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Re: ProgRock programming problem

 

?I think that's right Hugh, there's a blurry pic of one in a radio on my QRZ page, its the green jumper between the third and fourth pin from the end of the header not by the LE, if you didn't already do it. S
?
?

-----Original Message-----
From: Hugh Duff <radeohedca@...>
To: QRPLabs <[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, Oct 1, 2018 1:56 pm
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] ProgRock programming problem

Which 2 pins Scott ?? 1pps and Gnd? or other pins ?

Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

I've always held you can expend money on anything on ebay,? what you
get is very uncertain.
Allison,

Agreed. But if the item is not as described Ebay will ensure you are refunded.

73 Alan G4ZFQ
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

Shirley.

Actually several vendors exist in Amazon (bit more reliable).
There is both the pro-mini 2560 (no CHA340) and the version with the CH340.
They run about $13.95.

I do have a few of the Sunfounder Mega2650 boards already but smaller is?
better.?

When prototyping size is sometimes critical and price is usually close enough.

Allison
Re: Need a troubleshooter #qcx

 

I'm very interested, also, to know if someone is willing to help with troubleshooting, if needed...

Lloyd, K3ESE
(almost) QCX 40
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

Shirley,

Only one issue.? I do not view Ebay as a vendor.? I would use them only if I
had that dollar I'm willing to ignite.? Which is not any day soon.

I've always held you can expend money on anything on ebay,? what you
get is very uncertain.

Allison
Re: ProgRock programming problem

 

Which 2 pins Scott ?? 1pps and Gnd? or other pins ?
Re: ProgRock programming problem

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply Alan.
The PIC appears to have PR1.01A firmware in it according to the label.
I do have the 1pps line grounded. I tried it again making sure the LED blinks 4 times after every entry. Still no joy.
Now the programming manual shows the DIP switches in the photos just as it is on my board, with switches 1 to 4 from left to right however the pictorials in the manual show switches 1 thru 4 from right to left. I just assumed that the one on the right is the LSB (first bit) and ignored the numbers on the DIP switch. Should I treat DIP switch 1 as DIP switch 1 instead of DIP switch 1 as the 4th bit ?

Thanks, Hugh.
Re: ProgRock programming problem

 

HI Hugh, When I first built mine I made the mistake of not jumpering 2 pins that need to be jumpered if not using it with a QCX.? Once I did that everything?programmed?great.? FWIW. 73 Scott ka9p
?
?

-----Original Message-----
From: Hugh Duff <radeohedca@...>
To: QRPLabs <[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, Oct 1, 2018 12:31 pm
Subject: [QRPLabs] ProgRock programming problem

I want to use a ProgRock as an oscillator at 108.004166 MHz through a 96 multiplier to generate 10.368.4 GHz.
This is really making me feel dumb but I cannot for the life of me get my ProgRock to accept my frequency of 108.004166 MHz. I entered 04108004166F,? 04 for Bank 0 Clock 0, 108004166 for frequency, then F for Enter (button presses inbetween).?
I set the DIP switches to 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 1000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 1111 <Button press>
I'm keeping my button presses very short. so that the LED only blinks once after the button has been pressed since I discovered that the LED was blinking multiple times if I pressed for too long.

I never see anything other than 10 MHZ coming out of the Clock 0 output port.? Do I have to strap anything? I'm assuming Bank 0 Clock 0 is the default.

What am I doing wrong ?
Thanks, Hugh VA3TO

Re: ProgRock programming problem

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hugh,
(Assuming you have the latest firmware.)
Perhaps take a refresher read of the manual.

The manual describes the progrock acknowledges a successful programming action by way of 4 flashes on the LED.
If you only see one flash or are trying to beat the LED flash it will not be accepted by the MCU.
Waiting for the LED "blinking multiple" (4) times after each step is an indication of success !!

Also regardless if you are intending to utilising GPS discipline, it should be removed and the PPS pin grounded while attempting to program the device.

Alan

On 01/10/2018 18:29, Hugh Duff wrote:

I want to use a ProgRock as an oscillator at 108.004166 MHz through a 96 multiplier to generate 10.368.4 GHz.
This is really making me feel dumb but I cannot for the life of me get my ProgRock to accept my frequency of 108.004166 MHz. I entered 04108004166F,? 04 for Bank 0 Clock 0, 108004166 for frequency, then F for Enter (button presses inbetween).?
I set the DIP switches to 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 1000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 1111 <Button press>
I'm keeping my button presses very short. so that the LED only blinks once after the button has been pressed since I discovered that the LED was blinking multiple times if I pressed for too long.

I never see anything other than 10 MHZ coming out of the Clock 0 output port.? Do I have to strap anything? I'm assuming Bank 0 Clock 0 is the default.

What am I doing wrong ?
Thanks, Hugh VA3TO

ProgRock programming problem

 

I want to use a ProgRock as an oscillator at 108.004166 MHz through a 96 multiplier to generate 10.368.4 GHz.
This is really making me feel dumb but I cannot for the life of me get my ProgRock to accept my frequency of 108.004166 MHz. I entered 04108004166F,? 04 for Bank 0 Clock 0, 108004166 for frequency, then F for Enter (button presses inbetween).?
I set the DIP switches to 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 1000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0000 <Button press>, 0100 <Button press>, 0001 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 0110 <Button press>, 1111 <Button press>
I'm keeping my button presses very short. so that the LED only blinks once after the button has been pressed since I discovered that the LED was blinking multiple times if I pressed for too long.

I never see anything other than 10 MHZ coming out of the Clock 0 output port.? Do I have to strap anything? I'm assuming Bank 0 Clock 0 is the default.

What am I doing wrong ?
Thanks, Hugh VA3TO
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

I should add that it isn't any cheaper than a full size Mega2560
clone; you can also buy those for $10 now. But it is smaller.

On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:46 PM Shirley M¨¢rquez D¨²lcey <mark@...> wrote:

There is a product that some eBay sellers offer called an 2560 Pro
Mini. It's not an official Arduino product or even an official
Sparkfun (the company that originated the Arduino Pro Mini) product.
It's not quite as minimalist as the Pro Mini 328, as it has a CH340G
USB-serial chip on board. It can be programmed with the Arduino
toolchain. It sells for about $10. Here's one listing:


That looks like it would fill the bill nicely if you want to use a
Mega 2560 but don't want to have to solder a 100TQFP.
On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:33 PM ajparent1/KB1GMX <kb1gmx@...> wrote:

First the boards like the NANo and Pro-mini are pretty much bare to start with save
you don't need to add a crystal or a basic led. None of the added item cripple
the board in any way. For exapmple I can program the NANO using a
FTDI serial cable just like a bare 328p. If you don't use the USB its effectively
not there.

Also those two use the 44pin part that offers analog A6 and A7 where
the 328P (dip) does not.

As to space the pro-mini is barely longer than the 328P and almost twice the width
has a few leds (easy to remove) and the required crystal. Not large at all.

FYI I do use 328Ps (have a tube of them with boot). They are nice when I want
to simplify the board layout. but they are maybe 25 cents cheaper than a pro-mini
and I still need the 16mhz rock (50cents in quantity). So in the end its all about
pennies and that is only important in volume.

Generally I see no problem. MY pet peve is I'd like the ATmega2560 on a small board
rather than the larger Arduino Mega2650 as I have uses that want more ram and the
8K of ram meets the need. I considered the bare chip but soldering down the
64pin QLF or the 100 pin TQFP is painful.

Allison
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

There is a product that some eBay sellers offer called an 2560 Pro
Mini. It's not an official Arduino product or even an official
Sparkfun (the company that originated the Arduino Pro Mini) product.
It's not quite as minimalist as the Pro Mini 328, as it has a CH340G
USB-serial chip on board. It can be programmed with the Arduino
toolchain. It sells for about $10. Here's one listing:


That looks like it would fill the bill nicely if you want to use a
Mega 2560 but don't want to have to solder a 100TQFP.

On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 12:33 PM ajparent1/KB1GMX <kb1gmx@...> wrote:

First the boards like the NANo and Pro-mini are pretty much bare to start with save
you don't need to add a crystal or a basic led. None of the added item cripple
the board in any way. For exapmple I can program the NANO using a
FTDI serial cable just like a bare 328p. If you don't use the USB its effectively
not there.

Also those two use the 44pin part that offers analog A6 and A7 where
the 328P (dip) does not.

As to space the pro-mini is barely longer than the 328P and almost twice the width
has a few leds (easy to remove) and the required crystal. Not large at all.

FYI I do use 328Ps (have a tube of them with boot). They are nice when I want
to simplify the board layout. but they are maybe 25 cents cheaper than a pro-mini
and I still need the 16mhz rock (50cents in quantity). So in the end its all about
pennies and that is only important in volume.

Generally I see no problem. MY pet peve is I'd like the ATmega2560 on a small board
rather than the larger Arduino Mega2650 as I have uses that want more ram and the
8K of ram meets the need. I considered the bare chip but soldering down the
64pin QLF or the 100 pin TQFP is painful.

Allison
Re: Power Supply For Ultimate 6 & Clock Kit

Bern Ghis
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi ,?
Linear power supply.?
7805 regulator .
73
Bernard de on7an?

Envoy¨¦ de mon iPhone ?

Le 1 oct. 2018 ¨¤ 18:18, Curt M. <Kc3hjp@...> a ¨¦crit?:

I have an Ultimate 6 kit ?and Clock Kit on the way. ?Can anyone recommend a decent wall wart power supply for these, preferably from Amazon. ?I know wall warts aren't always the greatest so I figured maybe someone has had some success with one that they have had up and running for a while.

Curt

Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

First the boards like the NANo and Pro-mini are pretty much bare to start with save
you don't need to add a crystal or a basic led.? None of the added item cripple
the board in any way.? For exapmple I can program the NANO using a
FTDI serial cable just like a bare 328p.? If you don't use the USB its effectively
not there.

Also those two use the 44pin part that offers analog A6 and A7 where
the 328P (dip) does not.

As to space the pro-mini is barely longer than the 328P and almost twice the width
has a few leds (easy to remove) and the required crystal.? Not large at all.

FYI I do use 328Ps (have a tube of them with boot).? They are nice when I want
to simplify the board layout. but they are maybe 25 cents cheaper than a pro-mini
and I still need the 16mhz rock (50cents in quantity).? ?So in the end its all about
pennies and that is only important in volume.

Generally I see no problem.? MY pet peve is I'd like the ATmega2560 on a small board
rather than the larger Arduino Mega2650 as I have uses that want more ram and the?
8K of ram meets the need.? I considered the bare chip but soldering down the
64pin QLF or the 100 pin TQFP is painful.

Allison
Power Supply For Ultimate 6 & Clock Kit

 

I have an Ultimate 6 kit ?and Clock Kit on the way. ?Can anyone recommend a decent wall wart power supply for these, preferably from Amazon. ?I know wall warts aren't always the greatest so I figured maybe someone has had some success with one that they have had up and running for a while.

Curt
Need a troubleshooter #qcx

 

I have built both a 40 and 20 m QCX and both worked, first time they were powered up.

But I have started fiddling around with them and am now in trouble. I tried to operate a beacon with the 20m version (early board) and had a runaway power problem that resulted in smoke and many burned components (finals, IC3, and Q6) as well as broken traces. I replaced the components and repaired the traces and got the rig back to transmit state, but it won't hear. I borrowed an 'scope and began to follow the troubleshooting instructions provided by Hans. Since I never used a 'scope I decided to practice tracing on the working 40m QCX. I temporarily soldered a 560ohm resistor in parallel with R43 and was able to get a hang of tracing the signal path. I removed the resistor, and powered up the 40m QCX and there was a problem. The voltage regulator was hot, all I got was a backlit screen, and the QCX was drawing .82A.?

I figured that I have a short, but I am unable to find it.

Would someone on this list be willing to take over and fix the rigs? I hate to give up, but Ive tried everything and just can't solve the problems.?

I'm far from any other hams - on an island off the Georgia coast. But we have a postoffice.

Thanks,
Phil, W3HZZ
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

One reason to use an Arduino is the weird economics of buying boards
and parts. An assembled Arduino Nano clone from China (using an
inexpensive CH340G rather than an FTDI USB-serial converter which
would cost as much as the entire board) costs less than the parts that
you would need to build it in any quantities that hams are likely to
buy. That's not even counting the cost of the circuit board or the
labor to put it together. That's why we see them designed into
projects like the BitX and the RS-HFIQ.

There is only a little baggage that comes with a Nano, and often you
want some of it. Some I/O pins are tied up with the USB-serial
interface, but if you want to connect your radio to a computer that
interface is a feature. The LEDs on the board are easy to ignore
unless absolute minimum power consumption is one of your project's
goals. The biggest overhead is the Arduino bootloader, which makes the
board easier to reprogram but uses up some of the flash memory. The
Arduino environment imposes more overhead if you use it, but you can
ignore most of it and program to the bare metal of the ATMega328P even
if you keep the bootloader.

It's true that the Nano (let alone an Uno) uses more space. If you are
designing an ultraportable radio that's a drawback. But most of the
time it's not a big deal.

On Sun, Sep 30, 2018 at 3:35 PM James Daldry W4JED <jim@...> wrote:

Hi, Fred

I concur. Why cripple an ATMEGA328P by dragging all that hardware crap around with it. When I want to use an SI5351 Adafruit board I do a few tweaks to the Arduino IDE, download the Adafruit libraries, and burn a bare '328. Works like a charm, takes up a 10th of the space.

Jim W4JED


On 09/30/2018 11:20 AM, Fred Piering wrote:

If you are only joking, I suggest you keep your snide comments to yourself.
There is nothing wrong with using a single chip PIC rather than a peripheral board with unneeded components, regulators, etc.
Fred
WD9HNU


On 9/30/2018 5:48 AM, db9pz@... wrote:

Oh, no!

A what ?
A PIC ?

Uhmm! This is , like here in Germany , you have to choose an Opel or a Volkswagen, to be the better one,...
Or a Mercedes Benz instead of an Audi , or a Porsche instead of a Toyata,...

Why not an 'Arduino'-type of controller? Maybe a lot of fellow HAM's will have this 6-pin 'up-load'-device from experimenting with the System Arduino-type - IC's, ... (Programmer)

No, it's only a joke!

But what I revere before, the choose of an Opel Astra instead of a Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit,... or a Comodore C64 instead a Sinclair ZX Spertrum (Timex 2000), ... or an 'YaeComWood' instead of a 'proud homebrew TRX',...

Just joking... It is Sunday! Go to your radios and 'transmit' , 'receive' and do amateur-radio.
Hope 2 meet u on the bands!

"... to the keys ..." or:
"... to the keyboards ..." or:
"... to the microphones ..."
What ever you prefere!

[instead: ... "to the stars" (ad astra) ,...]

73 es have a beautyfull sunday!

Markus ; db9pz
Re: Ultimate 3S SI5351error

 

Thanks again, Hans. Sorry for having wasted your time on that last question. It's all documented in the manual! RTFM (sigh)...
Re: CLOCK Kit problem - incorrect LOC calculation #clock #qlg

 

Hi Hans,
many thanks for the answer!

Yes - I have programmer here and can try to load new firmware. It's a pity that my latest order (U3s-160m) is probably on the road to me already as it was possible to add new chip into this one.
But I will try to learn something new - It is the big positive side of Your Kits! ;-)

You can use my e-mail w/o problems for .hex file.

Thanks a lot for Your care!

73!

Lexa, OK1DST
Re: QCX80..Audio very loud.

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi, Fred

I concur. Why cripple an ATMEGA328P by dragging all that hardware crap around with it. When I want to use an SI5351 Adafruit board I do a few tweaks to the Arduino IDE, download the Adafruit libraries, and burn a bare '328. Works like a charm, takes up a 10th of the space.

Jim W4JED


On 09/30/2018 11:20 AM, Fred Piering wrote:

If you are only joking, I suggest you keep your snide comments to yourself.
There is nothing wrong with using a single chip PIC rather than a peripheral board with unneeded components, regulators, etc.
Fred
WD9HNU


On 9/30/2018 5:48 AM, db9pz@... wrote:
Oh, no!?

A what ?
A PIC ?

Uhmm! This is?, like here in Germany , you have to choose an Opel or a Volkswagen, to be the better one,...
Or a Mercedes Benz instead? of an Audi , or a Porsche instead of a Toyata,...

Why not an 'Arduino'-type of controller? Maybe a lot of fellow HAM's will have this 6-pin 'up-load'-device from experimenting with the System Arduino-type - IC's, ... (Programmer)

No, it's only a joke!

But what I revere before, the choose of an Opel Astra instead of a Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit,... or a Comodore C64 instead a Sinclair ZX Spertrum (Timex 2000), ... or an 'YaeComWood' instead of a 'proud homebrew TRX',...

Just joking... It is Sunday! Go to your radios and 'transmit' , 'receive' and do amateur-radio.
Hope 2 meet u on the bands!

"... to the keys ..."? ?or:
"... to the keyboards ..." or:?
"... to the microphones ..."
What ever you prefere!

[instead: ... "to the stars" (ad astra) ,...]

73 es have a beautyfull sunday!

Markus ; db9pz


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