I once published some code on-line and got an "improved" version of it emailed to me by a self-proclaimed, "expert" programmer.? His improvement was to remove all the comments and shorten all the variable and procedure/function names to make it "run faster".? I guess the "expert" didn't understand that the compiled code will be the same regardless of the things he had changed.? Albeit, it would compile faster.
My advice is? to comment, comment, comment.? Use variable and procedure names that are descriptive.? As Jack said, that clever, little bit of coding you did last week may read like sanskrit? today.??
|
Re: Need help understanding a line of code in ubitx_si5351.cpp (msxp2 = ...)
#radiuno
Thanks very much, Jerry -
The additional insight and detail is much appreciated!
Dave
|
Re: boosting the power on 28 MHz
#ubitx
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mon, May 7, 2018 at 11:32 AM, Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@...> wrote: The DC currents are the same. I can't see why it will get any warmer
On Mon, 7 May 2018, 15:00 Lawrence Galea, < 9h1avlaw@...> wrote: Ashar did you check whether Q90 gets warm/hot after mods? Last time I did some tx checking on CW and Q 911,912, 92, 93, 96 and 97 were getting warm after about 1 minute. Supply was 11.64V, no supply to PA. Haven't had time to check it on the air. Regards Lawrence
|
Re: boosting the power on 28 MHz
#ubitx
The DC currents are the same. I can't see why it will get any warmer
On Mon, 7 May 2018, 15:00 Lawrence Galea, < 9h1avlaw@...> wrote: Ashar did you check whether Q90 gets warm/hot after mods? Last time I did some tx checking on CW and Q 911,912, 92, 93, 96 and 97 were getting warm after about 1 minute. Supply was 11.64V, no supply to PA. Haven't had time to check it on the air. Regards Lawrence
|
Re: boosting the power on 28 MHz
#ubitx
Ashar did you check whether Q90 gets warm/hot after mods? Last time I did some tx checking on CW and Q 911,912, 92, 93, 96 and 97 were getting warm after about 1 minute. Supply was 11.64V, no supply to PA. Haven't had time to check it on the air. Regards Lawrence
On Sat, May 5, 2018 at 2:13 PM, Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@...> wrote: peeps,
28 Mhz is unusually open for the last one week. I realized that our ubitx output is woefully low. Here is a fix that I made today, if some of you can try it out, let me know if it works as well.
Step #1 Increase the predriver gain towards the higher frequencies The predriver Q90 has a emitter degeneration capacitor C81 (0.1uf) and and R83 (10 ohms). I replaced the C81 with a 470 pf and the R83 with 5 ohms. With this, the emitter reactance decreases with increasing frequency, yielding higher gain beyond 14 MHz.
Step #2 Take off the feedback from the IRF510s.? Just remove the R261, R262 (both are 220 ohms) to open up the gain.
Let me know if this mod is replicable?
- f
|
uBITX narrow IF filter mod for CW, anyone tried this?
Hi folks,
I wonder if anyone tried this mod and are you happy with the result.
As I am customizing my uBITX for CW only I was looking into the possibility to add 220 pF capacitors in parallel to the 100 pF capacitors across the ladder filter. This is Farhan's suggestion in thread #36820.
I also have a NEQRP Nescaf filter ready to be integrated into my uBITX.
73, Frank
PA7F
|
Here is how I wired my Baufeng microphone to my BITX40.
On 7 May 2018 at 10:02, <aronax37@...> wrote: Hello, I am a novice in kit construction. I have an amateurradiokits universal case. How to wire included 4pin mic connector and RX/TX LED? diode??
Thank you for help
Ivo, OK2SHI
|
Re: FT8 on uBITX experiences
WSJT-X version 1.9 is the first version that has the hamlib fixes that support CAT control for the μBitx.
/g/BITX20/message/44363
|
Re: boosting the power on 28 MHz
#ubitx
So,
Which mod is preferable... this one, or the one on this link... or both combined?
/g/BITX20/topic/transmitter_mods/17458699?p=Created,,,20,1,20,0&jump=1
|
Hello, I am a novice in kit construction. I have an amateurradiokits universal case. How to wire included 4pin mic connector and RX/TX LED? diode??
Thank you for help
Ivo, OK2SHI
|
Most of the AD8302s that I’ve purchased have been off eBay… and they seem to be within specification.? I’ll bet there are some floating around that are drop-outs but luckily I have not received any.? The last lot I bought was 50 for $49…. So you are right, about a buck per. ? I agree that most of us try to avoid complex functions and math.? But the truth is, if a person spends the time and really understand it…it can make things soooo easy.? Example: If you plot the load impedance of any random load (antenna) on a smith chart… you instantly know what you need to do to transform it to 50 ohms real by following the lines.? Most of the very complex (read that military) tuners work that way (and it all started back about 1960-ish).? When I was in school, I was not a fan of Smith charts, but over the years learned to respect their power and true value.? Today I can’t live without them. ? You probably already surmised this, but you can just add a known capacitance (or inductance) to the unknown vectorized load measured with an AD8302 as R (+/-) jX and tell if the non-real part is plus or minus by the direction it moves.? That is, does X get smaller or larger. ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: Like us on Facebook! ? Moderator – North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io
Sent: Sunday, May 6, 2018 11:52 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] 45Mhz crystal filter specification ? The AD8302 is an interesting part, been around a couple decades now, about as long as the AD8307.
Curious that it doesn't get used more often by hams, virtually no google hits on projects using it.
Perhaps because most of us do our best to avoid thinking much about complex impedances.?
Ebay has the AD8302 for a buck, they're $20 on mouser.
But even if slightly out of spec, a?vector network analyzer for $1 is not a bad deal.
Appears it won't be able to tell you if it was R+jX or R-jX.
The ebay AD8307's that I have show all the markings of legit parts.
If they are fallouts, I'd think Analog Devices would step on whoever's sourcing them.
But they've been getting sold cheaply for years now.
Jerry
On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 03:54 pm, K9HZ wrote: Yet another reason I opted for the AD8302 for my tuner…? FREE R+jX…
|
64x16? K&R?? Surely, you are not talking floppy shuffle on the Xerox 820 or (jerry pournelle, peace be upon him) a Kaypro? BDS C was the only game in town. I brought up a CP/M system for my undergraduate project work.? - f - f
On Mon, 7 May 2018, 09:44 Jack Purdum via Groups.Io, <jjpurdum= [email protected]> wrote: The brace thing is really a matter of choice. I learned C back in the late 1970's when K&R was the only C book and I had a 64x16 modified TV for a CRT, so I put things on the same line, simply so I could see more lines without scrolling: ?? if (w == 5) { ????? y = true; ?? } else { ????? y = false; ?? } Even though the braces are not required with a single statement, I almost always use them. When I don't, invariably I need to add another statement or a debug print statement, so I have to add the brace anyway. However, with function signatures, I always place the opening brace for the function body on a new line. I think people pick what works for them. No one style is "correct", so, to me at least, there's no reason to even debate what's correct when it comes to braces. However, we should all try to make our code as readable as possible. When I was in high school, the football coach knew I was a ham radio operator and wanted me to build two Heathkit walkie talkies. I built them, and they didn't work. I was mortified. I barely slept that night. The next morning, my Mom told me I got up in the middle of the night and wrote something on the pad next to the phone. I read what I wrote, went downstairs and checked it and, sure enough, that was the problem. Ever since then, I keep a pad and pencil next to the bed. I can't tell you how many teaching examples I've used that came from that pad or programming problems that were solved by reading the pad the next morning. My experiences have convinced me that your brain continues to problem solve even when you're asleep.
Jack, W8TEE
On Sunday, May 6, 2018, 11:51:40 PM EDT, Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io <jgaffke= [email protected]> wrote:
You guys take this so seriously. Maybe you should find a hobby.? ?;-) Though I understand, I'm afflicted by the same malady. Just a slightly different strain. Here's a fix, no need to ever again deal with my coding style (one of many possible tools): ? ??? If you object to K&R style, there's a lot of it out there for you to sic crustify on. Here's a few million lines to get you started: ? ?? > You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style. I assume that's for the Arduino IDE, whose editor I mostly avoid. Here's various tricks for vi/vim users: ? ?? Here's a discussion of the various indentation styles: ? ?? They can't agree either. But somebody in there did a study of error rates in code using the various styles. Note that K&R style won, at least by a little bit. Though perhaps that's because folks using the K&R style are more likely to have read K&R (highly recommended). I was quite serious about that back pocket thing. If I have a difficult algorithm to work on, I code it tight so I can see as much of the work at one time as possible.? Preferably so it all fits on one side of a sheet of typing paper.? Better yet, half of one side. Then pull it out at odd times?during the day, jot notes when new insights come. Works for me. Didn't anybody have any comments about on how better to compute SWR?? Jerry, KE7ER On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 05:31 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Braces or brackets? Braces mark statement/function blocks while brackets are most often used with array sizes. The old K&R style was to leave the opening brace on the same line as the expression block, and then align the closing brace with the expression block start. I think that was done to get more lines on the screen when a 25 line display was common. Today, most seem to place the opening brace on its own line. If the block spans more than a page, the latest IDE shows the opening expression.
You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style.
?
|
Re: 45Mhz crystal filter specification
The AD8302 is an interesting part, been around a couple decades now, about as long as the AD8307.
Curious that it doesn't get used more often by hams, virtually no google hits on projects using it.
Perhaps because most of us do our best to avoid thinking much about complex impedances.?
Ebay has the AD8302 for a buck, they're $20 on mouser.
But even if slightly out of spec, a?vector network analyzer for $1 is not a bad deal.
Appears it won't be able to tell you if it was R+jX or R-jX.
The ebay AD8307's that I have show all the markings of legit parts.
If they are fallouts, I'd think Analog Devices would step on whoever's sourcing them.
But they've been getting sold cheaply for years now.
Jerry
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 03:54 pm, K9HZ wrote:
Yet another reason I opted for the AD8302 for my tuner…? FREE R+jX…
|
#ubitx Powel Levels after SImple Mods
#ubitx
I wanted a bit more power out of my uBITX, especially on the 20m and 30m bands, so I could operate with relatively inefficient portable antennas and still be heard (without the hassle of a separate linear amp).? So, after sifting through the suggestions here and over at ubitx.net, I implemented the following three relatively easy mods:
- As suggested by Howard (WB2VXW): Added a 27 uH inductor in series with R86, and 220 pF caps in parallel with R87 and R88.? That improved power output at 14 MHz and higher frequencies.
- As suggested by Bill (K9HZ): Replaced RV1 with a little daughtercard that uses three miniature relays (triggered by Q17, Q18, and Q18) to switch in a separate drive pot for each band group.? That way you can back off drive levels on the lower frequencies without sacrificing so much power on the higher frequencies.
- As suggested by many folks, I separated the PA and mainboard power supplies, and upped the PA supply to 24 VDC (while keeping the mainboard at 13.5 VDC).
For anyone contemplating those mods, here is a list of the resulting output power level and power supply current level for each dial frequency (into a dummy load):
- 3.573 MHz / 22 W / 2.6 A? (Initially 28 W, so I backed off RV1d a bit)
- 5.347 MHz / 16 W / 1.96 A
- 7.074 MHz / 22 W / 2.33 A? (Initially 28 W, so I backed off RV1c a bit)
- 10.136 MHz / 12 W / 1.58 A
- 14.074 MHz / 20 W / 2.13 A
- 18.100 MHz / 12 W / 1.61 A
- 21.074 MHz / 11 W / 1.40 A
- 24.915 MHz / 9 W / 1.25 A
- 28.074 MHz / 8 W / 1.24 A
Again, all of these tests were into a dummy load while using a 24 VDC supply for the PA , and 13.5 VDC for the mainboard (from a little LM2596 buck converter inside the chassis, so I don't need a second power supply).? I used the tune button on the WSJT-X software to drive the audio input (audio frequency set to 1500 Hz).? The finals got a little warm, but not too warm to touch, while I was adjusting the RV1a, RV1b, RV1c, and RV1d pots.? Nevertheless, I added a little DC fan (which will be switched on and off by a thermal switch, once the switch arrives). Note that I was getting about 11 W at the lower frequencies, and 3 or 4 W at the higher frequencies, when I first assembled the radio (using a 13.8 VDC supply). I was initially reluctant to mess with a 24 VDC supply, in that all of my portable power packs are 12 VDC.? But I found that a pair of 7AH Apex AGM batteries would only set me back $35, shipped.? That should be enough power to last a day or two at a far higher TX duty than is typical for me. (Current draw while receiving, with the fan on, is 148 mA.) I also ordered a DROK boost converter ($11.99 on Amazon) that is supposed to be able to supply 24 VDC (up to 4A) from a 12 VDC supply.? That may make it practical to power my portable setup from a single car battery, assuming that boost converter is as quiet as my buck converters have been.?? To summarize, I now have as much power as I want for digital modes on all bands, even under lousy band conditions.? It has been a blast tinkering with this thing, but I'm going to try leaving it assembled for a while and focus on making some contacts. 73, ? Mark (AE7TO) BTW, I haven't messed with bias levels on the finals, and don't plan to.? I'm confident those were adjusted correctly at the factory.
|
The brace thing is really a matter of choice. I learned C back in the late 1970's when K&R was the only C book and I had a 64x16 modified TV for a CRT, so I put things on the same line, simply so I could see more lines without scrolling: ?? if (w == 5) { ????? y = true; ?? } else { ????? y = false; ?? } Even though the braces are not required with a single statement, I almost always use them. When I don't, invariably I need to add another statement or a debug print statement, so I have to add the brace anyway. However, with function signatures, I always place the opening brace for the function body on a new line. I think people pick what works for them. No one style is "correct", so, to me at least, there's no reason to even debate what's correct when it comes to braces. However, we should all try to make our code as readable as possible. When I was in high school, the football coach knew I was a ham radio operator and wanted me to build two Heathkit walkie talkies. I built them, and they didn't work. I was mortified. I barely slept that night. The next morning, my Mom told me I got up in the middle of the night and wrote something on the pad next to the phone. I read what I wrote, went downstairs and checked it and, sure enough, that was the problem. Ever since then, I keep a pad and pencil next to the bed. I can't tell you how many teaching examples I've used that came from that pad or programming problems that were solved by reading the pad the next morning. My experiences have convinced me that your brain continues to problem solve even when you're asleep.
Jack, W8TEE
On Sunday, May 6, 2018, 11:51:40 PM EDT, Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io <jgaffke@...> wrote:
You guys take this so seriously.
Maybe you should find a hobby.? ?;-)
Though I understand, I'm afflicted by the same malady.
Just a slightly different strain.
Here's a fix, no need to ever again deal with my coding style (one of many possible tools):
? ???
If you object to K&R style, there's a lot of it out there for you to sic crustify on.
Here's a few million lines to get you started:
? ??
> You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style.
I assume that's for the Arduino IDE, whose editor I mostly avoid.
Here's various tricks for vi/vim users:
? ??
Here's a discussion of the various indentation styles:
? ??
They can't agree either.
But somebody in there did a study of error rates in code using the various styles.
Note that K&R style won, at least by a little bit.
Though perhaps that's because folks using the K&R style
are more likely to have read K&R (highly recommended).
I was quite serious about that back pocket thing.
If I have a difficult algorithm to work on, I code it tight so I can see
as much of the work at one time as possible.? Preferably so it all fits
on one side of a sheet of typing paper.? Better yet, half of one side.
Then pull it out at odd times?during the day, jot notes when new insights come.
Works for me.
Didn't anybody have any comments about on how better to compute SWR??
Jerry, KE7ER
On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 05:31 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Braces or brackets? Braces mark statement/function blocks while brackets are most often used with array sizes. The old K&R style was to leave the opening brace on the same line as the expression block, and then align the closing brace with the expression block start. I think that was done to get more lines on the screen when a 25 line display was common. Today, most seem to place the opening brace on its own line. If the block spans more than a page, the latest IDE shows the opening expression.
You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style.
?
|
You guys take this so seriously.
Maybe you should find a hobby.? ?;-)
Though I understand, I'm afflicted by the same malady.
Just a slightly different strain.
Here's a fix, no need to ever again deal with my coding style (one of many possible tools):
? ???
If you object to K&R style, there's a lot of it out there for you to sic crustify on.
Here's a few million lines to get you started:
? ??
> You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style.
I assume that's for the Arduino IDE, whose editor I mostly avoid.
Here's various tricks for vi/vim users:
? ??
Here's a discussion of the various indentation styles:
? ??
They can't agree either.
But somebody in there did a study of error rates in code using the various styles.
Note that K&R style won, at least by a little bit.
Though perhaps that's because folks using the K&R style
are more likely to have read K&R (highly recommended).
I was quite serious about that back pocket thing.
If I have a difficult algorithm to work on, I code it tight so I can see
as much of the work at one time as possible.? Preferably so it all fits
on one side of a sheet of typing paper.? Better yet, half of one side.
Then pull it out at odd times?during the day, jot notes when new insights come.
Works for me.
Didn't anybody have any comments about on how better to compute SWR??
Jerry, KE7ER
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 05:31 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Braces or brackets? Braces mark statement/function blocks while brackets are most often used with array sizes. The old K&R style was to leave the opening brace on the same line as the expression block, and then align the closing brace with the expression block start. I think that was done to get more lines on the screen when a 25 line display was common. Today, most seem to place the opening brace on its own line. If the block spans more than a page, the latest IDE shows the opening expression.
You can also use Ctrl-T to format your code to a common C coding style.
?
|
BTW I’m using the MCP3202… SPI and dual channel with Sample and Hold… ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: Like us on Facebook! ? Moderator – North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io
Sent: Sunday, May 6, 2018 9:39 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] SWR ? Here's the datasheet:
? ??
Pages 20-23 are of interest.
Looks to me like it is on the order of 10 bytes transferred via the i2c bus for each ADC read,
since we have to switch channels between reads to choose forward vs reflected power.
At 100 khz, that's 10us * 10 * 8bits/byte = 800 us.
That's an order of magnitude slower than reading the Nano's ADC using a an analogRead() call, around 100us.
It is possible to speed the i2c bus up from 100 khz to 400 khz,
But we can speed up the Nano ADC reads by a factor of 5, fiddling with the ADC clock prescaler.
So using the Nano's ADC is much faster than using this i2c ADC chip
Now if you found a good SPI ADC chip, that might be a different story.
Jerry
|
If you are only reading one variable, it’s much better to use the Nano’s A/D.? There is no syncing to do… just let it run continuously and read whats ever in the register. ? ? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: Like us on Facebook! ? Moderator – North American QRO Group at Groups.IO. ? email:? bill@... ? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io
Sent: Sunday, May 6, 2018 9:39 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] SWR ? Here's the datasheet:
? ??
Pages 20-23 are of interest.
Looks to me like it is on the order of 10 bytes transferred via the i2c bus for each ADC read,
since we have to switch channels between reads to choose forward vs reflected power.
At 100 khz, that's 10us * 10 * 8bits/byte = 800 us.
That's an order of magnitude slower than reading the Nano's ADC using a an analogRead() call, around 100us.
It is possible to speed the i2c bus up from 100 khz to 400 khz,
But we can speed up the Nano ADC reads by a factor of 5, fiddling with the ADC clock prescaler.
So using the Nano's ADC is much faster than using this i2c ADC chip
Now if you found a good SPI ADC chip, that might be a different story.
Jerry
|
I thought if you tap before the roofing filter you can get a viewable bandwidth as much as the SDR receiver you’re using at a time, for a RTL-SDR thats 2MHz. I do this on my Yaesu.
?
I haven’t done this mod yet, heck I havnt even built my ubitx, waiting to buy a case so I don’t know where you were tapping and if it was after the roofing filter you would get a 15Khz signal if I’m correct?
?
?
Joe,
KD2NFC
?
?
Architecture?The ?BITX
uses upconversion to the first IF of 45 MHz. This eliminates the need for a large number of band pass filters, keeping the design simple and virtually image free. The roofing filter at 45 MHz is 15 KHz wide. The signal is then down-converted to 12 MHz where
a low ripple SSB filter with 8 crystals is used to provide a sparkling audio.
?
?
Sent from for Windows 10
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Figured it out.
?I
have been running my uBitx with KD8CEC's firmware and have been particularly happy with his SDR adaptation. However, it really bugged me that I could only see a very small amount of bandwidth at a time when using the tap off of the IF.
So,
I added my upconverter inside the ubitx, put in a 5 volt power supply for it, and tapped the antenna directly on the output of K3. The end result is seen below. The first pic shows what I saw using the IF tap, a very small portion of the 80meter band around
the tuned frequency. The second shows the entire 40 meter band! In order to do this, only one change was needed on the SDR software, in the external radio settings there is an option to run sharing the antenna rather than using the IF.
KG4GEK
Greg
On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 7:01 PM Dexter N Muir < dexy@...> wrote:
Data sheets specify "viewed from below", usual convention is to view from above. In between comes mirror-imaging horizontally and vertically. It's a mess. Definitively, with device in hand, view as if you're plugging it into a PCB (i.e. view from above).
Now the two 'end' pins with greater gap to the rest are pins 8 and 9, the coil. The imagined IC 'notch' is the other end.
Hopefully helpfully
Dex, ZL2DEX
|
Re: ND6T AGC implementation for uBIT-X
Is it too late to sign up for one of each boards?
Steve
VE7GOY
|
Frank PA7F
4Z1NT
K9HZ