Re: ERF2030+ RF Power Mosfet Transistor, 30 Watt PEP per $1.00
Unfortunately their "datasheet" is more of an app note on how to hack various radios.
Near as I can tell, they haven't bothered to create a real datasheet.?
Good luck.
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On Fri, May 18, 2018 at 10:08 am, Juan Carlos Berberena Glez wrote:
Hi Coleagues,
Please let me know any concern about this new RF transistor.
Thank you in advance
Qrv's?
73's Jc
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Route your +12V thru it. It's your on-off switch.
Vince.
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On 05/18/2018 01:43 PM, aronax37@... wrote: How to wire up the two contact on the black back of volume potentiometer?
Thank you.
Ivo,OK2SHI
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
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How to wire up the two contact on the black back of volume potentiometer?
Thank you.
Ivo,OK2SHI
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On 05/18/2018 01:33 PM, Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io wrote:
I'd prefer something other than an 8mhz resonator on the processor.
We're seeing trouble with the Nano's where the 16mhz and 12mhz
resonators can sometimes choose
to be of a frequency where fundamental or harmonics of that and the BFO
create audio tones that are hard to kill.
When that happens, best bet is to clip out the Nano and try a different
one as those resonators are dinky.
Simple solution. Separate the 5351 from the controller and display. Get that controller a ways away and it also has the benefit of more case options. Vince. -- Michigan VHF Corp.
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Bob
Some of the features, like the display, are intertwined throughout the code and hard to separate. Others, like the encoder, are just little pieces of code that mostly stand alone. However, even the encoder handler consists of code in the declarations area to define variables, code in the setup section to set up the interrupts, code in the actual interrupt handler and code in the main loop.. Plus, I made a hardware change to the Raduino to exchange some signal lines with others that were more appropriate for the encoder task. I'd have to clean up the sketch which consists of about 8 files and?is in a spaghetti-like state right now because it's under extreme development and contains bunches of debug stuff, and also document it as a first line of defense against the many questions it would raise.in its present state. I'd like to do all that when the functionality stops evolving, but for now the best I can do is describe my approach and send out-of-context? snippets. Having said that, I'd be pleased to answer pointed questions and provide example code snippets.
Joe
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Joe,
You've definitely got your S-Meter requirements taken care of.? ;-)
And would indeed be a shame to waste those dual SPI displays on a Nano.
Let us know what feels right in a final radio and what is stuff you maybe didn't need.
There's a wide range of STM32F parts available, different amounts of memory, ADC speeds and type, FPU.
Access to that in? pin compatible packages is worth a buck.
Quality and some details (is USB bootloader in flash?? which pin is the LED tied to?? does it work at all?)
on a $2 BluePill can vary considerably.? Pretty much zero glue needed except LED's and R's and a voltage regulator.
I'd prefer something other than an 8mhz resonator on the processor.
We're seeing trouble with the Nano's where the 16mhz and 12mhz resonators can sometimes choose
to be of a frequency where fundamental or harmonics of?that and the BFO create audio tones that are hard to kill.
When that happens, best bet is to clip out the Nano and try a different one as those resonators are dinky.
Likewise, I'd just as soon not have a USB interface running while using the radio, I'm fine with something like this
to program the firmware via the bootloader in ROM using a UART interface from a host USB port:
? ??
That item can be configured for 5v or 3.3v io to the Arduino.
It's much easier to choke out any RF from those 9600 baud UART lines than it is to clean
up a 12mhz USB interface, and sometimes we will want that running while operating the radio.
Jerry
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On Fri, May 18, 2018 at 08:12 am, W3JDR wrote:
BTW, I considered starting out at the STM chip level, but you can buy the whole board cheaper than you can buy the chip. And you'd have to put all the necessary 'glue' around it and then build it and burn an Arduino compatible bootloader into it. Also, an FPU is primarily useful in DSP applications, and I see that as being a separate unit, so I'm going the Pill route.
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Well, I opened the box for the BitX40 thinking I could borrow its rotary encoder until my replacements came in for the full band uBitX radio I am having an issue with. Lo and behold the single band radio uses a 10K potentiometer for tuning, so I will build it and wait for the new rotary encoder to arrive. After this one is assembled I want to explore the idea of tuning the uBitX with an alternative method aside from the encoder. Any ideas out there?
On Fri, May 18, 2018, 1:01 PM Mike aka KC2WVB < rb5363@...> wrote: I completed, to the point of testing, the UBitx's receiver late last night. There is little for the builder to assemble and since the board/raduino minus a few discrete components such as the rotary encoder was tested prior to shipping if something was to be amiss it is likely to be associated with the discrete components added by the builder.
?
Something is amiss. The push button feature of the encoder was not properly engaging the menus associated with the raduino. The rotary feature of the encoder was not properly resulting in the portion of the spectrum being listened to having undergone change. Specifically a single push on the encoder's shaft resulted in the display reading, "Band Select ?" and a subsequent or follow up push on the encoder's shaft resulted in "Press to Confirm" being displayed in the LCD screen. One more push brought the display back to "LSB A: 7.150.050" being displayed and any rotary motion applied to the encoder's shaft saw little or no change in the frequency being displayed or heard. It should be noted that the receiver seems to be fine because on a few occasions rotary input resulted in changes that led to several stations in the 40 meter band being heard.
?
I suspected an issue with the encoder and performed a simple voltage test of the encoder's pin outs. The output associated with the black wire showed voltage changing high/low as expected. The output associated with the brown wire was not as expected for it was a constant high or near 5 volts when the shaft was rotated. The output associated with the red wire was changing high to low when the encoder shaft was pushed but in a manner that was erratic.
?
At this point, knowing the main boards were tested prior to shipping, I am assuming the rotary encoder is defective. It also should be noted that wiring the rotary feature of the encoder backwards would only see a change in direction of up the band versus down the band being displayed/tuned by rotating the encoder shaft, so miss wiring is not the cause of the issue.
?
Late last night I ordered 5 rotary encoders, they are fragile, that match what came with the kit from the parts supplier, Digi Key. I also have the 40 meter version of the kit arriving soon that I can borrow an encoder from. My plan is to replace the rotary encoder.
?
?The encoder is more or less meant to be installed on a board with traces much like an IC and is rather fragile. I am thinking that when I make the change/swap that I will first mount the encoder on a bit of board that has foil traces leading to each pin out so as to prevent the pin outs from being damaged during the soldering of the wires leading back to the raduino.
?
Once the swap has occurred I hope to see that the radio is responding to input at the rotary encoder but electronics and micro controllers, not being in the domain of my field, lead me to ask if there is anything that I have overlooked that might be the cause of the issue that I experienced??
Incidentally, the BitX40 arrived today, so I will try sealing out the encoder and report back on the result. Also, the Digi Key part number isPEC11R-4020F-S0012-ND and runs $1.68 each.
Thanks, any useful information on this issue will be welcomed.
Mike
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Thanks! I just bought one with the ST-Link.
Vince.
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On 05/18/2018 11:58 AM, W3JDR wrote: Depends on which one you buy. Some (most) require that you put a
bootloader in via STLink. There are, however, a few on EBay that sell
them with the bootloader already burned in. They cost a buck or 2 more,
but it's worth it. The one I'm using has a Maple Mini bootloader in it,
which is supported by the Arduino IDE. Works great once you get your
system set up with the correct hardware mapping files. BTW, these boards
are advertised as having 64K memory, but every one I have works up to 128K.
See STM32Duino.com.
Joe
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
ERF2030+ RF Power Mosfet Transistor, 30 Watt PEP per $1.00
Juan Carlos Berberena Glez
Hi Coleagues,
Please let me know any concern about this new RF transistor.
Thank you in advance
Qrv's?
73's Jc
|
I completed, to the point of testing, the UBitx's receiver late last night. There is little for the builder to assemble and since the board/raduino minus a few discrete components such as the rotary encoder was tested prior to shipping if something was to be amiss it is likely to be associated with the discrete components added by the builder.
?
Something is amiss. The push button feature of the encoder was not properly engaging the menus associated with the raduino. The rotary feature of the encoder was not properly resulting in the portion of the spectrum being listened to having undergone change. Specifically a single push on the encoder's shaft resulted in the display reading, "Band Select ?" and a subsequent or follow up push on the encoder's shaft resulted in "Press to Confirm" being displayed in the LCD screen. One more push brought the display back to "LSB A: 7.150.050" being displayed and any rotary motion applied to the encoder's shaft saw little or no change in the frequency being displayed or heard. It should be noted that the receiver seems to be fine because on a few occasions rotary input resulted in changes that led to several stations in the 40 meter band being heard.
?
I suspected an issue with the encoder and performed a simple voltage test of the encoder's pin outs. The output associated with the black wire showed voltage changing high/low as expected. The output associated with the brown wire was not as expected for it was a constant high or near 5 volts when the shaft was rotated. The output associated with the red wire was changing high to low when the encoder shaft was pushed but in a manner that was erratic.
?
At this point, knowing the main boards were tested prior to shipping, I am assuming the rotary encoder is defective. It also should be noted that wiring the rotary feature of the encoder backwards would only see a change in direction of up the band versus down the band being displayed/tuned by rotating the encoder shaft, so miss wiring is not the cause of the issue.
?
Late last night I ordered 5 rotary encoders, they are fragile, that match what came with the kit from the parts supplier, Digi Key. I also have the 40 meter version of the kit arriving soon that I can borrow an encoder from. My plan is to replace the rotary encoder.
?
?The encoder is more or less meant to be installed on a board with traces much like an IC and is rather fragile. I am thinking that when I make the change/swap that I will first mount the encoder on a bit of board that has foil traces leading to each pin out so as to prevent the pin outs from being damaged during the soldering of the wires leading back to the raduino.
?
Once the swap has occurred I hope to see that the radio is responding to input at the rotary encoder but electronics and micro controllers, not being in the domain of my field, lead me to ask if there is anything that I have overlooked that might be the cause of the issue that I experienced??
Incidentally, the BitX40 arrived today, so I will try sealing out the encoder and report back on the result. Also, the Digi Key part number isPEC11R-4020F-S0012-ND and runs $1.68 each.
Thanks, any useful information on this issue will be welcomed.
Mike
|
If you have a jack wired for a straight key you need another jack for the paddle.? Or you can make an adapter, which is what I did.
Sketch attached:
73,
Al, N1AW
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Re: ND6T AGC implementation for uBIT-X
Can I get on the list for 1 each of the kits. Let me know what I need to do on payment.
--
Kn4ud ?
Allen ?Merrell
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Joe,? I like some of the uBitX changes you are showing in your blog. Any possibility of seeing code for the TFT screen/functions, and the accelerating encoder step size?? Thanks!? Bob, N3FM
On Fri, May 18, 2018 at 11:58 AM, W3JDR <joe@...> wrote: Depends on which one you buy. Some (most) require that you put a bootloader in via STLink. There are, however, a few on EBay that sell them with the bootloader already burned in. They cost a buck or 2 more, but it's worth it. The one I'm using has a Maple Mini bootloader in it, which is supported by the Arduino IDE. Works great once you get your system set up with the correct hardware mapping files. BTW, these boards are advertised as having 64K memory, but every one I have works up to 128K.
See STM32Duino.com.
Joe
|
Depends on which one you buy. Some (most) require that you put a bootloader in via STLink. There are, however, a few on EBay that sell them with the bootloader already burned in. They cost a buck or 2 more, but it's worth it. The one I'm using has a Maple Mini bootloader in it, which is supported by the Arduino IDE. Works great once you get your system set up with the correct hardware mapping files. BTW, these boards are advertised as having 64K memory, but every one I have works up to 128K.
See STM32Duino.com.
Joe
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Re: Mic doesn't work in bitx40
#bitx40
Here's a scan of my notes on making a microphone with the components supplied with the ubitx.
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Can you program the blue pill thru the USB or do you have to use the ST-Link?
Vince.
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On 05/18/2018 10:00 AM, W3JDR wrote: Thanks everyone for the help!
Jerry, yes, I've been busy behind the scenes doing a lot of things with
the control system. I now have the entire app running on an STM32F103
"Blue Pill" board, which is only about $2.50 on Ebay. This gives me a 70
mHz 32 bit controller with 128K bytes of program memory. My software
S-meter is now working quite well and only requires 2 resistors and a
cap, plus some code. I'm using a separate ILI7735 display for the
S-meter, both displays on the same SPI bus. The S-meter is derived from
a 10kHz sample-rate of the pre-amp audio, with software peak detection.
The TFT meter display has a max-hold pointer that resets every few
seconds, while the main pointer is real-time. There are digital readouts
on it for peak signal level in uV, dBm and S-units. The measurements
from the S-meter will drive a digipot after the audio pre-amp to effect
a feedforward AGC. Feedforward, with software calibration, should make
for a very fast acting AGC without the overshoot/undershoot artifacts of
feedback systems. I'm also using a 400 ppr optical encoder for frequency
control with interrupt processing; it tunes beautifully smooth, with 1
hZ steps and software acceleration. . All of this puts a real strain on
the little Nano u-controller, hence the move to the Blue Pill. I intend
to layout a new Raduino that accepts the 'pill', with extra connectors
for SPI and I2C busses. I developed my own tinier version of the
Adafruit Si5351 board that will mount on the Raduino. I might even use a
separate Si5351 for the main VFO in order to eliminate the crosstalk
spurs generated in the single-chip approach. This was all moving
smoothly while I was house-bound during Winter, but will slow down while
the weather's nice outside.
Joe
W3JDR
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
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Re: ND6T AGC implementation for uBIT-X
Kees,
Can I get in on one each of these boards?
73
K5KDT
Kevin
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I'd add the diode should be after the fuse.
That protects the wires from being burnt up is there is reverse polarity.
One note: Clean the key contacts!? Seriously its a known problem since the telegraph days.
Bounce is a software issue but high resistance contacts should not be.? Its also a painless fix.
Allison
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Re: share your BITX success stories
As an aside on power supply filtering, the stock rig has about 'none' and is very susceptible to power supply noise, especially power supplies with switching regulators. There's not much margin for voltage loss in an input regulator, so I came up with a scheme that uses a cheap Ebay boost-buck regulator board and a built-in LiIon battery pack. This provides some filtering, isolation from input noise and the ability to run at full performance from battery even when the voltage drops below 10V.
Joe
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The word earlier this week was that uBitx were being shipped from stock; I jumped on this news and ordered one on Monday expecting to see a shipping notification in a day or two.? It seems my card was charged yesterday but I have yet to see shipping information.?
I'm not worried, just curious what the status is.
Kevin
K5KDT
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Al Woodhull
