM, Vince Vielhaber <vev@...> wrote:
Low power tuning?? No problem.? I used the CW trick (part of the
recent Raduino mods) with the 10K resistor but instead of hooking up the other end of the resistor to the raduino, I hooked it up to a 100K pot to 5v thru a switch.? Switch off, the BitX operates normally.? Switch on, the BitX sends a carrier, of whatever power you want based on where the 100K pot is set, when you hit the PTT.? With the 100K you can take it down to nothing.? It's very possible a 25K or 50k would also work satisfactorily but I didn't check, the 100K was handy.
Vince.
On 07/08/2017 12:51 PM, Arv Evans wrote:
Rich? KC8MWG
MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the
controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design.? We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability
to switch
to higher power for normal use.? Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I
used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels.? Low level
was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level
AF out
for sending CW.? This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms,
but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead?
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors? in plate circuits to minimize
parasitic
oscillations.? ? The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs? but
this might
warrant? further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and
taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation?? Using low
voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too
objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for
modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 8:36 AM, Richard Andrew Knack via Groups.Io
<ihc73scout2=yahoo.com@groups.io
<mailto:ihc73scout2=yahoo.com@groups.io>> wrote:
? ? How quickly will IRF-510's blow? And how much power will it take? In
? ? other words, if you have a transceiver or an amp that has them for
? ? finals, do you have time to use an automatic antenna tuner to get an
? ? impedance match? Or will the finals blow while the tuner is running
? ? through relays and inductances trying to find a match?
? ? Rich
? ? KC8MWG
? ? On Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:31:21 AM EDT, Arv Evans
? ? <arvid.evans@... <mailto:arvid.evans@...>> wrote:
? ? K3HJP
? ? Like Raj said...the IRF510 is probably blown, usually due to
? ? transmitting into something other
? ? than a 50 ohm load.? If the output impedance is too high the final
? ? will go into oscillation and
? ? self-destruct.
? ? Arv? K7HKL
? ? _._
? ? On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 7:32 AM, <Kc3hjp@...
? ? <mailto:Kc3hjp@...>> wrote:
? ? ? ? Hi guys, I finally got around to finishing my Bitx40 project.
? ? ? ? Everything works but it will not transmit. This has me
? ? ? ? scratching my head. Here are some details.
? ? ? ? - when I press the PTT on the mic I can hear the relay pull in
? ? ? ? and receive audio goes away as it should.
? ? ? ? - I've verified that I have 12vdc on the PA connection and it's
? ? ? ? wired in the right direction.
? ? ? ? - mic element ohms out properly and it's wired in the right
? ? ? ? direction according to instructions
? ? ? ? - 152mA on receive
? ? ? ? - 260mA on transmit with no audio
? ? ? ? - current may change by .001mA when yelling into the mic
? ? ? ? - set PA bios pot makes no difference in current reading with
? ? ? ? mic keyed (audio/no audio)
? ? ? ? - mic element 0.877k ohms in one direction and 1.101k ohms in
? ? ? ? other direction
? ? ? ? - same mic ohm values on the mic connector and board connector
? ? ? ? - 12vdc between the Gate and Drain of the PA. No voltage between
? ? ? ? the Gate and Source when mic is keyed
? ? ? ? Any ideas?
--
? Michigan VHF Corp.? ?? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
|
Raduino v1.18 (improved CW performance) released
I've just released raduino_v1.18, download it from New in this release:
- improved CW performance at higher CW speeds:
- reduced the delay at the start of CW transmissions (first dit is no longer lost at high speed CW)
- optimized timings so that 1:3 CW-ratio is kept even at high CW speed
- improved FINE TUNE mode so that exact frequency (at 1 Hz precision) is displayed while the SPOT button is held pressed
- added an extra option in the SETTINGS menu for setting semiQSK ON or OFF.
This may be useful for CW operators who want to manually activate the PTT (e.g. using a foot switch).
- if semiQSK is ON:
???? radio will automatically switch to CWL (or CWU), and go into TX mode when the morse key goes down
???? go back to RX automatically when the QSKdelay time is exceeded
???? radio will switch back to LSB (or USB) when the operator presses the PTT switch
- if semiQSK is OFF:
???? operator must activate PTT manually to move the radio in TX
???? pressing the PTT does not affect the mode. Use the Function Button to select the desired mode (LSB-USB-CWL-CWU)
- corrected a bug that FINE TUNE was not properly applied in USB mode
Happy BitX-ing! 73 Allard PE1NWL
|
Re: HELP NEEDED WITH ADDING USB FUNCTION TO EXISTING CODE.
Allard,
Thanks for the pointers, I will try again.
Joe
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017, 4:47 PM Allard PE1NWL < pe1nwl@...> wrote: Joe,
do something like this:
? if (USB) // if we are in UPPER side band mode
? ? si5351.set_freq((IF + Dial_freq) * 100ULL, SI5351_CLK2);
? else // if we are in LOWER side band mode
? ? si5351.set_freq((IF - Dial_freq) * 100ULL, SI5351_CLK2);
In other words you just flip the VFO freq to the other side of the IF.
The IF is (approx) 12 MHz.
so for LSB: VFOfreq = 12-7= 5MHz
and for USB: VFOfreq = 12+7= 19Mhz
73 Allard PE1NWL
On Sat, July 8, 2017 20:36, Joe wrote:
> Vince,
>
> Thanks for the reply.
> Yes, i have looked at both methods. But no luck in adding to existing
> code.
>
> I tried using code from Peter Flemming, as he use clk2 and clk0 for vfo
> and
> bfo.
> I built a bitx40 and used this method. It works fine in his sketch but my
> skill level has not been successful in adding it to our code.
>
> I also looked at the current Raduino method but no go for me either.
>
> Frustrating, not being able to add 6 or 7 lines for a solution.
>
> Joe
> VE1BWV
>
> On Sat, Jul 8, 2017, 1:40 PM Vince Vielhaber <vev@...> wrote:
>
>> Joe, there are two ways to get USB.? The first way is what's offered in
>> Allard's Raduino project which shifts CLK2 to 19MHz.? The second way
>> (which I'm going to be doing when life gets outta the way and lets me
>> finish it) is to scrap the current BFO and use CLK0 for the BFO.
>>
>> Vince.
>>
>>
>> On 07/08/2017 12:21 PM, Joe wrote:
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > Myself and Adrian (VK4L) have been working on code developed by PD8W.
>> > We believe it would be a very nice addition to software choices for
>> our
>> > fellow hams.
>> >
>> >
>> > It works with an atmega 2560, a SI5351, a TFT colour display.
>> > Just plug the display into the atmega and wire up the SI5351 along
>> with
>> > a few buttons.
>> > Easy and that part works great.
>> >
>> >
>> > After much effort I have been able to make the code work(almost),
>> > It currently has a nice display layout and displays everything fine on
>> > the TFT colour Display.
>> > I tunes the Bitx40? very smoothly( rotary encoder).
>> > I added a button to change the vfo freq time stepping it? also works
>> well.
>> >
>> >
>> > Our goal is to *add USB,* so we can use it for *Digital modes.*
>> >
>> >
>> > After burning many brains cells, (and at my age, I cannot afford to
>> burn
>> > to many) I cannot seem to get my head around making the code work for
>> USB,
>> > I tried cut and pastes from many codes and still no success.
>> >
>> > We are both aware the existing code could be much better structured
>> > From looking around the internet, I don't see any code offering the
>> > functions with a good colour display.
>> >
>> > I realize Jack , W8TEE is working on a great project and I have his
>> > boards and parts populated and near ready.
>> >
>> > However, this project is different. It offers off the shelf usage of
>> > standard Arduino modules, and a plugin TFT Colour Display, and
>> minimal
>> > components..
>> > Unfortunately, the author is not available for help to finish off a
>> few
>> > items.
>> >
>> > It is is a pain to decode, but we are hoping someone can give us a
>> hand
>> > getting over this *1 major? issue (adding USB function*).
>> >
>> > Once this is done, the code will be completely functional and
>> available
>> > to anyone? who would like it.
>> > The? additional items to display for tx / rx etc ... should not be a
>> big
>> > issue.
>> >
>> > I have attached the code below
>> >
>> >
>> > Any help would be much appreciated.
>> >
>> > Joe
>> > VE1BWV
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> --
>>? ? Michigan VHF Corp.? ?? ?
>>? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
|
Re: HELP NEEDED WITH ADDING USB FUNCTION TO EXISTING CODE.
Joe,
do something like this:
if (USB) // if we are in UPPER side band mode
si5351.set_freq((IF + Dial_freq) * 100ULL, SI5351_CLK2);
else // if we are in LOWER side band mode
si5351.set_freq((IF - Dial_freq) * 100ULL, SI5351_CLK2);
In other words you just flip the VFO freq to the other side of the IF.
The IF is (approx) 12 MHz.
so for LSB: VFOfreq = 12-7= 5MHz
and for USB: VFOfreq = 12+7= 19Mhz
73 Allard PE1NWL
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sat, July 8, 2017 20:36, Joe wrote: Vince,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, i have looked at both methods. But no luck in adding to existing
code.
I tried using code from Peter Flemming, as he use clk2 and clk0 for vfo
and
bfo.
I built a bitx40 and used this method. It works fine in his sketch but my
skill level has not been successful in adding it to our code.
I also looked at the current Raduino method but no go for me either.
Frustrating, not being able to add 6 or 7 lines for a solution.
Joe
VE1BWV
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017, 1:40 PM Vince Vielhaber <vev@...> wrote:
Joe, there are two ways to get USB. The first way is what's offered in
Allard's Raduino project which shifts CLK2 to 19MHz. The second way
(which I'm going to be doing when life gets outta the way and lets me
finish it) is to scrap the current BFO and use CLK0 for the BFO.
Vince.
On 07/08/2017 12:21 PM, Joe wrote:
Hi,
Myself and Adrian (VK4L) have been working on code developed by PD8W.
We believe it would be a very nice addition to software choices for our
fellow hams.
It works with an atmega 2560, a SI5351, a TFT colour display.
Just plug the display into the atmega and wire up the SI5351 along with
a few buttons.
Easy and that part works great.
After much effort I have been able to make the code work(almost),
It currently has a nice display layout and displays everything fine on
the TFT colour Display.
I tunes the Bitx40 very smoothly( rotary encoder).
I added a button to change the vfo freq time stepping it also works well.
Our goal is to *add USB,* so we can use it for *Digital modes.*
After burning many brains cells, (and at my age, I cannot afford to
burn
to many) I cannot seem to get my head around making the code work for USB,
I tried cut and pastes from many codes and still no success.
We are both aware the existing code could be much better structured
From looking around the internet, I don't see any code offering the
functions with a good colour display.
I realize Jack , W8TEE is working on a great project and I have his
boards and parts populated and near ready.
However, this project is different. It offers off the shelf usage of
standard Arduino modules, and a plugin TFT Colour Display, and minimal
components..
Unfortunately, the author is not available for help to finish off a few
items.
It is is a pain to decode, but we are hoping someone can give us a hand
getting over this *1 major issue (adding USB function*).
Once this is done, the code will be completely functional and available
to anyone who would like it.
The additional items to display for tx / rx etc ... should not be a big
issue.
I have attached the code below
Any help would be much appreciated.
Joe
VE1BWV
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
OK I have worked out the circuit hope you can see it OK in this photo?
On 8 Jul 2017 20:01, "Vince Vielhaber" < vev@...> wrote:
Low power tuning?? No problem.? I used the CW trick (part of the
recent Raduino mods) with the 10K resistor but instead of hooking up the other end of the resistor to the raduino, I hooked it up to a 100K pot to 5v thru a switch.? Switch off, the BitX operates normally.? Switch on, the BitX sends a carrier, of whatever power you want based on where the 100K pot is set, when you hit the PTT.? With the 100K you can take it down to nothing.? It's very possible a 25K or 50k would also work satisfactorily but I didn't check, the 100K was handy.
Vince.
On 07/08/2017 12:51 PM, Arv Evans wrote:
Rich? KC8MWG
MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the
controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design.? We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability
to switch
to higher power for normal use.? Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I
used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels.? Low level
was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level
AF out
for sending CW.? This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms,
but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead?
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors? in plate circuits to minimize
parasitic
oscillations.? ? The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs? but
this might
warrant? further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and
taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation?? Using low
voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too
objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for
modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 8:36 AM, Richard Andrew Knack via Groups.Io
<ihc73scout2=yahoo.com@groups.io
<mailto:ihc73scout2=yahoo.com@groups.io>> wrote:
? ? How quickly will IRF-510's blow? And how much power will it take? In
? ? other words, if you have a transceiver or an amp that has them for
? ? finals, do you have time to use an automatic antenna tuner to get an
? ? impedance match? Or will the finals blow while the tuner is running
? ? through relays and inductances trying to find a match?
? ? Rich
? ? KC8MWG
? ? On Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:31:21 AM EDT, Arv Evans
? ? <arvid.evans@... <mailto:arvid.evans@...>> wrote:
? ? K3HJP
? ? Like Raj said...the IRF510 is probably blown, usually due to
? ? transmitting into something other
? ? than a 50 ohm load.? If the output impedance is too high the final
? ? will go into oscillation and
? ? self-destruct.
? ? Arv? K7HKL
? ? _._
? ? On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 7:32 AM, <Kc3hjp@...
? ? <mailto:Kc3hjp@...>> wrote:
? ? ? ? Hi guys, I finally got around to finishing my Bitx40 project.
? ? ? ? Everything works but it will not transmit. This has me
? ? ? ? scratching my head. Here are some details.
? ? ? ? - when I press the PTT on the mic I can hear the relay pull in
? ? ? ? and receive audio goes away as it should.
? ? ? ? - I've verified that I have 12vdc on the PA connection and it's
? ? ? ? wired in the right direction.
? ? ? ? - mic element ohms out properly and it's wired in the right
? ? ? ? direction according to instructions
? ? ? ? - 152mA on receive
? ? ? ? - 260mA on transmit with no audio
? ? ? ? - current may change by .001mA when yelling into the mic
? ? ? ? - set PA bios pot makes no difference in current reading with
? ? ? ? mic keyed (audio/no audio)
? ? ? ? - mic element 0.877k ohms in one direction and 1.101k ohms in
? ? ? ? other direction
? ? ? ? - same mic ohm values on the mic connector and board connector
? ? ? ? - 12vdc between the Gate and Drain of the PA. No voltage between
? ? ? ? the Gate and Source when mic is keyed
? ? ? ? Any ideas?
--
? Michigan VHF Corp.? ?? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
Low power tuning? No problem. I used the CW trick (part of the
recent Raduino mods) with the 10K resistor but instead of hooking up the other end of the resistor to the raduino, I hooked it up to a 100K pot to 5v thru a switch. Switch off, the BitX operates normally. Switch on, the BitX sends a carrier, of whatever power you want based on where the 100K pot is set, when you hit the PTT. With the 100K you can take it down to nothing. It's very possible a 25K or 50k would also work satisfactorily but I didn't check, the 100K was handy.
Vince.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 07/08/2017 12:51 PM, Arv Evans wrote: Rich KC8MWG
MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the
controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design. We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability
to switch
to higher power for normal use. Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I
used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels. Low level
was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level
AF out
for sending CW. This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms,
but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead?
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors in plate circuits to minimize
parasitic
oscillations. The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs but
this might
warrant further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and
taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation? Using low
voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too
objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for
modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 8:36 AM, Richard Andrew Knack via Groups.Io
<ihc73scout2@...
<mailto:ihc73scout2@...>> wrote:
How quickly will IRF-510's blow? And how much power will it take? In
other words, if you have a transceiver or an amp that has them for
finals, do you have time to use an automatic antenna tuner to get an
impedance match? Or will the finals blow while the tuner is running
through relays and inductances trying to find a match?
Rich
KC8MWG
On Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:31:21 AM EDT, Arv Evans
<arvid.evans@... <mailto:arvid.evans@...>> wrote:
K3HJP
Like Raj said...the IRF510 is probably blown, usually due to
transmitting into something other
than a 50 ohm load. If the output impedance is too high the final
will go into oscillation and
self-destruct.
Arv K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 7:32 AM, <Kc3hjp@...
<mailto:Kc3hjp@...>> wrote:
Hi guys, I finally got around to finishing my Bitx40 project.
Everything works but it will not transmit. This has me
scratching my head. Here are some details.
- when I press the PTT on the mic I can hear the relay pull in
and receive audio goes away as it should.
- I've verified that I have 12vdc on the PA connection and it's
wired in the right direction.
- mic element ohms out properly and it's wired in the right
direction according to instructions
- 152mA on receive
- 260mA on transmit with no audio
- current may change by .001mA when yelling into the mic
- set PA bios pot makes no difference in current reading with
mic keyed (audio/no audio)
- mic element 0.877k ohms in one direction and 1.101k ohms in
other direction
- same mic ohm values on the mic connector and board connector
- 12vdc between the Gate and Drain of the PA. No voltage between
the Gate and Source when mic is keyed
Any ideas?
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
Re: HELP NEEDED WITH ADDING USB FUNCTION TO EXISTING CODE.
Vince,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, i have looked at both methods. But no luck in adding to existing code.
I tried using code from Peter Flemming, as he use clk2 and clk0 for vfo and bfo.
I built a bitx40 and used this method. It works fine in his sketch but my skill level has not been successful in adding it to our code.
I also looked at the current Raduino method but no go for me either.
Frustrating, not being able to add 6 or 7 lines for a solution.
Joe
VE1BWV
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017, 1:40 PM Vince Vielhaber < vev@...> wrote: Joe, there are two ways to get USB.? The first way is what's offered in
Allard's Raduino project which shifts CLK2 to 19MHz.? The second way
(which I'm going to be doing when life gets outta the way and lets me
finish it) is to scrap the current BFO and use CLK0 for the BFO.
Vince.
On 07/08/2017 12:21 PM, Joe wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Myself and Adrian (VK4L) have been working on code developed by PD8W.
> We believe it would be a very nice addition to software choices for our
> fellow hams.
>
>
> It works with an atmega 2560, a SI5351, a TFT colour display.
> Just plug the display into the atmega and wire up the SI5351 along with
> a few buttons.
> Easy and that part works great.
>
>
> After much effort I have been able to make the code work(almost),
> It currently has a nice display layout and displays everything fine on
> the TFT colour Display.
> I tunes the Bitx40? very smoothly( rotary encoder).
> I added a button to change the vfo freq time stepping it? also works well.
>
>
> Our goal is to *add USB,* so we can use it for *Digital modes.*
>
>
> After burning many brains cells, (and at my age, I cannot afford to burn
> to many) I cannot seem to get my head around making the code work for USB,
> I tried cut and pastes from many codes and still no success.
>
> We are both aware the existing code could be much better structured
> From looking around the internet, I don't see any code offering the
> functions with a good colour display.
>
> I realize Jack , W8TEE is working on a great project and I have his
> boards and parts populated and near ready.
>
> However, this project is different. It offers off the shelf usage of
> standard Arduino modules, and a plugin TFT Colour Display, and? minimal
> components..
> Unfortunately, the author is not available for help to finish off a few
> items.
>
> It is is a pain to decode, but we are hoping someone can give us a hand
> getting over this *1 major? issue (adding USB function*).
>
> Once this is done, the code will be completely functional and available
> to anyone? who would like it.
> The? additional items to display for tx / rx etc ... should not be a big
> issue.
>
> I have attached the code below
>
>
> Any help would be much appreciated.
>
> Joe
> VE1BWV
>
>
>
--
? ?Michigan VHF Corp.? ?? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
U3 should be: Pin 1 - 5v Pin 2 - Ground Pin 3 - voltage in?
Make sure you test the voltage while the radio is in transmit mode.? U3 will not be powered up unless in transmit mode.
If you do not have 5v, make sure you are getting power to pin3.? If not, trace the circuit back.? The final will not generate any signal without the bias voltage provided by U3.
Good luck, Marco - KG5PRT?
On Jul 8, 2017 10:36 AM, < Kc3hjp@...> wrote: I do not see 5v on any terminal on U3
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
OK the kit was made 1987 it came from Howes model swb30 I not got a circuit for it I will see if I can work it out 1you can see fitted in my bitx with vk3 AGC to the left of it 2 photo shows a second unit I have
On 8 Jul 2017 17:52, "Arv Evans" < arvid.evans@...> wrote: MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.?
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design.? We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability to switch
to higher power for normal use.? Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels.? Low level was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level AF out
for sending CW.? This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms, but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.?
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.?
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead??
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors? in plate circuits to minimize parasitic
oscillations.??? The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs? but this might
warrant? further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation?? Using low voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
My bitx uses a restive swr bridge was a howls kit from years ago it never let's your pa see more than 1:1.5 swr I run a I.vee dipole with a swr of almost 3 and my bitx worked fine I will post a photo of one soon so you can see one should be easy to copy
On 8 Jul 2017 17:52, "Arv Evans" < arvid.evans@...> wrote: MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.?
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design.? We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability to switch
to higher power for normal use.? Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels.? Low level was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level AF out
for sending CW.? This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms, but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.?
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.?
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead??
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors? in plate circuits to minimize parasitic
oscillations.??? The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs? but this might
warrant? further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation?? Using low voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
|
It was said to change this cap to 4.7uf i did not have one so used a 6.8 uf I find when you key up you get 1 watt of rf for a split second then your audio is OK I was thinking to try a non elec capacitor in place of c 124 but I not got around to doing it?
On 8 Jul 2017 16:54, "philip yates" < phil@...> wrote: Whats the details of the C124 mod, and is there a diagram with the modded values for the AGC circuit.
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
MOSFETs will blow from over-current faster than I can reach the controls, but
I am old and slow so your mileage may vary.?
Tune up has always been one of my complaints about the BITX design.? We
need a low-power output setting for adjusting the ATU, and then ability to switch
to higher power for normal use.? Back in the BITX20A and BITX17A days I used
an audio oscillator with two switch selected output levels.? Low level was used
to generate less than 0.1 watts output for tuning the ATU and high level AF out
for sending CW.? This works if the antenna is not too far from 50 ohms, but does
not protect the RF PA if no antenna is connected.?
Some have experimented with current-limited power supplies for the PA stage.
I'm not sure how effective that might have been.?
I wonder what might happen if a small resistance and bypass capacitor were
placed in series with the IRF510 source lead??
Back in the bad old days of vacuum tubes and thermionic emission we used
small inductances and parallel capacitors? in plate circuits to minimize parasitic
oscillations.??? The oscillation mode is different with MOSFETs? but this might
warrant? further exploration.
ALC circuits for the RF PA stage might be useful for detecting and taming some
oscillations, but might be tricky to adjust for SSB use.
I wonder if the RF PA voltage might be reduced to some low level for tune-up
and then switched to higher voltage for normal operation?? Using low voltage
on the drain lead during tune-up could cause non-linearity and spurious
outputs but for short-term tune-up action this might not be too objectionable.
Part of the attraction of BITX designs is that is always potential for modification
and hopefully improvement.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Jul 8, 2017 at 8:36 AM, Richard Andrew Knack via Groups.Io <ihc73scout2@...> wrote: How quickly will IRF-510's blow? And how much power will it take? In other words, if you have a transceiver or an amp that has them for finals, do you have time to use an automatic antenna tuner to get an impedance match? Or will the finals blow while the tuner is running through relays and inductances trying to find a match?
Rich KC8MWG
On Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:31:21 AM EDT, Arv Evans < arvid.evans@...> wrote:
K3HJP
Like Raj said...the IRF510 is probably blown, usually due to transmitting into something other
than a 50 ohm load.? If the output impedance is too high the final will go into oscillation and
self-destruct.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
|
Re: HELP NEEDED WITH ADDING USB FUNCTION TO EXISTING CODE.
Joe, there are two ways to get USB. The first way is what's offered in Allard's Raduino project which shifts CLK2 to 19MHz. The second way (which I'm going to be doing when life gets outta the way and lets me finish it) is to scrap the current BFO and use CLK0 for the BFO.
Vince.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 07/08/2017 12:21 PM, Joe wrote: Hi,
Myself and Adrian (VK4L) have been working on code developed by PD8W.
We believe it would be a very nice addition to software choices for our
fellow hams.
It works with an atmega 2560, a SI5351, a TFT colour display.
Just plug the display into the atmega and wire up the SI5351 along with
a few buttons.
Easy and that part works great.
After much effort I have been able to make the code work(almost),
It currently has a nice display layout and displays everything fine on
the TFT colour Display.
I tunes the Bitx40 very smoothly( rotary encoder).
I added a button to change the vfo freq time stepping it also works well.
Our goal is to *add USB,* so we can use it for *Digital modes.*
After burning many brains cells, (and at my age, I cannot afford to burn
to many) I cannot seem to get my head around making the code work for USB,
I tried cut and pastes from many codes and still no success.
We are both aware the existing code could be much better structured
From looking around the internet, I don't see any code offering the
functions with a good colour display.
I realize Jack , W8TEE is working on a great project and I have his
boards and parts populated and near ready.
However, this project is different. It offers off the shelf usage of
standard Arduino modules, and a plugin TFT Colour Display, and minimal
components..
Unfortunately, the author is not available for help to finish off a few
items.
It is is a pain to decode, but we are hoping someone can give us a hand
getting over this *1 major issue (adding USB function*).
Once this is done, the code will be completely functional and available
to anyone who would like it.
The additional items to display for tx / rx etc ... should not be a big
issue.
I have attached the code below
Any help would be much appreciated.
Joe
VE1BWV
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
HELP NEEDED WITH ADDING USB FUNCTION TO EXISTING CODE.
Hi,
Myself and Adrian (VK4L) have been working on code developed by PD8W.
We believe it would be a very nice addition to software choices for our fellow hams.
It works with an atmega 2560, a SI5351, a TFT colour display.
Just plug the display into the atmega and wire up the SI5351 along with a few buttons.
Easy and that part works great.
After much effort I have been able to make the code work(almost),
It currently has a nice display layout and displays everything fine on the TFT colour Display.
I tunes the Bitx40 ?very smoothly( rotary encoder).
I added a button to change the vfo freq time stepping it ?also works well.
Our goal is to add USB, so we can use it for Digital modes.
After burning many brains cells, (and at my age, I cannot afford to burn to many) I cannot seem to get my head around making the code work for USB,
I tried cut and pastes from many codes and still no success.
We are both aware the existing code could be much better structured
From looking around the internet, I don't see any code offering the functions with a good colour display.
I realize Jack , W8TEE is working on a great project and I have his boards and parts populated and near ready.
However, this project is different. It offers off the shelf usage of standard Arduino modules, and a plugin TFT Colour Display, and ?minimal components..
Unfortunately, the author is not available for help to finish off a few items.
It is is a pain to decode, but we are hoping someone can give us a hand getting over this 1 major ?issue (adding USB function).
Once this is done, the code will be completely functional and available to anyone ?who would like it.
The ?additional items to display for tx / rx etc ... should not be a big issue.
I have attached the code below
Any help would be much appreciated.
Joe
VE1BWV
|
Whats the details of the C124 mod, and is there a diagram with the modded values for the AGC circuit.
On Tue, Jul 4, 2017 at 4:06 PM, chris gress <Chrisg0wfh@...> wrote: Nope but then I don't get a pop when I key up I have the c124 mod done I used? 6.8yf it was all I had?
|
Re: Oops..I did it this time....
Oh...ok I see it.....nope still a blank screen, but the backlight is on...but the radio is not. Hi...guess somehow I fried the radiuno.
? I was varying the frequency of the bfo? crystal x5, and all the sudden the readout moved to 7.1000 mhz , and it wouldn't tune. So I cut it off, and cut it back on. Now the radio just hisses.
On Jul 8, 2017 10:37 AM, "David Woodward" < kf4wbj2@...> wrote:
Where is the pushbutton?
On Jul 8, 2017 8:04 AM, < greggaston@...> wrote: I did something similar.? If you hold the pushbutton in while powering up, it will reset the Radinuo to original "factory" settings.?
Greg
KD4VV
|
Re: Oops..I did it this time....
Push button as in the Function switch.
|
Re: No RF Power Output From Bitx40
I use my z-100 antenna tuner all the time to match up a dipole made with twin lead speaker wire...no problem so far (fingers crossed)...
On Jul 8, 2017 10:37 AM, "Richard Andrew Knack via Groups.Io" <ihc73scout2= [email protected]> wrote:
How quickly will IRF-510's blow? And how much power will it take? In other words, if you have a transceiver or an amp that has them for finals, do you have time to use an automatic antenna tuner to get an impedance match? Or will the finals blow while the tuner is running through relays and inductances trying to find a match?
Rich KC8MWG
On Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:31:21 AM EDT, Arv Evans < arvid.evans@...> wrote:
K3HJP
Like Raj said...the IRF510 is probably blown, usually due to transmitting into something other
than a 50 ohm load.? If the output impedance is too high the final will go into oscillation and
self-destruct.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
|
N8DAH
Allard PE1NWL
