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On Thu, Dec 21, 2017 at 03:27 am, Gordon Gibby wrote:

d) or he could just ship the unit to me and I'll give a whack at it.? ?Two ways to do that:? ?I'm not a paypal genius, maybe HE IS --- if there is a way for me to send him $69 on paypal, then he can just sell me the kit and ship it to me (post office, ups ground, whatever, doesn't matter) and if I can figger it out....then he can get it back for same price!? ? Alternatively, if his registered address on the FCC or QRZ or someting is still correct, I can mail him a check.? ?My call is KX4Z? so easy to find me and ship stuff to me.? ?

I've resisted this from the start....but I think now I'm at a point where my only options are to trash it or have someone else look at it. This has gotten me so iffy that I'm not even going to take the raduino out of the one I bought (if it even has one) and plug it in....because I don't have the confidence that I won't somehow mess up both rigs. I'm not even taking the case off the one I bought. So, I'll shoot you an email. I appreciate your offer and will take you up on it this time. Someone else needs to look at this and fix it...or, if they can't, at least verify that it's not me destroying things. I totally killed my confidence with this one.

Yeah, I did catch that. The "disconnected" part I was talking about is
not the display, but the wiring to the BitX board, buttons, etc. Mainly
the connection to the DDS port on the board. If it is, try unplugging it
and check on the HF rig, see if it's any stronger. If you can see the S
meter on the HF rig and you're getting a reading, plug the DDS connector
back in and see if the S meter changed and by how much or if the signal
disappeared altogether.

See my message to Gordon to see where I'm going with this.

Vince.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

Checked :



And looked at the wiring brown/black of the DDS (signal generator). If he hears the 25mhz oscaillator then basics should be ok, probably the orange cable correctly connected at the volume pot (+voltage).
So would eliminate wrong connection of the connector coming out of the DDS (5 pin connector, yellow unused).
Connector to the bitx board could be having no connection if black/brown wiring is ok.

Have the initial version of the Bitx with pot, which I enhanced with encoder and display myself. So have the DSS as separate item. Not sure if DSS board can be disconnected from the Raduino and inspected if there is any wrong soldering on the DDS board, capacitors broken eg.

Picture and/or video of the area would help a lot as besides the display this is the heart of the radio.
Would you be able to show basic PCB of the DDS (signal generator IC)??
If you bearly hear the 4.5-4.9 Mhz signals shorting in any way might be happening.

In the early versions of the DDS library you could enhance the level of the signal put out (2,4,8 values).
Maybe delivering a script with max output of the DDS help would help determine if the DDS is reacting to this and he might hear deviation reception of this signal (create a loop doing this in the script).

Ron - PA3FAT

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Namens Vince Vielhaber
Verzonden: 21 December, 2017 13:48
Aan: [email protected]
Onderwerp: Re: [BITX20] Help! I think I may have just ruined my 9 year old's Chanukah


He is able to tune it, we just don't know what, if anything, is coming out or if something is coming out is it being shorted or something.

I also thought of the black/brown thing but he was ahead of us there.

Vince.

As stated did try to follow the thread. Was there at any point a
picture of maybe video showing the display of the Raduino indicating
he has a working display, the encoder or maybe still the pot mechanism
is showing the Raduino is trying to alter the frequency using either of them.

If I remember correctly the output of the signal generator has
brown/black connection and that they had to be reverted. Maybe also
the issue of the calibration wire connected as some amount of hams
encounters being accidently wired.
The signal generator chip suddenly not working, think never read such
issue.

I am to far away to ship economically and get it back (regardless of
import duties), we would need somebody close to him. Either bring/ship
or collect it.

But would like to see the basics of the Raduino see working.

Ron - PA3FAT

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

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?Since you are using an OUTSIDE ANTENNA (if my understanding is correct) ---

at this point in the sunspot cycle you are hearing virtually NO SIGNALS on 25? or 26 MHz --- so your tiny signal should have zero opposition.? ?My WINLINK SERVER goes "quiet" when it flips to 18 MhZ every minute ---

whereas down at 4-5 MHz there is significant propagation of lightning strikes etc from over a good portion of earth surface so the noise floor should be much much higher.? ?I'm not familiar with Yaesu's but you might be able to observe that on the background noise on the S-meter.

That would be my thought.

Gordon

On Thu, Dec 21, 2017 at 03:16 am, Vince Vielhaber wrote:

Ok, do you hear the signal with Gordon's sketch while it's still connected
to the BitX? Or is the BitX disconnected. I'm trying to figure out if
the BitX or its wiring is shorting out the signal.

I can disconnect it from the LCD (which is hotglued to the case with electrical tape over the contact points) and raise it up enough to plug in the usb. Every time I try a sketch, I try it dangling from the usb and then...if that works... connected in that fashion. I've not noticed a difference even once. I don't know if you caught this before, but the 25mhz and 26mhz signals are really loud and strong. The signals at 4600-4900 are barely audible above the noise floor.... so much so that I tried to turn off attenuation, etc. to see if I could make them louder. I couldn't.

It's nice to see that I am not the only who thinks of using the Ubitx design for a small general coverage receiver.
The response I received from a number of group members has helped me to achieve my goal. It may take some time as I am in the middle of moving to France from the Netherlands. That takes most of my attention and available time at the moment.

73, Cor - PA4Q

Hi Ashar and All,

The all important diagrams did not come down.? Fortunately I managed to get Wes's article and convert it to a .pdf, including the diagrams.? It is attached.

Kevin
VK3DAP / ZL2DAP

On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 11:35 am, William Londree wrote:

Good Luck Craig.?

Had 4 done in hospital this past year. Ticker is till ticking.

73

Bill

W6SDI

Bill,?

Thanks, I only have 1 from 3 years ago, along with a previous 100% blockage that I rode out sometime in the past....can't quite put my finger on which side trip, it was, a helluva journey. No, this time it is something more inline with me....abnormal problem that is resisting being fixed or telling where its coming from.?

I 'll take the luck, anytime, in fact I will keep digging for more, you keep on ticking.

Craig
KM4YEC

On Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 09:43 am, Vince Vielhaber wrote:

Hang in there Craig. Sounds like you're doing what I did last year. Good
vibes headed your way!

Vince.

Vince,?
No additional blockages, been through that before 3 years ago, something strange going on this time, so par for the course for me, nothing normal here, look elsewhere....

By the way, don't you have some Mods, Boards,?something that?should be sitting on display at the Builders Fest? At least on paper? Shoot me a message.

Thanks for the vibes....always welcome.

Arvo,

I really haven?€?t explained it, but since I have been right here a few
days and likely will be another few?€?.so be it?€?we are where we
are?€?that is what I was doing?€?


have to run and get a heart cath?€?.be back later?€?.

Craig

On Dec 19, 2017, at 11:12 AM, Arvo KD9HLC via Groups.Io
<arvopl@...> wrote:

Is it just me, Craig, or are you in the hospital?

Apologies if you've already explained this.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

He is able to tune it, we just don't know what, if anything, is coming out
or if something is coming out is it being shorted or something.

I also thought of the black/brown thing but he was ahead of us there.

Vince.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 04:50 am, Jack Purdum wrote:

I've also discovered that with a small speaker like you have in the picture, you can take a thick rubber band, wrap it around your head and wedge the speaker between the band and your ear. The downside is that people in white coats start chasing you all over the place when you do it in public.

?

Jack, W8TEE

?

Then I show them my papers....certified...

---

From: Craig Thibodeaux <km4yec@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] BitX40 Builders Fest opportunity (edit to:) Modders who have wares, boards, add ons, cases, what have you, BitX family

On Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 08:27 am, Jack Purdum wrote:

Hi Craig:

?

?I'm starting to think I won't put a speaker into the unit, but will probably have an external one handy.

?

Jack, W8TEE

?

?

That is what I have done. ?I have a small external communications speaker, I can place it somewhere comfortable to hear, or I can drop the audio level and the noise and hold it against my ear, or I can unplug it and plug in the head phones..

Then with these utility builds that I do, I am thinking of in future builds incorporating a place within the case to place the speaker, mic, dc input cable, etc, when not in use, or to provide an attachment arrangement so that everything is in its place as one unit. ?Not for looks, but for the sake of keeping track of everything, as these builds travel with me and with others to every local builders event as well as every local operating event.

Virus-free.

1. you felllas stay up WAY TOO LATE for an old guy like me.. (in the
eastern time zone)..I was passed out before y'all even BEGAN last
night....first good night of sleep in several days!!

Yeah, he seems to be starting around my bed time too. I have to get up at
4am, but only for one more day.

[snip]

I got a little confused with the various "out of case" "installed" etc
moves -- I'm sure it woud make sense were I there watching, but it seems
to me that he has no conclusively proven that at least a portion of the
Raduino system works, and is able to generate quite a few signals outside
the 25.0000 MHz oscillator. Whether it all works properly when installed
and buttoned up, I'm not quite as sure of.

There is a method to my madness. We've concluded that the raduino works.
But doesn't work when it's installed with either Allard's or Farhan's
sketch. That makes me think there's something with the installation of
the raduino that something may be shorting the output or something else.
It's also possible there's nothing wrong with the raduino but the BitX is
shorting out the signal due to mounting or perhaps a bad component on the
board.

Running the raduino with it totally outside the case and not connected to
the board will answer these questions. Leaving it even partially in will
not. Even if it miraculously started working while installed, we wouldn't
know why and can only expect it to fail again.

[snip]

d) or he could just ship the unit to me and I'll give a whack at it. Two
ways to do that: I'm not a paypal genius, maybe HE IS --- if there is a
way for me to send him $69 on paypal, then he can just sell me the kit and
ship it to me (post office, ups ground, whatever, doesn't matter) and if I
can figger it out....then he can get it back for same price!
Alternatively, if his registered address on the FCC or QRZ or someting is
still correct, I can mail him a check. My call is KX4Z so easy to find
me and ship stuff to me.

He could also ship it to me, especially since I'm retired as of tomorrow
(read: extra available time) but I'm not offering the $69!

Cheers, (happy Chanukah and merry Christmas!!!)

And from me too.

Vince.
--
Michigan VHF Corp.

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We already have a general idea where the problem is. Adding useless
troubleshooting steps that have nothing to do with that is just a waste of
time. The receiver will not receive and the transmitter will not transmit
without the signal from the raduino. We've already determined there's a
problem there. Telling him to go off on some crazy troubleshooting
mission is only adding to his frustration.

Vince.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

1.? you felllas stay up WAY TOO LATE for an old guy like me.. (in the eastern time zone)..I was passed out before y'all even BEGAN last night....first good night of sleep in several days!!

2.? tausciam? sounds like he's reached the proverbial "end of his rope" in frustration!? ?Yet, he has accomplished a HUGE amount......

first of all, he put the little kit together somehow!? ?probably less than 10% of current hams have ever built ANYTHING....at least you would have thought that, had you watched my first effort to teaching soldering in my town.....then he:

a)? got the current measurement figured out

b)? got the idle current set

c)? was compiling and uploading sketches like MAD.? ?I bet, other than me, there is NOT A SINGLE HAM IN MY CITY who can do even that!

d)? made several investigations with his other ham rig (connected to a dipole)

e)? EDITED a script to make it put out frequencies that he wanted, recompiled uploaded

f)? ?STARTED what I call the "prodding? troubleshooting" video sequence

Forget the radio, it appears to me that he already LEARNED enough about surface mount construction, component recognition, arduino programming, and ham radio detective work to pretty much equal whatever he paid for the little educational course he just completed!!

And he still has HARDWARE to boot!? ?

I got a little confused with the various "out of case" "installed" etc moves --? I'm sure it woud make sense were I there watching, but it seems to me that he has no conclusively proven that at least a portion of the Raduino system works, and is able to generate quite a few signals outside the 25.0000 MHz oscillator.? ?Whether it all works properly when installed and buttoned up, I'm not quite as sure of.

We have some evidence that the IRF510 stage works.? ?Also the audio ouput stage (he's heard some noises) to at least some extent.? ?And that last little gem --- that when he stroked the antenna connector, he heard pops --- that indicates some level of signal passage through the ENTIRE RIG.

With the 7 MHz bandpass filter that is part of this receiver, things oiutside the band won't work, and if the Raduino happens to be tuned to a freq that won't move 7 MHz into the passband of the crystal frequency, you don't hear much (tried that) --- so it is possible the raduino wasn't "in band" when he did the first prodding test --- but at least he heard SOMETHING.

All of us have a finite number of seconds on this planet.? The people who made the video of the testing technique can't be faulted for not re-making it with each new upgrade of the hardware; I don't know if they are volunteers or not, but even companies can't always upgrade every part of their documentation.? ?

So at this point I see several useful next steps:

a)? tausciam I think is at a stopping point and needs to take a break a bit.? Hours, days, weeks?? Dunno.

b)? I can remember how scared I was of damaging MY ONLY WORKING RADIO many years back so although it limits the ability to figure out various sections, the gear is HIS gear and if he is not yet able to try sniffing with a wire.....that's just the way it is!? ??

c) he might wish to continued with the prodding effort...sounds like there is fertile ground there now that he has at least some continuity

d) or he could just ship the unit to me and I'll give a whack at it.? ?Two ways to do that:? ?I'm not a paypal genius, maybe HE IS --- if there is a way for me to send him $69 on paypal, then he can just sell me the kit and ship it to me (post office, ups ground, whatever, doesn't matter) and if I can figger it out....then he can get it back for same price!? ? Alternatively, if his registered address on the FCC or QRZ or someting is still correct, I can mail him a check.? ?My call is KX4Z? so easy to find me and ship stuff to me.? ?

I want to emphasize how much appears to BE WORKING!!!? ?There is probably some little fluke somewhere that is causing the problem, and a 2nd set of eyes might see it.? ?I worked on an old heahtkit quite some time recently before I finally recognized that whomever I bought it from had put some crazy vacuum tube in a spot where a 6EA8 was supposed to have been......some huge tall tube was there insted with who know what pinout......funniest thing I ever saw when I finally realized it.? ?Worked a lot better after getting the RIGHT TUBE in there.....still had another problem somewhere else but eventually I figured THAT out also a few days later.? ?That rig is now computer controllable and digitally exactly on frequency with a Raduino providing its VFO frequency!? All thanks to Ashhar F.? ?I never would have gotten into this kind of stuff without that Bitx40.??

Cheers,? (happy Chanukah and merry Christmas!!!)

gordon?

If any of you are near Florida, we're having a conference on Emergency Communications on Feb 24 that I think is going to be a huge day of fun.??

I second Ron's suggestion!

5.000 and WWV is why I asked what you had for an antenna. The smaller and
more local to the rig the antenna is, the less likely you'll get the
interference.

Ok, do you hear the signal with Gordon's sketch while it's still connected
to the BitX? Or is the BitX disconnected. I'm trying to figure out if
the BitX or its wiring is shorting out the signal.

Vince.

--
Michigan VHF Corp.

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