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Re: Oscillation problems Bitx20a
Oscillation still occurs intermittently. mostly at an output of 3W or higher. There are a few RF leads where I could use short pieces of RG-174 coax cable. Is it best not to connect the shielding to anything, or maybe only solder the shielding to the copper plate on one side? Like between transformer T2 going to both IRF510s. I assume the impedance is not exactly 50 ohm so leave the shielding not connected to anything? The same goes for the input lead. Maybe it is better to use regular shielded wire. Any ideas what the best plan of action is here?
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Re: The new uBITX boards are here
I'd expect a 16 ohm load to be fine.
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And if you were to blow it out somehow (I doubt it), it's a couple $0.02 2n3904's that you will need to replace. Jerry On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 08:53 am, Jamie Anderson wrote:
It is the audio amp in the Ver 4 board, Q72/Q73, Q71 in the following: |
Re: RF power chain mods and improvements..
Back when I was in high school my dad had an acquaintance who happened to be a ham,
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getting up in age.? In addition to a couple dozen 810 transmitting triodes and an appropriate plate transformer, and lots of other stuff I have since forgotten, there were four Ford model T spark coils.?? The 70 lb plate transformer got dumped (unfortunately) when living out of apartments and storage units. Still have a few 810's, may someday rig them up with a couple microwave transformers for power. And still have those spark coils. Maybe the regs will change back someday. Jerry On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 08:26 am, Bill Cromwell wrote: Now gear from the 20s or spark gaps - you're on your own there :) |
Re: The new uBITX boards are here
It is the audio amp in the Ver 4 board, Q72/Q73, Q71 in the following:
Basically it looks like a little push/pull class AB amp consisting of a 2N3904, 2N3906, with a 2N3904 driver, but I don't have much experience with this circuit as all my audio amps have either been vacuum tube or some type of chip amp. So, will this amp get damaged by a 16 ohm speaker?? Would it put out 1/4 to 1/2 watt or more?? Later today I hope to try it out but didn't want to fry anything.? I'm going to keep the bitx box itself very simple, just adding a small internal speaker that will work when nothing is plugged into the headphones jack for casual monitoring.? I guess I could add a small board with a LM386 easily, but that would draw more current when I operate from battery and add complexity inside the radio.? Any of the small class D chips might add noise inside the radio. |
Re: Building homebrew ubitx: Need pre-v3 schematic PDF. Also, source for 45M15 (45 MHz IF) filter?
HFsigs gets it from a chinese manufacturer called WTL Crystals. They produce it for us. Unfortunately, the minimum quantity is 2000 pieces. We are assured that they will keep producing them as long as we keep buying 2000 at a time. After the TDA2822 fiasco, we are wary of running out of parts. It is funny that we have exhausted supplies of many parts : detent less encoders, T30-6 toroids and the audio amps!? - f On Tue, 5 Jun 2018, 20:09 Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io, <jgaffke=[email protected]> wrote: I'm not worried. |
Re: The new uBITX boards are here
R. E. Klaus
The TDA2822 audio IC was originally used in portable devices designed to use 32 ohm headphones so a 16 ohm speaker would be a better choice than an 8 ohm and much better than a 4 ohm. The higher the impedance, the less current the speaker draws from the IC and the less work the IC has to do and the less heat it generates. Also unlike a resistor, speaker impedance changes with frequency and the impedance specification is always a "Nominal" specification. It will usually have a lower impedance at lower frequencies and higher impedance at higher frequencies. Speaker impedance really has little to do with how loud a speaker will be. Different speakers will have different efficiencies and you will not find a dBspl per watt spec for these small speakers.
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Re: RF power chain mods and improvements..
Hi Jerry,
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I have 'some old gear' made once upon a time (1950s). I usually operate at reduced power and I also have added filtering to get the output cleaner just to be sure. This is not a *new* issue:) Even the old gear, if operated prudently, is likely not out of spec. Now gear from the 20s or spark gaps - you're on your own there :) I'm pleased to see even new hams on here paying attention to that. 73, Bill KU8H On 06/05/2018 11:17 AM, Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io wrote:
I don't have much experience around RF design. --
bark less - wag more |
Re: Building homebrew ubitx: Need zxf for 45M15 %1 ;;;;;;;;`;:::::;::;:::::::::':30] (45 MHz IF) filter?
We getl On 5 Jun 2018 8:09 pm, "Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io" <jgaffke=[email protected]> wrote: I'm not worried. |
Re: The new uBITX boards are here
There are lots of small audio amplifier boards from China on ebay tht you could use just to drive an internal speaker.? Here is one example You can use just about any small speaker with it.? There are some other modules that will take you up to a watt or five if you look for them. On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 11:01 AM, Jamie Anderson <jamiea@...> wrote: My micro Bitx arrived yesterday!? I'm checking to see if it has the new discreet transistor audio amp now.? I want to have some small onboard speaker in whatever box I plan that will work whenever headphones aren't plugged in and can't tell what impedance is safe for the new audio section.? I think 50 ohms is way too high, probably would lower power out tremendously, but mainly wondering if 16 ohms would be hard on the new amp? |
Re: RF power chain mods and improvements..
I don't have much experience around RF design.
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So take my opinion with a large grain of salt. But here goes anyways. On 15 meters, the spur is only 3mhz away:? 45mhz-21mhz= 24mhz That's a fairly of sharp filter for implementing in L's and C's. There is an easy solution:? don't drive the mixers with too much mike audio. The only difficult part is determining what is too much mike audio, but that is solvable. ? ??/g/BITX20/message/51211 Adding that extra gain stage may be a good idea anyway, as it may make? it easier to get a consistent 10 Watts from the final.? We can leave some of the 2n3904's in place and reduce the gain per stage to 10dB. As Howard points out, the rules (at least here in the USA) are fairly lax below 30mhz, We are compliant with current rules if we keep that mike audio in check when operating at 21mhz and above. And even if we screw up, we're still likely doing better than somebody running some old gear from 1970. Especially if our power level is only 10 Watts. ? ??/g/BITX20/message/51270 ? ??/g/BITX20/message/51264 If running the uBitx into a 100 Watt linear at 21mhz and above, I would measure the spur to make certain it was compliant. Of course, adding filters can be a good thing, especially on 10 meters where the spur is far from the operating frequency.?? I would probably just put a bandpass filter in line with the antenna coax. I'm surprised those mag-loop guys haven't chimed in here yet. Would be perfect for filtering the spur when operating on 15 meters. Jerry, KE7ER On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 07:31 am, ajparent1/KB1GMX wrote: The good news is there are enough control signals to select either 2 or 4 band filters. |
Re: The new uBITX boards are here
My micro Bitx arrived yesterday!? I'm checking to see if it has the new discreet transistor audio amp now.? I want to have some small onboard speaker in whatever box I plan that will work whenever headphones aren't plugged in and can't tell what impedance is safe for the new audio section.? I think 50 ohms is way too high, probably would lower power out tremendously, but mainly wondering if 16 ohms would be hard on the new amp?
The Visaton speaker is meant for voice/intercom in outdoor locations so should be a great match for SSB voice if 16 ohms won't kill the audio amp.? The even smaller 32 ohm Mouser mylar speaker would probably do the job as well, but only handles 1/5 of a watt, so I am not sure if it would survive. Anyway, the purpose of my onboard speaker is just so I can monitor casually without messing with headphones or external speakers.? I like radios to always have some form of internal speaker.? I intend to have the headphones jack hooked up for digital modes, headphones, or even powered external speakers or even maybe a af filter implemented through a Teensy down the road, but trying to keep the basic radio simple and clean with basic functionality. I bet those old drive in speakers are great.? I have a few Motorola mobile speakers and those are quite nice for listening to ham radio. |
RF chain power mods and improvements
I put one of my Rigol spectrum analyzers on my uBITx this weekend before traveling and i can report pretty much the same as everyone else has seen. ?Im particularly interested in the performance on 10 meters so, while scanning the entire transmit spectrum from 1.8 to 30 MHz, i shall report there. ?A cw signal shows no off band products for obvious reasons. ?Injecting a 1khz signal into my heavily modified transmit chain i see 19 watts out as measured on my precision/calibrated HP watt meter into a 50 ohm load. Spurs measured at -42dB level when modulation creeps up above saturation. ?In this regard i wonder of just a simple limiter pre mixer would be more effective than all this post chain filtering. ?When i return from traveling i May try this concept.?
? Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ |
Re: LCD 20x4 I2C
matjaz 1. Make sure that the firmware is registered as xxx20I.hex file 2.Check the SDA, SCL 3.The address of I2C must be set in uBITX Manager. ? All I2C devices have unique addresses. ?Usually the LCD is 0x3F or 0x27, but the address can change depending on the jumper setting. Please refer to the I2C converter manual.?? ?Or you can use simple sources to find addresses. ? Ian KD8CEC 2018-06-05 22:26 GMT+09:00 matjaz via Groups.Io <matjaz_zejn@...>: |
uBitx for Sale - $105 plus your choice of shipping
I have a uBitx Rev 3 for sale in San Antonio, TX.
Purchased in April 2018. With socketed 2822 audio chip. In original package, only opened to ensure no damage. I just haven't had time to get to it, and it doesn't look like I will in the foreseeable future. You can pick it up locally, or I will ship anywhere reasonably possible (e.g., via FedEx Ground [my personal favorite], or UPS, or USPS). You choose the shipping type and add the cost of that to the purchase price of $105 to provide a total cost. I can take payment via PayPal, or check - as long as you're willing to wait for the check to clear my bank. 73's de N5KNG? Mark Muller |
Re: LCD 20x4 I2C
I have 2 4x20 i2c displays from 2 different manufacturers and they have different addresses. One is 03F ? and the other is 0x27 ?and they work fine. Make sure the firmware is set up for i2c and once loaded you can go into the ubit manager and change the address if that is the problem.
73's ?kn4ud ? -- Allen ?Merrell |
Re: Building homebrew ubitx: Need pre-v3 schematic PDF. Also, source for 45M15 (45 MHz IF) filter?
I'm not worried.
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HFSignals is selling thousands of boards and is watching their supply chain closely. There are alternatives, such as building a filter from crystals, building a sharp LC filter, going to other frequencies such as the PX1002 I pointed out earlier. If it's of concern to you, buy some of these: ??https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Monolithic-Crystal-Filter-UM-1-UM_296039879.html?spm=a2700.7724857.main07.37.4c2b75e8RSxrUT Minimum order is 1000 pieces, but at those prices it's still cheap enough. And you can make a killing when supply finally does dry up. Yes, they may disappear someday. Everything that might have used them is moving to digital SDR. Jerry On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 06:06 am, David Feldman wrote: Is the 45 Mhz IF filter (or any of it's variants that could work, including SMD) considered current factory production? Everything else in ubitx seems to be contemporary, but this part might have lifetime issue. |
Re: RF power chain mods and improvements..
The good news is there are enough control signals to select either 2 or 4 band filters.
Where to put them and also add gain to make up for insertion loss are issues. If only one band its easy.? The filter and detect that no other than 30mhz low pass is selected. That takes a transistor and a relay.? And a band pass filter for 10 or 15M, pick one. Still needs more gain to get power out on 10M then.? A MMIC with 10-12db gain good for +5 dbm or more would do fine. Allison |
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