¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Date

Re: Encoder

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

The mounting nut is a 7 x .75 mm nut? which must be very rare and expensive since most of the encoders are shipped without mounting hardware.? Most miniature toggle switches use the same size nut.

Mike

K5ESS

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Doug W
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 4:31 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Encoder

?

Speaking of encoders, does anyone know what size nut fits the shaft on a KY-040?? I have an encoder in the junk box but it is a eunuch.


Re: W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

Jack Purdum
 

That is NOT the right Arduino. That is the Nano Pro Mini, which should cost less than $2. Essentially, it's a Nano, but without the convenience of the USB connector, which makes it a PITA to program. You need to find a MEGA 2560 Pro Mini to get the expanded memory and I/O pins.

Jack, W8TEE



From: Ken <chase8043@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 4:48 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk




73 Ken VA3ABN

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Bruce Harvey <bharvey@...> wrote:
On 2017-05-27 4:57 PM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:
KY040 (threaded shaft) encoders
Hi guys,
I've been trying to locate an Arduino Mega 2560 Pro Mini board source that is available to Canadian buyers.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, I haven't found a KY040 (threaded shaft) encoder.
Other than that I think I have the other parts located and ordered.
Bruce, VE1II

Virus-free.




Re: Spurious RF at beginning of transmission

 

Hi,

I think PTT noise is an issue which most everyone if not all have noticed.? There are several solutions. I finally decided on a circuit which uses a FET and transistor to cure the problem, I have done it on both ?of my BITX40 and it cleared the problem.?

Here is the article:Email -- Subject - ?PTT Thump mute

On Sun, Apr 30, 2017 at 6:28 PM, John Pieper?<j.pieper@...>?wrote:

Hi all, this is John, AD0RW, new to the group. I have built my BITX40 board into a full-featured transceiver,

adding CW (a must for me), AGC, XIT/RIT, built-in keyer and SWR monitor, among other things. One of the

last issues I needed to nail down was the PTT thump, which was a real annoyance. I came up with a circuit

that does the job nicely and is much simpler than the muting board that was offered for the 3B/3C. Here it is:

The concept is simple: put a short across the LM386 input very quickly when PTT goes low, before the relays

have time to close causing the audio noise. C1 and R2 hold the muting on for a short time after PTT goes high

to cover the relays' opening. R2's value was arrived at by experiment, and a 470k should work just as well

but may be easier to find. R3 and R4 are only needed if you have a CW sidetone that you need to inject during

transmit. The adjustable sidetone level is valuable because with this arrangement the volume control has no

effect on it.

With this addition, the rig is now a real pleasure to operate.

73, John

--?
73, Joe W3TTT




Hope this what you were looking for
Joe
VE1BWV

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 6:07 PM, Bob <wb4son@...> wrote:

Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE's BITX40 is an amazing QRP SSB Radio and has set an unbelievable price-performance point.? And many folks are adding new bells/whistles every day (like Allard and Jack). ??I've been working with a friend of mine, Willy W1LY, and his BITX40.? Willy had installed the version 1.13 software from Allard and the HW modifications needed for CW.? We have both noticed some interesting RF behavior when the radio first enters TX, even when on LSB (just PTT, with no audio).

After some investigation we are reasonably certain that the burst of RF is coming directly through the balanced mixer which is unbalanced for about 60 mS due to the microphone amplifier stage being switched on for transmit.? If one starts with the radio in RX, then C124, the 47uF cap in the mic amplifier is sitting at zero volts.? When the radio goes into TX, that cap has to charge up via R127 -- which takes a LONG time.? During that time, Q12 is also powering up and C1



Re: W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi again Ken

?

See my reply to the group¡­you can get these from Aliexpress for around $1 CAD for 2, with free shipping

?

73 de Charlie GI4FUE

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ken
Sent: 31 May 2017 21:52
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

?

forgot the encoder

?

?

73 Ken

?

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Bruce Harvey <bharvey@...> wrote:

On 2017-05-27 4:57 PM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:

KY040 (threaded shaft) encoders

Hi guys,

I've been trying to locate an Arduino Mega 2560 Pro Mini board source that is available to Canadian buyers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I haven't found a KY040 (threaded shaft) encoder.

Other than that I think I have the other parts located and ordered.

Bruce, VE1II

?

Virus-free.

?


Re: W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Ken

?

That¡¯s not the correct board¡­that¡¯s a ATmega 328, not a 2560

?

Regards

?

Charlie GI4FUE

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ken
Sent: 31 May 2017 21:48
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

?

?

?

73 Ken VA3ABN

?

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Bruce Harvey <bharvey@...> wrote:

On 2017-05-27 4:57 PM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:

KY040 (threaded shaft) encoders

Hi guys,

I've been trying to locate an Arduino Mega 2560 Pro Mini board source that is available to Canadian buyers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I haven't found a KY040 (threaded shaft) encoder.

Other than that I think I have the other parts located and ordered.

Bruce, VE1II

?

Virus-free.

?


Re: W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Bruce

?

I got my 2560 from here, very reasonably priced too J

?

?

Encoders from here¡­lots to choose from

?

?

I also bought 5 Buck Regulators from Aliexpress for 30 pence STG each J.? They can actually supply everything needed for the project

?

Hope this helps

?

73 de Charlie GI4FUE

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruce Harvey
Sent: 31 May 2017 21:22
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE TFT/VFO Board from FDIM talk

?

On 2017-05-27 4:57 PM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:

KY040 (threaded shaft) encoders

Hi guys,

I've been trying to locate an Arduino Mega 2560 Pro Mini board source that is available to Canadian buyers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I haven't found a KY040 (threaded shaft) encoder.

Other than that I think I have the other parts located and ordered.

Bruce, VE1II

?

Virus-free.


Re: Conflicting information

Jack Purdum
 

FWIW, I only program my Arduino's when powered by the USB cable. You need the cable anyway to download the code back to the Arduino.

Jack, W8TEE



From: John P <j.m.price@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Conflicting information

Thanks! Powering something from 2 sources simultaneously scares me as I already
blew up an expensive gimmick that way!



Re: Encoder

Jack Purdum
 

I'm away from my shack, but I'm pretty sure it's a standard 1/4" shaft and standard nut.

Jack, W8TEE



From: Doug W <dougwilner@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Encoder

Speaking of encoders, does anyone know what size nut fits the shaft on a KY-040?? I have an encoder in the junk box but it is a eunuch.



Re: Conflicting information

 

Actually those two sources are not in conflict. ?Both are correct. ?Both talk about the Raduino, which is the small PCB with the mini USB connector (the display, the nano, and the SiLabs oscillator chip). ?The Wiki doesn't talk about the rest of the BITX40, which should remain powered off. ?Pat's article does mention "The raduino should be attached to the usb port configured earlier and the Bitx powered OFF"

You can't program the Nano on the Raduino without powering it up -- that happens when you plug the USB cable into your computer. ?But the BITX 12 volt power supply should remain off.

73, Bob, WB4SON


Re: Conflicting information

John P
 

Thanks! Powering something from 2 sources simultaneously scares me as I already
blew up an expensive gimmick that way!


Re: Foreign orders #w8tee

Jack Purdum
 

These are good ideas. I'll investigate this further...thanks!!

Jack, W8TEE



From: Graham <planophore@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] #W8TEE Foreign orders

Jack,

a couple of thoughts,

1) put your design on oshpark as a shared project. Others could then order (in multiples of three) at a reasonable price.

2) contact Hans Summer G0UPL ( I seem to recall he is a member of this group) who runs he may have some good ideas on how to better do what you are trying to do.

Either way, your commitment to providing these boards at a reasonable cost is commendable

Cheers, Graham ve3gtc



On 2017-05-31 19:30, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:
All:

I just spent an hour at the post office while they processed each foreign order. Last night I spent another several hours filling out export/customs forms. Potentially, each country charges a different amount on packages to their country. Because the PCB "cannot be bent during processing", it has to be sent parcel post, rather than first class mail, which is much more standardized. The cheapest rate was over $9 to Canada and the most expensive were several European countries just under $15! I was stunned. I still sent the packages, but everyone in Europe only has a $2.62 credit as that's what I assumed the charge would be plus a little more. I told people read the postage cost on the outside and remit that amount less $2.62 since you've already paid that. In most cases, that make the board stupidly expensive.

If the European Union has one rate for parcels, my solution is to sell a bunch of boards to one place in the Union and let people order from them. Same for the Pacific Rim. Another solution is to find someone who likes waiting in post offices and filling out forms and let them handle the foreign orders. The third alternative is to not take foreign orders, but that's unacceptable to me.?

So, if you have some great idea for solving this problem, please write me off-line so we don't chew up bandwidth here. I'm good in QRZ.com. If something looks like it will work, I'll inform the group.

Also, I'll post to the group when the new shipment of boards comes in.

Jack, W8TEE


Groups.io Links:






Re: Conflicting information

 

It doesn't matter either way.? The Arduino can be powered externally while the USB interface is connected, or it can get it's power from the USB port.? Both modes of operation are supported.

73 KE0KKM

On May 31, 2017 4:45 PM, "John P" <j.m.price@...> wrote:
Hi Everyone! As you can see I just joined this group this morning at the recommendation of a friend.

I'm just finishing up a BITX40, which is the first think I've done in Ham Radio in the last 20 years
or so.

I found 2 articles on here?describing how to upload software into the Raduino; one by Pat
Griffin in the messages list, and one in the WIKI section. Pat's article says the Raduino
should be powered off when connecting it to the computer via the USB port (which I
tend to think is correct), while the WIKI article says the BITX should be powered on. Hopefully
someone with the capability to do so, can correct whichever one is wrong.
--
John - WA2FZW


Conflicting information

John P
 

Hi Everyone! As you can see I just joined this group this morning at the recommendation of a friend.

I'm just finishing up a BITX40, which is the first think I've done in Ham Radio in the last 20 years
or so.

I found 2 articles on here?describing how to upload software into the Raduino; one by Pat
Griffin in the messages list, and one in the WIKI section. Pat's article says the Raduino
should be powered off when connecting it to the computer via the USB port (which I
tend to think is correct), while the WIKI article says the BITX should be powered on. Hopefully
someone with the capability to do so, can correct whichever one is wrong.
--
John - WA2FZW


Re: Spurious RF at beginning of transmission

 

Photo of TX Burst response is here:?/g/BITX20/photo/6276/0?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

Incidentally I posted a photo of the output spectrum as well.? Right at the US FCC limit of no spur more than 43 dB below the carrier.: ?/g/BITX20/photo/6276/1?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

73, Bob, WB4SON


Re: Foreign orders #w8tee

Graham
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Jack,

a couple of thoughts,

1) put your design on oshpark as a shared project. Others could then order (in multiples of three) at a reasonable price.

2) contact Hans Summer G0UPL ( I seem to recall he is a member of this group) who runs he may have some good ideas on how to better do what you are trying to do.

Either way, your commitment to providing these boards at a reasonable cost is commendable

Cheers, Graham ve3gtc



On 2017-05-31 19:30, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:

All:

I just spent an hour at the post office while they processed each foreign order. Last night I spent another several hours filling out export/customs forms. Potentially, each country charges a different amount on packages to their country. Because the PCB "cannot be bent during processing", it has to be sent parcel post, rather than first class mail, which is much more standardized. The cheapest rate was over $9 to Canada and the most expensive were several European countries just under $15! I was stunned. I still sent the packages, but everyone in Europe only has a $2.62 credit as that's what I assumed the charge would be plus a little more. I told people read the postage cost on the outside and remit that amount less $2.62 since you've already paid that. In most cases, that make the board stupidly expensive.

If the European Union has one rate for parcels, my solution is to sell a bunch of boards to one place in the Union and let people order from them. Same for the Pacific Rim. Another solution is to find someone who likes waiting in post offices and filling out forms and let them handle the foreign orders. The third alternative is to not take foreign orders, but that's unacceptable to me.?

So, if you have some great idea for solving this problem, please write me off-line so we don't chew up bandwidth here. I'm good in QRZ.com. If something looks like it will work, I'll inform the group.

Also, I'll post to the group when the new shipment of boards comes in.

Jack, W8TEE


Groups.io Links:




Re: Spurious RF at beginning of transmission

 

Folks have been reasonably certain of that on Bitx rigs for about 15 years now. ?A simple fix for the kerchunk into the headphones when entering receive was recently posted here, and there have been many others. ?The transmit kerchunk you describe has not been addressed so much. ?Easier to fix now that we have the Raduino, could shut down the Si5351 VFO buffer at CLK2 until that kerchunk is over with. ?Though 60ms is a rather long time, if using VOX that timeout I'm suggesting could easily clip off something significant. ?Let us know when you find a better fix.


On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 02:07 pm, Bob wrote:
the burst of RF is coming directly through the balanced mixer which is unbalanced for about 60 mS due to the microphone amplifier stage being switched on for transmit.

?


Re: Encoder

 

Speaking of encoders, does anyone know what size nut fits the shaft on a KY-040?? I have an encoder in the junk box but it is a eunuch.


Re: Spurious RF at beginning of transmission

 

Arrghh -- sorry, phone call and I hit the wrong button.Continuing ...

When the radio goes into TX, that cap has to charge up via R127 -- which takes a LONG time. ?During that time, Q12 is also powering up and C122 has been sitting at zero volts, so it starts charging as well. ?This is the response of the Microphone Amplifier to the rising edge of the TX signal -- and the net result is that the Balanced Mixer (T4/D15/D16) is knocked out of balance until the amplifier stabilizes. ?The result of that is a spurious RF transmission that looks like the one I have attached as a file. ?The RF rises almost immediately to about 5-8 watts, within 5 ms drops down to about 3 watts, builds back up to 5-8 watts in another 5 ms, then slowly decays over a period of 60 ms decays down to close to zero. ?(All of this observed with the PTT line held).

That's pretty much the equivalent of a DOT at 20 WPM. ?You can hear that TX burst clearly on a monitor receiver.

When sending CW that initial burst may be masked by the first element as long as the speed is slow enough (< 20 WPM).

Since the unintended RF burst is caused by the transient response of the stage being powered up, a more optimal solution would be to keep that stage powered at all times, but shunt the audio to the base of Q12. ?Reducing the size of C124 would help shorten the burst.

73, Bob, WB4SON


Re: Encoder

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

I got 10 ea.? WITH Threaded Bushing on eBay for less than $10.? BUT, you have to WAIT!? Probably 4 Weeks on some Chinese orders.

I am using a non threaded one temporarily in the meantime.


On 5/31/2017 2:01 PM, Bruce Harvey wrote:

Thanks Ken,
Just what? want.

On the encoder,?
was thrown by the threaded shaft part.? On looking at pictures, now I see, some bushings are not threaded.? Guess I needed the word "bushing"? :-)

73,

Bruce

On 2017-05-31 5:52 PM, Ken wrote:
forgot the encoder



73 Ken

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Bruce Harvey <bharvey@...> wrote:
On 2017-05-27 4:57 PM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote:
KY040 (threaded shaft) encoders

Hi guys,

I've been trying to locate an Arduino Mega 2560 Pro Mini board source that is available to Canadian buyers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I haven't found a KY040 (threaded shaft) encoder.

Other than that I think I have the other parts located and ordered.

Bruce, VE1II


Virus-free.




Spurious RF at beginning of transmission

 

Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE's BITX40 is an amazing QRP SSB Radio and has set an unbelievable price-performance point. ?And many folks are adding new bells/whistles every day (like Allard and Jack). ??I've been working with a friend of mine, Willy W1LY, and his BITX40. ?Willy had installed the version 1.13 software from Allard and the HW modifications needed for CW. ?We have both noticed some interesting RF behavior when the radio first enters TX, even when on LSB (just PTT, with no audio).

After some investigation we are reasonably certain that the burst of RF is coming directly through the balanced mixer which is unbalanced for about 60 mS due to the microphone amplifier stage being switched on for transmit. ?If one starts with the radio in RX, then C124, the 47uF cap in the mic amplifier is sitting at zero volts. ?When the radio goes into TX, that cap has to charge up via R127 -- which takes a LONG time. ?During that time, Q12 is also powering up and C1