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Re: raduino v1.05 released: kill the 7199 birdie

 

Andrew,

Default value is 2mA.

D.
Re: Help!

Andrew Whaley
 

I did something similar and fed the nano 12v on one of it's inputs which killed it.

Plug a mini-USB cable into it and see if you can communicate with it via the Arduino IDE. The Serial monitor ought to work, or you should be able to upload a new sketch.?

As John says, if the red led is flashing then the bootloader is running so it should be responsive to being reprogrammed. There's also a little reset button on the nano you can try and there's a procedure for resetting it via pins.

If the LED is steady and you get no response then it's probably dead. I had this and had to replace it. They're cheap enough to buy from eBay but it's quite a lot of desoldering and resoldering to get the little blighter off and put the new one on. I also damaged one of the tracks in the process and had to bypass it with a piece of wire but it's all working again now.
Re: raduino v1.05 released: kill the 7199 birdie

Andrew Whaley
 

I also tried all values and the birdie remained firmly on it's perch. Interestingly it seemed quietest when not setting a value, do we know what the default value is if it's not set ?
Re: JT65 on the BitX

 

A 1uF of 16V or more will do. the +ve lead of capacitor to the circuit and -ve to external audio input.

73 Raj vu2zap

At 06/04/2017, you wrote:
What size of capacitor should I use in the mic line to block dc? And does the capacitor go across the mic lines, or just in line with the positive mic lead?

Sent from my iPad
Re: R136 RF Drive Control - how to set?

 

I feel bad about making everyone run out of the room before Randy K7AGE got to read an answer to his question. He's a pretty good Youtuber. His video on a 2 Meter out door ground plane antenna has worked wonderfully for me. And I will always tell others new or rebuilding hams, the copper ground wire ground plane antenna is very hard to beat.

So thanks for that Randy, I can work repeaters all around and outside of the Greater Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It's Outdoors at about 20 feet high, crowning the apex of my 40 meter inverted vee.
Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40

 

I am glad someone agrees with me about something. But Arv talked about many things that I didn't. All good points though. But here is where I want to split a hair. I was quoting someone about the cultural difference, and kit. Because I agree with it. In the U.S. we have consumer protection laws that say "your product better work as advertised without fail in a reasonable amount of time. Or you will fairly compensate the customer in full. Or else. It seems India has not only a different attitude about customer satisfaction, but has different laws about it too. Back in January when I first complained about a dead Raduino board, Farhan asked me "What did you expect"? I responded with "I expected a standard level of customer service". And that's where it ended.

And the BITX40 is not really a kit, but it's not a finished product either. Let's call it a quasi-kit that you finish with your own enclosure and accessories. Heck, we can call it blue mud, but all of us who bought one knows exactly what it really is. A quasi-kit that you finish your way, yourself.

Now has everyone finished talking about Ham Fest in Claremore?
Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40

 

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I don't know anywhere you will be able to order a uBITX so I doubt the lack of a dedicated blog will be an issue.

Bill, VK7MX


On 6/04/2017 1:18 PM, Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io wrote:

John Smith.. I will agree with you...and finally a fixed copy of software!!! YEA!!!! My unit on the breadboard, and all the extra's in a box under it (including a case, matching knobs, even an oversized hear sink that fits perfectly, is ready for the hamfest. I pack the truck tomorrow after work, and leave 1st thing Friday morning. I said I'll put it on my table and I'm going to. Who knows I may bring it home or sell it. I may take the money and order a uBITX -- only I sure hope it has it's own blog, so I don't have to sort, this pertains to my build, this doesn't..?? Not every project, is met by every one the same.. Besides not mentioned previously, I do have a Yaesu FT817 with a Collins CW filter installed. It was given to me as a gift when they first came out. So all along I was not without. QRP lives at my QTH..? Only it would of been nice to do a comparison..maybe someday.. I had no intent to anger anyone nor anyone should think I was angry. I was just not warm and fuzzy.?

Raduino clicks

 

Note this from DK7IH (via CO7WT). I have not checked the code, but this is the probable source of the
"clicking" in the Raduino. See the CO7WT sketch for more information.

"Some authors join the two functions (PLL definition and multisynth definitions) in the set_freq() function. I tried to avoid this because the code will be faster if you only set the PLLs once and afterwards just modify the frequency. Another idea that should be avoided is to switch off the PLLs during reprogramming the frequency. Unpleasant short-term absence of receiving signal is an outcome of the switch-off strategy. I leave the Pll running the whole time."

john
AD5YE
Re: speaker issue

 

I also wired up the jack for headphones & the audio is MUCH better at high volumes. Must be junky speakers..
Re: 40 meters dead (again)

 

I heard VE6CQ with a nice signal level tonight - the band just comes & goes, it seems. I gotta get the TX side set up & going now!
Re: Builders Manual

 

Maybe you missed it:?http://www.hfsigs.com/
Re: raduino v1.05 released: kill the 7199 birdie

 

For what it's worth I uploaded the 1.05 sketch and it made the Birdie at 7.200 much worse. I tried all the settings and 2ma was the best results for my board. At 2ma and tidying up some of the leads around it is almost gone completely.
Jeff
N9ARZ
Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40

Lawrence Macionski
 

John Smith.. I will agree with you...and finally a fixed copy of software!!! YEA!!!! My unit on the breadboard, and all the extra's in a box under it (including a case, matching knobs, even an oversized hear sink that fits perfectly, is ready for the hamfest. I pack the truck tomorrow after work, and leave 1st thing Friday morning. I said I'll put it on my table and I'm going to. Who knows I may bring it home or sell it. I may take the money and order a uBITX -- only I sure hope it has it's own blog, so I don't have to sort, this pertains to my build, this doesn't..?? Not every project, is met by every one the same.. Besides not mentioned previously, I do have a Yaesu FT817 with a Collins CW filter installed. It was given to me as a gift when they first came out. So all along I was not without. QRP lives at my QTH..? Only it would of been nice to do a comparison..maybe someday.. I had no intent to anger anyone nor anyone should think I was angry. I was just not warm and fuzzy.?

Re: 40 meters dead (again)

 

The bands have been quiet the pass few days, I notice that on my Kenwood TS-520 there is a lot of noise and not so much on the Bitx however I still hear those far out stations just not as much noise to hear them thru.? I am using a homebrew dipole tuned because I haven't found the right cut yet.? I've been working JT65 and I notice in USB that I set the dial to 7.073 instead of 7.076 but it works for me.? Made about 10 contacts since 4am EST on 20 watts.

On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 9:20 PM, davetelling . <davetelling@...> wrote:
I have tried to hear W1AW, but no luck so far. I suspect my antenna, I'm going to try something different, maybe a vertical.


Re: You can't fix stupid - current range?

 

It should be adjusted to draw 1 amp at the final, even with 24 volts. More current draw causes a lot more heat and possibly damage to the final or other circuitry including PCB traces. Like a wire that gets too hot. A 2 amp fuse is ideal. But it won't save the final if it is over driven which will oscillate out of control and burn out in an instant. This happened to me when I replaced the original final. The new one wanted lower power settings and when I keyed it up it shut down. Forever.

If you are going to use 24V do quick tests to see how much faster and hotter the heat sink gets. I put a much bigger heat sink on and use a fan to cool it as well as circulate air to cool the Raduino heat sink, and lm317 voltage regulators heat sinks.

I think it was Johny Backo who called it going into avalanche on those IRF510 finals.

Fusing everything is generally good advice I sometimes forget.
Re: Quick turn around

 

The serial number is N3-476.

john
AD5YE
Re: 40 meters dead (again)

 

I have tried to hear W1AW, but no luck so far. I suspect my antenna, I'm going to try something different, maybe a vertical.
Re: JT65 on the BitX

 

I believe I've read 1000uF electrolytic a few times in regards to using a dynamic mic. Same with line-in. 6V rated or higher is best. You want a capacitor rated higher than the voltage in the circuit. And I think that's 3 volts. I bet it would be easy to test with a DMM when pressing PTT button. Put it in-line observing polarity. Positive input to positive side of cap. Be sure you are on upper sideband if you are going to do digital modes.
Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40

 

John

I sort of disagree with your assumption that there is a cultural difference between
Indian and American hams.? What there does seem to be are differences in technical
knowledge, which manifests itself as a difference in expectations.?

The BITX40 is not a kit in the Heathkit style.? It is a pre-built board that requires you
to provide your own chassis and then use the provided wiring components to connect
chassis mounted things to the BITX40 board.? This may be a trap for some because
if things do not initially work right there must be some troubleshooting done to isolate
the problem and then fix it.? The BITX design(s) are unique in that most troubleshooting
can be done with just a high impedance DC voltmeter and a detector probe.? An
oscilloscope is required for solving very few of the normal problems.? If an RF source
is needed it is easy to wire up a simple crystal or tunable oscillator for that purpose.
For AF signal source almost anything will work, even the AF output of a small transistor
radio or your code practice oscillator.

For a pre-built circuit board it would seem unnecessary to provide a "how-to-populate-
the-board" type instruction...because it is already done for you.? A schematic is provided
that shows how the components are connected, which is more than is sometimes
provided for commercial gear.?

If one wants to know how each section of any BITX works it is relatively easy to use
LT-Spice to draw the schematic and to simulate sub-sections of the design.? This
not only shows how each section works, but also provides information that is valuable
if you are going to modify that part of the circuit.? You can even play what-if games
in the simulator to see what the effect might be of changing component values, signal
levels, and supply voltages.? Using a circuit simulator also provides you with voltages
and signal levels that should be expected in a normally operating circuit sub-section.
Armed with this information you should be able to verify that each section of your
BITX is operating with expected voltages and signal levels.

??????

Now, having said all that, there is a group of hams who want to build their own version
of various BITX designs from scratch.? This is where a detailed how-to writeup might
be of value, but even then those hardy souls who want to build their own will probably
be modifying circuit layout and schematics to include differences (improvements...?)
that they desire, so even there a detailed how-to writeup might be of limited value.

If one does embark on writing a detailed how-it-works document regarding any ham
radio equipment, he or she must be ready to deal with the usual group of hams who
want to disagree with what you wrote, mostly because they do not understand how
the circuit actually works.? This is frustrating and a significant negative factor in any
documentation project.? Been-there, experienced-that.?

Arv K7HKL
_._


On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 4:29 PM, John Smith via Groups.Io <johnlinux77@...> wrote:

I thought the same thing about a wiki instruction page. Can you imagine the benefits to a newcomer? But it invites a lot of arguing about what should be said, and how to say it. To fix my pet peeve would take less time than it took me to write this. Polishing the official instruction page would seem to be important.?

A wise old ham Named David Casler KE0OG explained that there is a cultural difference between American, and Indian hams. When American hams build a kit, they expect it to work. Put it on the air, and that's it. But it is to be understood that the kit is minimalist, and experimentation, and expansion are expected.?

And I personally believe all businesses should do everything to eliminate confusion about the product and how to assemble it, and use it. If your instructions lead me to breaking it, or not operate it properly. That's your fault. And you should make it right. Or refund the money if they can't use it after you did everything to help them. It's cheaper to win back an old customer, than to get a new one.

Perhaps I should invite Mr. Farhan to explain why step #5 of the alignment was apparently removed. Was the end user adjustment of R136 causing liability issues? If it's better for us not to touch it, why still make it adjustable? Why not a fixed resistor in it's place? Or is this another playful way of leaving it to us as an exercise to figure out for ourselves??

Contrary of how it might seem, I would like to resolve this and move on. Imagine, no one talking about low power or low audio because of good instructions, and knowing what you should really expect. Imagine the ingenuity of customization if there are no hiccups getting started.?

The documentation for the uBITX will really have to be top shelf when that product is sold. Since it does more, there is more to be misunderstood.?
Re: You can't fix stupid - current range?

 

Hi Craig!

I did not try 24 V as I do not have a power supply that goes as high.

I tried 19.6 V from Li battery pack for power tools and when transmitting I get about 1.8 A current draw and about 15 W in the dummy load.

For testing I use a 1 KHz signal generator with 100 mV peak output connected instead of the microphone.

I would guess at 24 V you will see 2.2 A to 2.4 A and a power output close to 22 W
--
Ion

VA3NOI
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