Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
You can get copper EMI tape on ebay for much less than the cost of the spray. When you overlap the edges it is conductive from one piece to the next. Same stuff used in tv sets and monitors to provide shielding over some flat cables.
Harvey, WA2AAE
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There are quite a few microphonic components on the PCB
in order of importance
MLC chip capacitors with DC bias applied ie coupling "c"s
All crystals whether used as frequeny souces (oscillators) or filtering
Air wound coils
Coils with cores where the coil is not fixed to the core material
de ZL2XRF
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Re: Help needed with KD8CEC memory manager
I have had the same error. ?
Mike On Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 3:59 PM richard_a_morrisey via Groups.Io <richard_a_morrisey= [email protected]> wrote:
Hello - I am also getting error receive length = 1/1027. I have tried almost every possible combination of firmware and MM. I was successful with 1.097beta over the summer, then tried the I2C meter. At one point I lost the ability to communicate via Memory Manager to EEPROM. I use linux ans I am able to upload .hex and use the IDE to read all EEPROM values. For Memory Manager I need to use wine. I've used it successfully in the past this way. I was able to calibrate and save settings etc.
Can someone please help guide me to the best solution.
Thanks,
Rich
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
It must be metal. A basic of building good radio equipment. It keeps unwanted RF out and in.? Shielding is also a basic. Take a look inside any commercial transceiver and you will see it. Lay out is important too, keep inputs away from outputs.
I have built uBitx into the case of an old Kenwwod TS120S and and it has worked out quite well.
Roger ZL2RX
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I just added another connector with the two resistors so I wouldn't have to adapt the cable of my paddle. Guess somehow it should be 'doable' to automate the detection key or paddle as the measured values on the pin are different. But with the latest GUI interface of Nextion and CEC firmware is pretty simple and quick to change the key/paddle.
?
What I am hearing is the same tone as the CW tone but much fainter but I have my GP-5/SSB maybe 4 ft away from my uBitX. It is like some background noise when the key is not pressed and it seems to increase slightly in frequency before the uBitX returns to RX.
My uBitX has been performing pretty well on FT8 so am not too worried about it. My setup was with an efhw antenna in the attic and reached about 6400 miles on 10m back in March with a measured output of about 2.6 Watts maximum.?
As I am pretty new to HF, still have to get used to finding QSOs on the bands. ;)
Guess it was a typo about the AGC, I have the kit from Kees based on the ND6T design, also have the click-fix kit.
73s de John, K5GT
?
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Re: Help needed with KD8CEC memory manager
Hello - I am also getting error receive length = 1/1027. I have tried almost every possible combination of firmware and MM. I was successful with 1.097beta over the summer, then tried the I2C meter. At one point I lost the ability to communicate via Memory Manager to EEPROM. I use linux ans I am able to upload .hex and use the IDE to read all EEPROM values. For Memory Manager I need to use wine. I've used it successfully in the past this way. I was able to calibrate and save settings etc.
Can someone please help guide me to the best solution.
Thanks,
Rich
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I noticed that too and I think it's just the first oscillator stage which runs constantly when transmitting.?
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I thought it wasn't used but had to ask the experts. Thanks
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
Keep us informed!
Jack, W8TEE
On Saturday, November 24, 2018, 2:08:31 PM EST, Gwen Patton <ardrhi@...> wrote:
I put a plastic case on my uBitX...but I sprayed the interior surfaces with several coats of a nickel-based RFI insulating spray. It's highly conductive, and I made sure to bond all the surfaces to one another. I do suggest that a thin clear coat be put over it, as the spray can leave some loose particles. Just put painters' tape over the surfaces that need to be exposed conductor for bonding purposes, and clear-coat just enough to keep particles from shaking loose onto the board.
This is the spray I used:?
I plan to do some playing with this stuff to see if one can spray an effective antenna conductor onto some sort of substrate. I'm going to try making a small transmitting loop using this stuff and a cardboard TV moving box. The box is in two parts that slide one inside the other, and am going to try using overlapping sprayed conductor surfaces to create a capacitor to tune the big loop, and put another small box with its own loop of conductor (maybe adhesive copper foil) to couple the rig to the loop. Since you can spray as wide a strip of this stuff as you want, it may be possible to get good efficiency and a wide bandwidth with it. We'll see.
It's been my experience that the spray does work to help keep RFI at bay.
Gwen NG3P
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
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Show quoted text
On Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 1:42 PM Joe Puma < kd2nfc@...> wrote: Interesting stuff. A person in the comments of that Amazon link wanted to know if it would block wifi and electromagnetic frequencies if you sprayed it on clothes.? Laughing my butt off!!! ? ? Joe ? Sent from for Windows 10 ? From: Gwen Patton
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2018 2:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BITX20] To shield or not to shield, that is the question. ? I put a plastic case on my uBitX...but I sprayed the interior surfaces with several coats of a nickel-based RFI insulating spray. It's highly conductive, and I made sure to bond all the surfaces to one another. I do suggest that a thin clear coat be put over it, as the spray can leave some loose particles. Just put painters' tape over the surfaces that need to be exposed conductor for bonding purposes, and clear-coat just enough to keep particles from shaking loose onto the board.
This is the spray I used:?
I plan to do some playing with this stuff to see if one can spray an effective antenna conductor onto some sort of substrate. I'm going to try making a small transmitting loop using this stuff and a cardboard TV moving box. The box is in two parts that slide one inside the other, and am going to try using overlapping sprayed conductor surfaces to create a capacitor to tune the big loop, and put another small box with its own loop of conductor (maybe adhesive copper foil) to couple the rig to the loop. Since you can spray as wide a strip of this stuff as you want, it may be possible to get good efficiency and a wide bandwidth with it. We'll see.
It's been my experience that the spray does work to help keep RFI at bay.
Gwen NG3P
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
For $36 I think I¡¯ll just use a metal enclosure, yikes.
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
Interesting stuff. A person in the comments of that Amazon link wanted to know if it would block wifi and electromagnetic frequencies if you sprayed it on clothes. ?Laughing my butt off!!! ? ? Joe ? Sent from for Windows 10 ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: Gwen PattonSent: Saturday, November 24, 2018 2:08 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [BITX20] To shield or not to shield, that is the question. ? I put a plastic case on my uBitX...but I sprayed the interior surfaces with several coats of a nickel-based RFI insulating spray. It's highly conductive, and I made sure to bond all the surfaces to one another. I do suggest that a thin clear coat be put over it, as the spray can leave some loose particles. Just put painters' tape over the surfaces that need to be exposed conductor for bonding purposes, and clear-coat just enough to keep particles from shaking loose onto the board.
This is the spray I used:?
I plan to do some playing with this stuff to see if one can spray an effective antenna conductor onto some sort of substrate. I'm going to try making a small transmitting loop using this stuff and a cardboard TV moving box. The box is in two parts that slide one inside the other, and am going to try using overlapping sprayed conductor surfaces to create a capacitor to tune the big loop, and put another small box with its own loop of conductor (maybe adhesive copper foil) to couple the rig to the loop. Since you can spray as wide a strip of this stuff as you want, it may be possible to get good efficiency and a wide bandwidth with it. We'll see.
It's been my experience that the spray does work to help keep RFI at bay.
Gwen NG3P
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John
Beats me as to what you might be hearing. The lowest frequency made by the ubitx is 12 MHz. Okay possible that it might have some carrier leakage, way down there. Yes its possible you might be hearing result of carrier leakage mixing with bfo. Its likely no issue at all.
Extra connector for cw? Please note that ubitx modulates cw based upon one pin going into raduino. Even stranger,? cw sending is based upon having a resistor in series with key or paddle. On off keying uses a 4.7k resistor you likely already installed. To use paddle, you need 2 added resistors of a particular value for dit and dah. Okay, you could host these resistors inside with an added connector.
Assuming you are adding ND3T agc, yes that should be nice. Enjoy your journey with ubitx.
Curt
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
If I were to "shield" the uBitx, I'd first be shielding the various parts of the uBitx from each other.
For example, shield those high gain IF amps from the final amp.
Putting it all in a metal box can help if you have a lot of RF noisy stuff in the area.
Or if you care about some other gear hearing your BFO at 12mhz
or clk1 or clk2 or the 45mhz IF ...
I don't have either issue.
Jerry
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Re: 160 metres and the uBITX
The uBitx isn't designed to be used on 160. The LPFs are for 80 and up.
Vince.
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On 11/24/2018 02:01 PM, barry underwood via Groups.Io wrote: I didn't look on a scope, but could well believe that waveform given the
harmonics seen on the spectrum analyser. Certainly needs some good
filtering. No one should be using the uBITX on 160 as is.
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
--
K8ZW
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Re: To shield or not to shield, that is the question.
I put a plastic case on my uBitX...but I sprayed the interior surfaces with several coats of a nickel-based RFI insulating spray. It's highly conductive, and I made sure to bond all the surfaces to one another. I do suggest that a thin clear coat be put over it, as the spray can leave some loose particles. Just put painters' tape over the surfaces that need to be exposed conductor for bonding purposes, and clear-coat just enough to keep particles from shaking loose onto the board.
This is the spray I used:?
I plan to do some playing with this stuff to see if one can spray an effective antenna conductor onto some sort of substrate. I'm going to try making a small transmitting loop using this stuff and a cardboard TV moving box. The box is in two parts that slide one inside the other, and am going to try using overlapping sprayed conductor surfaces to create a capacitor to tune the big loop, and put another small box with its own loop of conductor (maybe adhesive copper foil) to couple the rig to the loop. Since you can spray as wide a strip of this stuff as you want, it may be possible to get good efficiency and a wide bandwidth with it. We'll see.
It's been my experience that the spray does work to help keep RFI at bay.
Gwen NG3P
|
Jim,
Does your lapel mike have a TRS (tip/ring/sleeve)?plug or
just TS(tip/sleeve).? If just a monaural TS plug it is shorting the PTT
lead to ground causing it to go into xmit. Just a thought. Also if it has a TRS
plug is the ring isolated from the TS.
?
Rick
KN4AIE
?
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I am currently in the same situation.? I have a simple lapel
mic and every time I plug it in the rig goes into transmit mode, it's almost
like there's a short.? I've attached the diagram from the BitX40 but it's
not quite what I'm looking for.? Is there a good diagram for the uBitX Mic
jack with PTT?? The diagrams I've seen don't specify if you're seeing the
top or the bottom of the connector.
I've attached photos, probably too many, and hopefully someone from this
awesome group and point out my error
Thanks,
Jim?
AE0BZ
On Fri, Nov 23, 2018 at 7:45 AM KN4IYL < kn4iyl@...> wrote:
Hello, solder-melters,
I'm experiencing constant clicking from the
raduino when my microphone is plugged in. The display indicates it is
switching from RX to TX continuously. When I disconnect the microphone, it
stops. If I key up the PTT, the clicking stops and I am able to transmit. I
can hear myself on a receiver, so the microphone is working. As soon as I let
go of PTT, the radio continues to switch between RX and TX, clicking the whole
time. I have re-soldered all connections to the jack, and also the microphone
in an attempt to troubleshoot, but this resulted in no change.
I wired up the key jack for a straight key. When I key CW, I hear a
continuous tone behind my dits, and when I cease transmitting, the tone
continuous for about a second, then the raduino clicks and the radio returns
to RX.
I'm not experienced and have no idea where to start troubleshooting. I've
made sure all connections are solid, but I'm starting to wonder if this is a
software issue. I am running version 1.08 of KD8CEC's firmware.
Any ideas? Thanks!
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Re: 160 metres and the uBITX
I didn't look on a scope, but could well believe that waveform given the harmonics seen on the spectrum analyser. Certainly needs some good filtering. No one should be using the uBITX on 160 as is.
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Re: 160 metres and the uBITX
Yup, you need an external low pass filter if you want to operate on 160 meters. That should not be a surprise. See post? ?? /g/BITX20/message/48125
On Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 08:24 AM, John wrote:
This was my scope capture with the CW key pressed.
?
John, K5GT
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Look at the schematic for the Bitx40.
Long ago, the "Tuning" connector went out to a pot, was used to apply a DC voltage to the varactor diode at D9.
But that analog VFO was not stable enough.
The solution was to add the Raduino in late 2016, all Bitx40's shipped from Dec 2016 on went out with
a Raduino, and with L4 removed.? The Raduino injects a VFO signal into the "DDS" connector,
and with L4 removed the caps at C93,94,95 and D9 are removed from the circuit.
The si5351 on the Raduino is what determines the frequency of the VFO.
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On Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 06:56 AM, Scot McMath wrote:
Looking on the components side of the Bitx 40 board right side about 1/2 way, I see a 2 prong connector labeled TUNING. My instruction sheet from HF Signals shows nothing, no connections. anyone have any idea if this is connected and where to?
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Gwen Patton