Please don't make Radiuno with CH340/CH341 chipsets any more! Or at least advertise that you do use them!
#radiuno
For those Radiuno suppliers that do not know; ?Macintosh users have significant trouble with the CH340/CH341 Arduino clones. ? ?
The Chinese vendor that makes that chip has done a very poor job writing drivers for the Macintosh. ? Many users report computer crashes and "kernel panics". ? ?The most suggested solution is to bypass an important security feature of the Mac?called System Integrity Protection. ?This is definitely not recommended and requires some system level hacking that is beyond the average user. ? Some users report that the Chinese driver works for them; most do not. ? The latest driver from the Chinese (v1.4) does not require the system hack, but it does not connect to the Radiuno for me. ?I do still get occasional system crashes when trying to upload. ??
Apple supports just about all modern USB devices but it specifically does not provide drivers CH34x devices. ?Clearly this is a security issue for them. ?My understanding is that the CH34x devices were created to skirt royalties to be paid to the FTDI or Prolific intellectual property holders. ?For one reason or another, Apple does not support them. ? CURRENTLY (and despite claims to the contrary) THE AVAILABLE 3RD PARTY DRIVERS ARE UNRELIABLE. ??
I plugged the Radiuno into my Mac and tried to program it with the Arduino GUI and let loose with a few expletives. ?I knew immediately what had happened. ? I usually do my homework and avoid the CH34x chipsets in my Arduino projects, but Radiuno was not offered in another form and I neglected to check the chipset. ? ?(I still haven't found a spec for Radiuno that says what chipset it uses; clearly it is a CH340.)
?I solved the problem by digging out a very old MacBookPro with an antique OS which does did not have the security feature and did support CH34x chipsets. ?While it is slow, it fortunately it runs the latest version of Arduino. ? My other alternative would have been to remove the CHxx Arduino Nano and replace it with an FTDI or Prolific PL2303 Arduino Nano... ? I may do that yet am not looking forward to it. ?
Please no more CH34x chipsets!
Thanks
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Yes, a slight tweek on the pot made a great improvement in my displays read ability.
|
I ordered new chips and sockets from Amazon and slow-shipping because its not an amazon fulfilled product and shipping was going to be multiples of the cost of the parts.... so no fun for a few weeks.
I'll post back when I have parts in hand and I am making progress again.
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Re: Diagnostic software for uBitx
#ubitx
I took apart a Sun Microsystems mainframe while I was studying Digital Electronics in tech school 1 block from 42nd street in Manhattan in the late 80¡¯s. I was too young for the mainframe era but I love hearing stories about it.?
73¡¯²õ Joe
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Show quoted text
On Apr 28, 2018, at 1:26 PM, Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io < am_fm_radio@...> wrote: 40 years as a senior field engineer on big main frames and such.. Self diagnostic hardware and software is wonderful provided the machine is actually working when you run the diagnostics. most engineers who rely on diagnostics puke when they can't run them for various reasons.
I have a few thousand airline miles "fixing" for instance a VAX 11/785 mainframe down for 3 days.. Can't boot, can't run diagnostics. The 11/ 785 CPU was 29 24x24 inch boards, all were changed. Even changed the microvax computer -boot loader. (a 8-12 board mini-computer w/ 8"floppy that loaded the mainframe microcode). My Solution/findings: Every 8" floppy on site was bad, the ones I brought worked just fine. Perhaps a disgruntled employee demagnetized all floppies but the one that was loaded in the loader. then it eventually went bad..(The perfect crime)
Drove all night- Detroit to Indianapolis once for a 1amp 5 volt fuse..System down 3-4 days. (SUN Microsystems 3/xxx series computers, had the 5 volt line to the optical mouse fused.) in order to log in you had to move the mouse to the login window even to log in as root. The local engineer even changed the MOBO- and the new MOBO had no fuse in the fuse holder.. National Tech support told him to keep checking the configuration berg jumpers never even knew there was a fuse on the board.. The old MOBO had a blown fuse.. BTW- Sun Microsystems never had a part number for that fuse or even mentioned it in engineering documentation.. a 3rd MOBO arrived by air courier? as I was leaving. It did have a new good fuse
If you've read this far. I have to ask this question:
uBITX are not $3000 radio's.. DXpeditions don't depend on 1 radio but pack extra's. For the $120-180 we have invested in a working rig, Isn't it realistic to invest in a second?? I have multiple rigs as perhaps I'm blessed. but there are times (close lightening strike) that can render a uBITX or anyother rig perhaps unfixable.? Still they are fun aren't they?
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Re: mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit
#ubitx
#2meters
Exactly. I have one for 6M and another for 4M. Very small and easily fitted in a case with the ¦Ìbits. If you want higher power that's another issue. With just the barefoot transverter and a simple dipole just about 4M high on the roof fed with some 15M RG58 I worked quite a few stations on 4M as can be seen on my 4M loq at QRZ.com?
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 5:06 PM, K9HZ <bill@...> wrote: If such a radio is just CW and SSB, those ultra-cheap transverters from the Ukraine are by far the best solution.? If the radio will operate FM¡ that¡¯s where a redesign is required. ? I¡¯m using one of the transverters now and they work fine with some simple interfacing. ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch ¨C K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner ¨C Operator Villa Grand Piton ¨C J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: Like us on Facebook! ? Moderator ¨C North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:58 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit #ubitx #2meters ? Looks like the goal is to build something more challenging than the uBitx.
Beyond that what it is or does is totally up in the air.
Discussion seems to be moving toward a single band rig capable of SSB/CW about uBitx size.
A few thoughts of my own:
Phase noise from that si5351 gets worse as the freq goes up, maybe an si5338 or si5341?
Having all oscillators off a single reference makes calibration much easier.
Could be used for cross band ops if it receives on more bands than it transmits.
A wideband receiver could also be a spectrum analyzer, use digital techniques
on the audio when resolution better than the crystal filters is required.
Transmit mixer, drivers, final could be a separate board for each band desired,
zero transmit boards is an option for receive only.
Jerry
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 05:55 am, Tim Gorman wrote: I'm lost as to what your goal is here.
1. The baofeng won't do SSB. Are you wanting to build a SSB unit or an
FM unit?
2. Are you thinking of a handheld or a desktop?
3. a phase line at 432Mhz won't be correct for 144Mhz. Are you thinking
a two-band unit or one-band unit?
|
Re: Diagnostic software for uBitx
#ubitx
I will never again build a kit that doesn¡¯t have the diagnostic tools built in.? I¡¯ve seen the light.? Take the uBITx for example.? The Arduino needs to be working in order for the radio to work.? If the Arduino works, it could have been designed to have a number of useful tools built onto the board next to it for pennies.? Move some fractional cent jumpers to a different position than ¡°normal operation¡± and it¡¯s a volt meter that could be ranged by a jumper in the right range place (resistors on the board).? Move another jumper and it¡¯s a variable frequency source, Move another jumper and it¡¯s a frequency counter.? Move another jumper and it¡¯s a LC meter.? Maybe even a low frequency scope (crude of course).? This is really simple and basic stuff for very cheap¡ gets a guy that could otherwise not afford all this test equipment some reasonably good diagnostic equipment for virtually pennies.? When I send out my next kit, I¡¯ll even include an extra set of extra-long DuPont M-F jumpers to use as sample probes. ? And if you don¡¯t want to use the diagnostic stuff¡ don¡¯t ever go into diagnostic mode or move the jumpers from normal position¡ and you spent just a few extra wasted pennies. ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch ¨C K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner ¨C Operator Villa Grand Piton ¨C J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: Like us on Facebook! ? Moderator ¨C North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
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Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jack Purdum via Groups.Io
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2018 12:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Diagnostic software for uBitx #ubitx? My guess is that anyone who consistently reads this Forum and has seriously thought about how to put diagnostics into the ?BITX, and assuming a minimum wage opportunity cost, has already invested several thousand dollars in their $110 rig. True, a lightning strike probably doesn't need any diagnostic tools. (Honest! My ?BITX was right where that charred spot is on the desk!) For me, adding diagnostics to the rig is not about "using them". Indeed, I hope I never have to use them. Rather, it's about the enjoyment I get out of writing code to solve a problem. ? When I saw Hans' QCX transceiver I just said to myself: "This is just stupidly cool!". Every kit that has a microcontroller should do something like that. So here I am dinking around with my ?BITX, hanging a Teensy 3.6 on it with a megamunch of memory and a clock that's so fast I have to waste CPU cycles so the SPI interface can keep up, yet I never even thought about adding any diagnostics to it until I saw his QCX. I still haven't added that code, mainly because it needs to be thought out more completely than I have done and adding it at the end makes sense. ? The weak spot in all this is the assumption that the ?C is functional whenever a problem crops up. However, think about how many issues trace back to the PS, and if that's down, the diagnostics are moribund. Perhaps an external device with the diagnostics is warranted, but then if you're doing a SOTA activation and something goes south, do we really schlep our test gear along with us? Probably not. The choice is the old rock-hard place tradeoff and a true dilemma: Two choices, both bad. ? I don't know where this is going, but I plan to tag along just for the enjoyment I'll get out of it. On Saturday, April 28, 2018, 1:26:25 PM EDT, Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io <am_fm_radio@...> wrote: 40 years as a senior field engineer on big main frames and such.. Self diagnostic hardware and software is wonderful provided the machine is actually working when you run the diagnostics. most engineers who rely on diagnostics puke when they can't run them for various reasons.
I have a few thousand airline miles "fixing" for instance a VAX 11/785 mainframe down for 3 days.. Can't boot, can't run diagnostics. The 11/ 785 CPU was 29 24x24 inch boards, all were changed. Even changed the microvax computer -boot loader. (a 8-12 board mini-computer w/ 8"floppy that loaded the mainframe microcode). My Solution/findings: Every 8" floppy on site was bad, the ones I brought worked just fine. Perhaps a disgruntled employee demagnetized all floppies but the one that was loaded in the loader. then it eventually went bad..(The perfect crime)
Drove all night- Detroit to Indianapolis once for a 1amp 5 volt fuse..System down 3-4 days. (SUN Microsystems 3/xxx series computers, had the 5 volt line to the optical mouse fused.) in order to log in you had to move the mouse to the login window even to log in as root. The local engineer even changed the MOBO- and the new MOBO had no fuse in the fuse holder.. National Tech support told him to keep checking the configuration berg jumpers never even knew there was a fuse on the board.. The old MOBO had a blown fuse.. BTW- Sun Microsystems never had a part number for that fuse or even mentioned it in engineering documentation.. a 3rd MOBO arrived by air courier? as I was leaving. It did have a new good fuse
If you've read this far. I have to ask this question:
uBITX are not $3000 radio's.. DXpeditions don't depend on 1 radio but pack extra's. For the $120-180 we have invested in a working rig, Isn't it realistic to invest in a second?? I have multiple rigs as perhaps I'm blessed. but there are times (close lightening strike) that can render a uBITX or anyother rig perhaps unfixable.? Still they are fun aren't they?
|
Re: Doing digital with ubitx. kd8cec
Thanks for the replies.
I have written some ino code for other projects using arduino ide.??For something like this I am out of my league probably.
Always run the compile test feature before I upload it. one semicolon out of place and it just doesn't want to run.
I assume that the arduino software puts out is the hexadecimal code. Going to look at the xloader software. Seems like something I need? to learn.?
Yes this is for my ubitwood, ubitx in Kenwood case.
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Re: mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit
#ubitx
#2meters
On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 10:18 pm, Ashhar Farhan wrote:
Should be mangle an ADE-1 to get at its transformers? Allison, can you help?
Mixers specifically for UHF are easy to do.? 1n5711 is not ideal.? We are now in the
range of bat5x or bat6x SMT series.? Also the mixer does not have to be DBM it can be
rat race or any number of other possible flavors.?
However you need a good solid amount of low noise (under a DB) RF gain before it
and a stable LO or its not going to fun or hear much.? Images hit you? for 3db off the top.
Modding a commercial mixer is way too costly and more effort when a model for the
range is available for the same cost.
Going to a high IF (up to 45mhz or so) means narrow filters at UHF and doing that
without incurring high losses is not simple to build or tune.? ?Gain is cheap if the cost of
MMICs are not off putting but most MMICS are fairly noisy for receiving.? Board materials
like G10 and FR4 are noticeably lossy and the fancy low loss stuff cost dearly.
I'd call 6M the breakpoint for simple design, 2m transitional for understanding VHF
and up design and 432 the starting point for UHF design.? The next bend is around
3000mhz.? I happen to like the world above 3000mhz but I'm likely nuts.
Allison
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Re: mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit
#ubitx
#2meters
The formulas at the top of that webpage are having trouble representing exponents.
Probably got lost when scraped up with a copy and paste from some other source.
For example:? "Note that many other manufacturers quote?AL?as nH/t2 for both types of material.?"
That should read? ?AL=nH/(t**2)? ?where t**2 is the number of turns squared.
Also:? "Ferrite:? turns = 1000 ((desired L/AL) 0.5) (where L in?mH)?"
should be? ? turns = (1000*(mH/AL))**0.5)? ?=? sqrt(1000*(mH/AL))
But otherwise, a good source of info on torroids.
Here's a very interesting writeup on the sorts stuff that?go wacky when using torroids:
? ??
Jerry, KE7ER
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 10:27 am, Ashhar Farhan wrote:
Thanks,
Very useful. Bookmarked.?
- f
. . .
?
On Sat, 28 Apr 2018, 22:46 Dexter N Muir, < dexy@...> wrote:
Comprehensive info at:
Hopefully helpfully
Dex, ZL2DEX
|
Re: Diagnostic software for uBitx
#ubitx
Lawrence
I think the suggestion was to use a working Arduino board to help do diagnostics on
an attached BITX transceiver.? This would be different from expecting a non-working
processor to diagnose itself.? Question in this is whether the Arduino/Raduino would
have built-in code for BITX diagnostics, or would it require a code reload for the
Arduino to do this task.
While smaller mini-frame systems VAX, DEC, etc. used to have a single processor
my experience with large mainframes (IBM-360, Bell Labs 4ESS, etc.) had multiple
core processors and actually could, in some cases, do diagnostics on limited parts
of the system.? But this is way beyond what we are dealing with in the BITX world
where a rather simple AVR Mega-328 micro-controller is all we have to work with.?
There have been earlier comments regarding Arduino based test equipment? that could
be designed and built such that it would be an accessory or separate controller used
for diagnostic purposes, but this is more stand-alone test sets than an internal
diagnostic element.?
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 11:26 AM, Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io <am_fm_radio@...> wrote: 40 years as a senior field engineer on big main frames and such.. Self diagnostic hardware and software is wonderful provided the machine is actually working when you run the diagnostics. most engineers who rely on diagnostics puke when they can't run them for various reasons.
I have a few thousand airline miles "fixing" for instance a VAX 11/785 mainframe down for 3 days.. Can't boot, can't run diagnostics. The 11/ 785 CPU was 29 24x24 inch boards, all were changed. Even changed the microvax computer -boot loader. (a 8-12 board mini-computer w/ 8"floppy that loaded the mainframe microcode). My Solution/findings: Every 8" floppy on site was bad, the ones I brought worked just fine. Perhaps a disgruntled employee demagnetized all floppies but the one that was loaded in the loader. then it eventually went bad..(The perfect crime)
Drove all night- Detroit to Indianapolis once for a 1amp 5 volt fuse..System down 3-4 days. (SUN Microsystems 3/xxx series computers, had the 5 volt line to the optical mouse fused.) in order to log in you had to move the mouse to the login window even to log in as root. The local engineer even changed the MOBO- and the new MOBO had no fuse in the fuse holder.. National Tech support told him to keep checking the configuration berg jumpers never even knew there was a fuse on the board.. The old MOBO had a blown fuse.. BTW- Sun Microsystems never had a part number for that fuse or even mentioned it in engineering documentation.. a 3rd MOBO arrived by air courier? as I was leaving. It did have a new good fuse
If you've read this far. I have to ask this question:
uBITX are not $3000 radio's.. DXpeditions don't depend on 1 radio but pack extra's. For the $120-180 we have invested in a working rig, Isn't it realistic to invest in a second?? I have multiple rigs as perhaps I'm blessed. but there are times (close lightening strike) that can render a uBITX or anyother rig perhaps unfixable.? Still they are fun aren't they?
|
Re: Doing digital with ubitx. kd8cec
The hex file is here. Direct upload, no compiling. He recommends the use of Xloader .?
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 10:46 AM, Michael Shreeve <shreevester@...> wrote: I think the complex nature of? compiling multiple INOs is why Ian supplies the compiled Hex file which can be directly uploaded.?
|
Re: Diagnostic software for uBitx
#ubitx
My guess is that anyone who consistently reads this Forum and has seriously thought about how to put diagnostics into the ?BITX, and assuming a minimum wage opportunity cost, has already invested several thousand dollars in their $110 rig. True, a lightning strike probably doesn't need any diagnostic tools. (Honest! My ?BITX was right where that charred spot is on the desk!) For me, adding diagnostics to the rig is not about "using them". Indeed, I hope I never have to use them. Rather, it's about the enjoyment I get out of writing code to solve a problem. When I saw Hans' QCX transceiver I just said to myself: "This is just stupidly cool!". Every kit that has a microcontroller should do something like that. So here I am dinking around with my ?BITX, hanging a Teensy 3.6 on it with a megamunch of memory and a clock that's so fast I have to waste CPU cycles so the SPI interface can keep up, yet I never even thought about adding any diagnostics to it until I saw his QCX. I still haven't added that code, mainly because it needs to be thought out more completely than I have done and adding it at the end makes sense. The weak spot in all this is the assumption that the ?C is functional whenever a problem crops up. However, think about how many issues trace back to the PS, and if that's down, the diagnostics are moribund. Perhaps an external device with the diagnostics is warranted, but then if you're doing a SOTA activation and something goes south, do we really schlep our test gear along with us? Probably not. The choice is the old rock-hard place tradeoff and a true dilemma: Two choices, both bad. I don't know where this is going, but I plan to tag along just for the enjoyment I'll get out of it.
Jack, W8TEE
On Saturday, April 28, 2018, 1:26:25 PM EDT, Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io <am_fm_radio@...> wrote:
40 years as a senior field engineer on big main frames and such.. Self diagnostic hardware and software is wonderful provided the machine is actually working when you run the diagnostics. most engineers who rely on diagnostics puke when they can't run them for various reasons.
I have a few thousand airline miles "fixing" for instance a VAX 11/785 mainframe down for 3 days.. Can't boot, can't run diagnostics. The 11/ 785 CPU was 29 24x24 inch boards, all were changed. Even changed the microvax computer -boot loader. (a 8-12 board mini-computer w/ 8"floppy that loaded the mainframe microcode). My Solution/findings: Every 8" floppy on site was bad, the ones I brought worked just fine. Perhaps a disgruntled employee demagnetized all floppies but the one that was loaded in the loader. then it eventually went bad..(The perfect crime)
Drove all night- Detroit to Indianapolis once for a 1amp 5 volt fuse..System down 3-4 days. (SUN Microsystems 3/xxx series computers, had the 5 volt line to the optical mouse fused.) in order to log in you had to move the mouse to the login window even to log in as root. The local engineer even changed the MOBO- and the new MOBO had no fuse in the fuse holder.. National Tech support told him to keep checking the configuration berg jumpers never even knew there was a fuse on the board.. The old MOBO had a blown fuse.. BTW- Sun Microsystems never had a part number for that fuse or even mentioned it in engineering documentation.. a 3rd MOBO arrived by air courier? as I was leaving. It did have a new good fuse
If you've read this far. I have to ask this question:
uBITX are not $3000 radio's.. DXpeditions don't depend on 1 radio but pack extra's. For the $120-180 we have invested in a working rig, Isn't it realistic to invest in a second?? I have multiple rigs as perhaps I'm blessed. but there are times (close lightening strike) that can render a uBITX or anyother rig perhaps unfixable.? Still they are fun aren't they?
|
Re: BITX QSO Afternoon/Evening, Sunday, April 29, 3PM & 7PM Local Time, 7277 kHz in North America, 7177 kHz elsewhere.
Trolling or not, you folks are mostly reporting noise and hearing nothing for hours with only few successes. QRP SSB is impractle without good equipment, antenna knowledge, and ideal operating locations and contitions. Most cheap Hams have none of these things and complain.?
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Re: Doing digital with ubitx. kd8cec
I think the complex nature of? compiling multiple INOs is why Ian supplies the compiled Hex file which can be directly uploaded.?
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 9:41 AM, Rod Davis <km6sn@...> wrote:
Hi,
if you go to and download the
manual for 1.061 there are detailed
instructions for software installation.
Be aware it is for uBITX only.
Regards,
Rod KM6SN
Did I read that
someone inferred that I can use a usb cable from my computer to
the arduino and do some digital qso's with the KD8CEC firmware?
?
When I downloaded the ubitx_1.061.zip file and extracted. I
encountered 9 ino files.?
I think this file (ubitx_20.ino) is the one that I want. but am
not sure.
Do any other versions of firmware that allow digital directly.
from a ubitx or bitx40?
|
Re: mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit
#ubitx
#2meters
MORE...
LO chains for UHF.? Multipliers add noise so if phase noise is a fact at the fundamental output the?
phase noise of a 3x multiple is 10 log(3) worse!? For small values of N that may be fine but
wen N gets to 10 or more its painful.
If you? experience is FM and repeaters none of that applies to SSB weak signal.? I work out to 15 miles
here from? repeaters using a BoFeng on 2 or 70-cm but the repeater has a 6 or 10 db lo angle
antenna on a tall hill.? With the 55W mobile and a simple 1/4 wave whip I've been heard 65 miles
away on the same repeater.
A good 432/435 SSB rig has a NF under a db for the lna and? SSB band widths can hear down
to better than? -147dbm.? Least mine do.? For 2M it only get a little better.? To work out to 100mi
with some degree of repeatability the set up is 160W, RX LNA, and a 11 element 3.7 wavelength
beam up 35ft from what some would call a good location.? UHF with 60W and a 15 element beam
the best shot to date is 68 miles.? ? ?For 6M the game changes as a 5 element beam and 160W
gets me the world at times.? 6M has Eskip aka sporatic E,?ducting, and Aurora, during the open
season I've worked 3000+ miles (Eu countries) using 4W and a square loop. It was much easier
with 100W and a 3 element beam.? The same mobile setup under average conditions 60 miles
to a very good station with beams on a tall hill.? ?For comparison a similar radio to the 6M HB
on 10M during the 2009 solar minimum got me?85 countries for far less effort.? I'm a? hard
core VHF/UHF person.? You have to want to do it.? ?I can say marginal radios especially
receiving do not make the grade.? FT8 mode or JT65 can improve things if all you want
is "contacts" not conversations. But then you need a tx chain that can support full power
out for up to 15 minutes at a time.?
Working the satellites is far different as then you looking 400-6000 miles depending on angle and?
your fighting? path loss and sometimes refraction.? ?SSB through translator sats is interesting but
requires both a good radio with simultaneous RX and TX on different bands so you can hear if
your making it plus total computer control to counteract doppler.? And aim the antenna.? For FM
sats (aka EasySats) two 'fengs a hand mic, a headset, and a simple hand held antenna well do fine
Allison
|
Re: A steal for Arduino Experimenters
Dave K8WPE
Thanks for the information.? I will keep watching that group to see what they are doing.
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 3:34 AM, David Wilcox via Groups.Io <Djwilcox01@...> wrote: Check out the Chat With The Designers site.? Arduino based test gear it the project for 2018.
Get in touch with George.? Your idea sounds like a great addition to the already proposed projects.
Dave K8WPE DuWayne? KV4QB
Love your little 0.96 inch meter faces.? 8-)
In doing something similar I used two ADC inputs as DC voltmeters so I could
measure the voltage on either side of a component and subtract the lowest to
show the difference.? This allows for measuring current through a component
that has both ends above ground.?
I am beginning to wonder why someone has not started a line of Arduino assisted
test equipment?? Products could evolve from simple voltmeters to fancy spectrum
analyzers.
Keep up the good work.?
Arv? K7HKL
_._
|
|
|
Re: Diagnostic software for uBitx
#ubitx
40 years as a senior field engineer on big main frames and such.. Self diagnostic hardware and software is wonderful provided the machine is actually working when you run the diagnostics. most engineers who rely on diagnostics puke when they can't run them for various reasons.
I have a few thousand airline miles "fixing" for instance a VAX 11/785 mainframe down for 3 days.. Can't boot, can't run diagnostics. The 11/ 785 CPU was 29 24x24 inch boards, all were changed. Even changed the microvax computer -boot loader. (a 8-12 board mini-computer w/ 8"floppy that loaded the mainframe microcode). My Solution/findings: Every 8" floppy on site was bad, the ones I brought worked just fine. Perhaps a disgruntled employee demagnetized all floppies but the one that was loaded in the loader. then it eventually went bad..(The perfect crime)
Drove all night- Detroit to Indianapolis once for a 1amp 5 volt fuse..System down 3-4 days. (SUN Microsystems 3/xxx series computers, had the 5 volt line to the optical mouse fused.) in order to log in you had to move the mouse to the login window even to log in as root. The local engineer even changed the MOBO- and the new MOBO had no fuse in the fuse holder.. National Tech support told him to keep checking the configuration berg jumpers never even knew there was a fuse on the board.. The old MOBO had a blown fuse.. BTW- Sun Microsystems never had a part number for that fuse or even mentioned it in engineering documentation.. a 3rd MOBO arrived by air courier? as I was leaving. It did have a new good fuse
If you've read this far. I have to ask this question:
uBITX are not $3000 radio's.. DXpeditions don't depend on 1 radio but pack extra's. For the $120-180 we have invested in a working rig, Isn't it realistic to invest in a second?? I have multiple rigs as perhaps I'm blessed. but there are times (close lightening strike) that can render a uBITX or anyother rig perhaps unfixable.? Still they are fun aren't they?
|
Re: mono band 2 meters rig based on the micro BITx circuit
#ubitx
#2meters
Comprehensive info at:
Hopefully helpfully
Dex, ZL2DEX
|
Tim? AB0WR
Some earlier BITX transceivers did use a ring mixer but the carrier suppression was
not noticeably better than with the present design.? Allison's comments are valid and
reflect a good place to start looking.?
Placing the BFO down the edge of the? crystal filter passband helps improve carrier
rejection and improves audio by filtering off unneeded lower frequency voice products.?
You can tailor the lower frequency speech response by how far down the filter skirt
you place the BFO.?
If you have means to do spectrum analysis you can measure crystal filter response
and use that information to determine where the BFO should be set.? If you do not
have spectrum analysis tools, it is still possible to do a manual sweep by adjusting the
BFO in small (20 to 100 Hz) steps across the filter passband and plot the filter output
using a diode detector and graph paper.? Note that linear graph paper will show an
expanded curve where log graph paper will show a more conventional decibel curve.
If noise is being injected into the balanced modulator via the microphone or microphone
amplifier it will not be possible to get a deep null in carrier balance.? It is conventional
practice to short the microphone input while doing carrier balance adjustments and
measurement.
Allison's comment regarding possibility of undetected ultra-sonic tones present that
can cause unwanted carrier insertion is something that we do not usually look for.?
A quick look at modulator AF input with an oscilloscope would probably show any
such problem.
Typical crystal ladder filters usually show a steeper curve on its lower sideband than
on the upper sideband.? Some of the high-IF designs ignore that and as a result will
show less carrier rejection on either USB or LSB, depending on the design.?
Arv K7HKL
_._
On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 8:50 PM, Tim Gorman <tgorman2@...> wrote: I've never been able to get over 25db of carrier rejection according to
my Rigol DSA815. Not unless I move the BFO so far that signals are
unintelligible. If you adjust by 6db to allow for PEP equivalence this
is still only 31db of rejection.
In looking at the modulator circuit I don't see much of a way to
increase carrier rejection without major butchery, i.e. totally
replacing the modulator with a ring mixer which would allow providing
for a carrier balance adjustment.
tim ab0wr
On Fri, 27 Apr 2018 18:22:21 -0700
"ajparent1/KB1GMX" <kb1gmx@...> wrote:
> Two things result in carrier...
>
> One is the BFO too close to or in the filter passband, it should be
> 6-10 db down the edge of the filter. Blaming the filter will not fix
> that, unless its seriously broken.? ? NOTE: Each unit will vary some
> on the best BFO setting this happens with commercial filters too.??
>
> The other is imbalance in the modulator circuit.? Solution is fix it.
>
> There is a remote possibility of a tone at higher than you can here
> present in the tx due to a circuit or wiring issue.?
>
> Its not rocket science to measure the power out and the residual
> carrier.? a 50 ohm load, a diode detector is all that is needed plus
> a voltmeter.? Compare power out at full power and with no audio at
> all the ratio in DB should be better than 40DB (10,000:1) or for 10W
> out less than 1mW.
>
> Allison
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K9HZ
_Dave_ AD0B
Michael Shreeve