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i havent yet documented the keyer, keith asked about it, so here it is.?
USING THE CW KEYER here is a short answer : connect the paddle with a 2.2K resistor from the dot padddle to the CW key, a 10K resistor from the dash paddle to the CW key
HOW IT WORKS
first an explanation for the trickery that is to follow. i ran out of pins for ubitx. so, i had to use ?A6 for the keyer. A6 doesn't have a built-in pull-up resistor like other pins. So, we place a 4.7K resistor between A6 and the +5v line. Now, follow me closely ...
First, we connect a straight key to the A6 and ground. When you push it down, A6 goes to ground. When you release it, A6 goes up to 5v. simple enough.
Now, lets connect a CW paddle. The CW paddle has a ground and two posts (one for the dots and the other for the dashes). We put a 2.2k resistor from the dot paddle to the A6 and a 10K resistor from the dash post to the A6.?
When we press on the dot paddle, 2.2K shorts to the ground. The 2.2K and the 4.7K resistor together form a voltage divider. The voltage at A6 is now somewhere between 0 and 5v. Infact, it is about 5V x ?2.2K/(4.7K+2.2K) ~ 1.6v. When we press the dash paddle, the 10K shorts to the ground. 10K and the 4.7K resistor divide the 5V to 3.4V.
So, in summary,? 0v is the straight key down 1.6v is dot paddle down 3.4v is dash paddle down
the rest is the software in. read the source, luke.
- f
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Dang it, now I'm going to have to learn CW just so I can take advantage of this :p
--
Ryan Flowers - W7RLF
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You have one more possibility I.e when both paddles are pressed!?
Do the iambic did-dah-did-dah
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11-Dec-2017, at 14:26, Ashhar Farhan < farhanbox@...> wrote: i havent yet documented the keyer, keith asked about it, so here it is.?
USING THE CW KEYER here is a short answer : connect the paddle with a 2.2K resistor from the dot padddle to the CW key, a 10K resistor from the dash paddle to the CW key
HOW IT WORKS
first an explanation for the trickery that is to follow. i ran out of pins for ubitx. so, i had to use ?A6 for the keyer. A6 doesn't have a built-in pull-up resistor like other pins. So, we place a 4.7K resistor between A6 and the +5v line. Now, follow me closely ...
First, we connect a straight key to the A6 and ground. When you push it down, A6 goes to ground. When you release it, A6 goes up to 5v. simple enough.
Now, lets connect a CW paddle. The CW paddle has a ground and two posts (one for the dots and the other for the dashes). We put a 2.2k resistor from the dot paddle to the A6 and a 10K resistor from the dash post to the A6.?
When we press on the dot paddle, 2.2K shorts to the ground. The 2.2K and the 4.7K resistor together form a voltage divider. The voltage at A6 is now somewhere between 0 and 5v. Infact, it is about 5V x ?2.2K/(4.7K+2.2K) ~ 1.6v. When we press the dash paddle, the 10K shorts to the ground. 10K and the 4.7K resistor divide the 5V to 3.4V.
So, in summary,? 0v is the straight key down 1.6v is dot paddle down 3.4v is dash paddle down
the rest is the software in. read the source, luke.
- f
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Asharr VU2ESE wrote… I haven't yet documented the keyer, Keith asked about it, so here it is.… Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like a good solution. Perhaps when you get a moment you could let us know the approximate RX & TX current for the uBITX. -- 73 Keith VE7GDH
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You're going to love it! Also, it brings into play a bunch of very small, very inexpensive, transceivers that don't have SSB like the ?BITX. I'm hoping to teach a CW class sometime and, instead of using code practice oscillators (CPO), I want the class to each build their own Pixie ($5) the first day of "class" and then use that for the CPO...you can't buy a CPO for that! With a 50 Ω resistor, the class could send code to each other, which would make practice more fun. It's still in the planning stages.
Jack, W8TEE
From: Ryan Flowers <geocrasher@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2017 5:53 AM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] ubitx keyer
Dang it, now I'm going to have to learn CW just so I can take advantage of this :p
--
Ryan Flowers - W7RLF
|
Hi,
got my transceiver the other day. It is now built in a metal box and seems to receive well although there is no AGC I guess?
Operating CW is difficult. Have operated CW for decades but now I don't want to try it with uBitx because I get keying errors.
Or the rig makes them, not me.
What do you suggest? There must be a s/w bug which makes the errors, strange delays, too short or missing dots.
Kai, OH3WE
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Upgrade the software ... there are two
variants discussed on this list.? Ian Lee KD8CEC software should
fix your problems and requires no hardware mods. If not, this will
be because the resistor values used on the CW analogue port are
not quite true.? Ian tells you how to adjust the ADC conversion
range to fix the problem, by reading off the ADC value actually
measured by the arduino.
Alternatively, you could make a small hardware mod and use the
W0EB/W2CTX firmware release v2.01.? All is explained in Jim's
excellent software/hardware guide available on this list's files
area.??
Either way, the problem is a minor one and easily fixed with a bit
of searching through the email list.
An article explaining software upgrades available is in
preparation on and I hope to have this
completed this weekend.
73 Mike ZL1AXG
On 23/02/18 9:19 AM, Kai Nilakari wrote:
Hi,
got my transceiver the other day. It is now built in a metal box
and seems to receive well although there is no AGC I guess?
Operating CW is difficult. Have operated CW for decades but now I
don't want to try it with uBitx because I get keying errors.
Or the rig makes them, not me.
What do you suggest? There must be a s/w bug which makes the
errors, strange delays, too short or missing dots.
Kai, OH3WE
|
Excuse my adding to this thread late in the game...
I just got my ubitx going within the last week.? I'm a CW man and really want to use it for CW, but trying to key it is really awkward. In
particular, it seems that when I first press the key, shifting it into CW transmit mode as well as starting beginning a transmission, it
generates an extra dit at the start, so my intended first dit or dah element comes out as didit or ditdah.
I think I read someone's post that suggested irregular keying might be due to dirty key contacts, but I tried this with two straight keys
that I have used regularly with other rigs with no problem. Also I find the same thing happens when I use a homebrew keyer?
(Arduino-based!) that uses an open collector transistor as the keying element - I'm quite sure this has no switch-bounce problem.
I think I have seen suggestions for hardware changes as well as firmware changes. It sounds like the KD8CEC firmware should
probably be the next direction to pursue.? Is that likely to do away with my CW problem, and will it also require hardware changes?
73, Al, N1AW
|
Al,
The KD8CEC firmware fixes many issues, and it
will likely fix your keyer woes.
It does not require a hardware change, and if you do not like
it, it is easy to go back to factory firmware.
Here is a link to a user manual that answers many
first-time user questions:
/g/BITX20/topic/kd8cec_software_user_manual/16886866?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate%2Fsticky,,,20,2,40,16886866
Regards,
Rod KM6SN
(a CW man also; part of the crew that won 1995
ARRL World DX contest,
multi-two CW as 6E2T)
On 04/12/2018 04:21 PM, Al Woodhull via
Groups.Io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Excuse my adding to
this thread late in the game...
I just got my ubitx going within the last week.? I'm a CW man and
really want to use it for CW, but trying to key it is really
awkward. In
particular, it seems that when I first press the key, shifting it
into CW transmit mode as well as starting beginning a
transmission, it
generates an extra dit at the start, so my intended first dit or
dah element comes out as didit or ditdah.
I think I read someone's post that suggested irregular keying
might be due to dirty key contacts, but I tried this with two
straight keys
that I have used regularly with other rigs with no problem. Also I
find the same thing happens when I use a homebrew keyer?
(Arduino-based!) that uses an open collector transistor as the
keying element - I'm quite sure this has no switch-bounce problem.
I think I have seen suggestions for hardware changes as well as
firmware changes. It sounds like the KD8CEC firmware should
probably be the next direction to pursue.? Is that likely to do
away with my CW problem, and will it also require hardware
changes?
73, Al, N1AW
|
Al
The KD8CEC v1.061 firmware has completely cured my straight key problem, which was very much like yours. I had had to stop using my favourite straight key but can use it again now. There was an occasional residual problem with the v1.01 firmware, but v1.061 has resolved that for me.
For improved CW operation the only change I have felt worth making with v1.061 is to edit the Menu sequence in the ubitx_menu.ino file so that RIT is the first menu item
case 0 :
??????? menuRitToggle(btnState);
??????? break;
I find this makes CW operation much easier: tapping the menu button twice toggles RIT with little need to use the encoder beyond tuning (it is even easier if you parallel a separate push-button switch across the encoder switch so that there is no risk of inadvertently rotating the encoder when selecting a menu item).
NB if, like me, you will be running the Arduino IDE under Linux in order to upgrade the firmware, you will need to change the line in the ubitx_cpp file that reads #include <Arduino.h> to read #include <arduino.h>? or the sketch will produce a compile error.
73 Chris
G3SQU
|
Sorry, read ubitx_wspr.cpp in the the above
Chris
G3SQU
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I also agree that the Pixie is less than a CPO.? We have done this a couple times at schools
we work with.? It's a lot of fun. Garry, AK4NA, is arranging 10 Pixies for the school he supports
for them to send to each other and do CODE practice.? nfarl.org
jim/w4qo
CU at FDIM
|
The Greater Cincinnati Builders Group is actually doing our Pixie build on the 21st. I'll let the group know how it goes.
Jack, W8TEE
On Friday, April 13, 2018, 4:49:21 PM EDT, Jim Stafford <qrp@...> wrote:
I also agree that the Pixie is less than a CPO.? We have done this a couple times at schools
we work with.? It's a lot of fun. Garry, AK4NA, is arranging 10 Pixies for the school he supports
for them to send to each other and do CODE practice.? nfarl.org
jim/w4qo
CU at FDIM
|
I experience a delay between dots and dashes except at very low speeds which makes keying somehow erratic. Any cure for this? (Voltages for dots and dashes are correct).
Thanks,
73
I4awx Luigi?
|
Whose code are you using?
Jack, W8TEE
On Sunday, October 28, 2018, 11:04:25 AM EDT, i4awxab1fj@... <i4awxab1fj@...> wrote:
I experience a delay between dots and dashes except at very low speeds which makes keying somehow erratic. Any cure for this? (Voltages for dots and dashes are correct).
Thanks,
73
I4awx Luigi?
|
Luigi
I am a new ubitx user, and if you are using the stock firmware code that is initially delivered, maybe I know what you are referring to. There is a long initial delay transitioning to cw transmit when using a straight key. I have gotten used to it. Problem I have is if I place a long pause between characters,? it throws me off when the relay status comes out of transmit. while this delay has programable settings, it was even worse when I selected the shorter option. Sure I will try alternative firmware, but this likely can't offset the hardware.
Curt
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Raj vu2zap
Al Woodhull
Jim Stafford W4QO