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Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
Well,? I personally would carefully remove the cap and then check continuity between pins 1 and 2 at the LCD display itself. If it still shows a short, the problem is probably:,? -- a bridge between? pins 1 and 2 of the LCD solder connections --? something in the LCD internals -- or possibly something off in the PAD resistor PAD circuit on the other end. There's a Vcc feed over there too. And of course, check the cap itself for a short once it's out of the circuit. If it is shorted, that's the culprit. Good luck. Not sure if you are comfortable with working like that on small SMDs.? Greg
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Re: New QMX Rev3 build - no power out...
Hi Mike,
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Quick question. Did you do continuity checks on all the toroids by making sure you were probing on the pads of the wire ends or the sides of the solder fillet beads and not the actual wire ends that may be sticking up through the solder fillets? There weren't any specific instructions to do checks? ?in the assembly manual for T507, but you should see 0 ohms between each of the 4 pairs, A-A, B-B, C-C, and? D-D.?
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QMX SWR Measurement tool - please default to current band
I love the QMX SWR Measurement tool - it is very useful to fine tune the match with my Kanga QRP Pocket Transmatch.
Would it be possible to make it default to the band the radio is tuned to? I have accidentally tuned to 80m (the default of the SWR measurement tool) more than once because I forgot to change the band! Thank you Nick M5NCW -- Nick Craig-Wood <nick@...> -- |
Re: QMX - Any progress on key clicks please?
Daimon,
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Try Chris's M0KNF , settings??he put on here earlier. I finished building my low band QMX and initially had the sidetone clicks. Awful. With Chris's settings the QMX is now fine on CW, Iambic B, no issues. I think the crucial setting is to turn AGC off, and then volume down. Hans, superb instructions, and my advice to builders to carefully scrape off the enamel insulation on every wire end before soldering - it should then work first time! Rich G4PCE
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New QMX Rev3 build - no power out...
Fellow QRP'ers,
I just completed a rev 3 QMX build.? I am VERY impressed with level of sophistication of this very small piece of kit. I'm afraid I have made an error in my assembly and I need to ask this forum for a bit of help in sorting it out. I am happy to say that I was able to flash the firmware and boot up the radio without a problem.? Also, when attached to an antenna I can clearly hear the sounds from the FT8 frequencies (my unit is the 20-10m model) so the receive parts of the circuit seem like they are functioning.? I am also able to connect to WSJT-X and get good decodes at least on 20m (the other bands may have little traffic right now). However, I have no power output on the transmit side.? I will attach screen shots from the SWR sweep menu utility, but the measurements are erratic and VERY high (all run on a dummy load capable of 25W).? Also, when I go into the Diagnostics screen and press the "t" button, I get 0 power out, about 9.5 volts and the SWR bounces around between 6 and 10.? This behavior is similar on all bands. My initial theory is that I have somehow messed up the SWR transformer (T507) and this is causing the high SWR protection software to keep the radio from producing any output.? Before I break out the soldering iron again to pull T507 out of circuit and possibly rewire it, I wanted to get some feedback from those with more experience ? Thank you in advance for any ideas for further troubleshooting steps or alternate theories about what I have done wrong. 73 Mike KC2EHR |
Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
I pulled the trimmer this afternoon, and it shows ~22k as spec'd, and
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the wiper goes smoothly over that range. I don't remember whether it went all the way to zero at the ends or not, but I've put the wiper mid-range in my testing and it doesn't change the apparent short between VCC and GND. I have raised the black pin spacer blocks on JP303 and 304 to make sure there was nothing extraneous being hidden, but the board is clean. I tried to pull the jumpers on display pins 1 and 2, to isolate the problem to the display board or the carrier board that has the various components on it, but I was unsuccessful on getting them unsoldered enough to be able to pull the wires. So of your list, I think we are down to a shorted C301, or a short on the display board.? Any other ideas welcome! Good night. -Al On 3/22/2024 18:59, Greg McCain via groups.io wrote:
C301 sure looks like a bypass capacitor for the 5v feed into the LCD |
Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
C301 sure looks like a bypass capacitor for the 5v feed into the LCD board. There to send little spikes and ripples on Vcc (the output of the 5V power supply) safely down the ground.?? One side of it should have continuity with pin 2 of JP303 (the four pin connector). The other side, I believe, should not show continuity with that pin 2, when checked with an ohm meter. And of course, there should also not be continuity directly between the actual contact ends of the capacitor, unless perhaps . . .? C301 is indeed shorted . . . OR There is a short between pins1 and 2 on the LCD component itself,? OR there is a short through the trimmer resistor (R305)? OR? if the trimmer resistor can actually be set to '0' ohms. Can you confirm that the trimmer resistor is? turned all the way counter-clockwise (when looking right down on the top of the bugger)? Greg Greg McCain gamccain50@...
On Friday, March 22, 2024 at 07:27:20 PM EDT, Al Simons <al@...> wrote:
With the display board out of the radio, I measured 0 ohms between pin 2 of the 4 pin connector (GND), and the pad to the right side of C301, which is marked VCC on the trace diagram. Seems "odd." Possible shorted C301? Unfortunately, I have no surface mount skills or equipment. What is a path forward? 73, -Al WA1TYB On 3/22/2024 15:44, Greg McCain via groups.io wrote: > Hopefully something simple and/or obvious. > > Don't forget to check the 2 header connectors on the main board too. > > Good hunting. Let us know if you solve it. > > Greg KI4NVX > > > > Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer > <> > >? ? On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 5:05 PM, Al Simons >? ? <al@...> wrote: >? ? Greg, THANK YOU.? Pulling the display board lets it come up, drawing >? ? ~150mA at 6V. The terminal program is running, so it seems that at >? ? least >? ? part of the CPU is OK.? Now to figure out what I did wrong with the >? ? display board! > >? ? Again, thanks. >? ? -Al WA1TYB > >? ? On 3/22/2024 14:36, Greg McCain via groups.io wrote: >? ? > Just a quick thought. >? ? > >? ? > Without the control board will the unit even power up since the >? ? rotary >? ? > push to power on won't be available? >? ? > >? ? > You might try just removing the display. >? ? > If the current stays up, then the fault might be in the display >? ? board >? ? > or the 5v power board. >? ? > >? ? > I've seen other posts where faults/ bridges/shorts in the power >? ? > boards' connector chains have caused odd problems. I took the advice >? ? > in the build instructions and clipped the one set of pins back >? ? about a >? ? > millimeter or so because I could definitely see I that a few >? ? were too >? ? > long and extended past the solder pads and awful close to other >? ? items. >? ? > >? ? > >? ? > Greg >? ? > >? ? > >? ? > Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer >? ? > >? ? < >? ? <>> >? ? > >? ? >? ? On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 2:32 PM, Al Simons >? ? >? ? <al@...> wrote: >? ? >? ? Just completed my Rev 3 QMX assembly. It performs the USB stick >? ? >? ? emulation ok, to place the FW file on board. I did this both on >? ? >? ? initial power-up and by jumpering AUX2 to GND. However, after FW >? ? >? ? load, when I press the left knob it draws power for an >? ? instant and >? ? >? ? then powers back down to 0.000A.? I'm using 7V, limited to 200mA. >? ? >? ? I have inspected all my joints w/ a magnifier, all seem fine but >? ? >? ? I'm considering buying a USB microscope. >? ? > >? ? >? ? To start troubleshooting I want to check the power boards.? For >? ? >? ? easier access, is it safe to power up the unit without the >? ? control >? ? >? ? board and display boards plugged in? >? ? > >? ? >? ? I've been monitoring this group since I placed my order.? I think >? ? >? ? I remember a reference to a troubleshooting guide by Hans, and >? ? >? ? another report of this failure mode, but I can't find either. >? ? >? ? Pointers to either would be greatly appreciated. I'm aware of the >? ? >? ? troubleshooting log Hans has posted about units he's fixed, >? ? but it >? ? >? ? doesn't mention this failure. >? ? > >? ? >? ? Thanks for any advice and pointers. >? ? >? ? 73, >? ? >? ? -Al WA1TYB >? ? > >? ? > > > > > > > > |
Re: Disconnect USB after TX
I encountered computer-noise going back in to my RSPDuo through the USB cable. For antennas I was using a pair of Wellbrook loops in diversity mode.
I spent the time investigating high quality USB cables that had excellent shielding (not an easy task). What really made a difference was when I bought demo test units from Wurth Elektronik. I installed them at the computer connection but also added a few 43 mix clamp on ferrites at both ends of the USB cable.EMI/EMC susceptibility of their non-radio equipment. Since then I have been recommending the USB filters to customers (at work) who connect to our radios by USB (one of the many interfaces our digital radios can support). It has made a difference in reducing the EMI/EMC susceptibility of their non-radio equipment. I see now that Wurth has a USB-C version (that I have not tried yet). Here is where to find them;? ? -- Tisha, AA4HA |
Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
With the display board out of the radio, I measured 0 ohms between pin 2
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of the 4 pin connector (GND), and the pad to the right side of C301, which is marked VCC on the trace diagram. Seems "odd." Possible shorted C301? Unfortunately, I have no surface mount skills or equipment. What is a path forward? 73, -Al WA1TYB On 3/22/2024 15:44, Greg McCain via groups.io wrote:
Hopefully something simple and/or obvious. |
Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
Hopefully something simple and/or obvious.
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Don't forget to check the 2 header connectors on the main board too.? Good hunting. Let us know if you solve it. Greg KI4NVX
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Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
Greg, THANK YOU.? Pulling the display board lets it come up, drawing
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~150mA at 6V. The terminal program is running, so it seems that at least part of the CPU is OK.? Now to figure out what I did wrong with the display board! Again, thanks. -Al WA1TYB On 3/22/2024 14:36, Greg McCain via groups.io wrote:
Just a quick thought. |
Re: Disconnect USB after TX
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Thorsten Not so much good vs bad, but differing material type. ie what you may use for a 4:1 OCFD feed is not the same as RFI suppression. Most mag material suppliers have tables to consult. From memory Fair-Rite 31 material is good for common mode chokes and suppression whereas 43 and 53 are more for lower loss RF transformers. I use 3-6 turns of power and/or USB cables through various toroid types. I have read though it is possible to "over choke" a USB2 cable and have managed to do that here with 7 turns through an F6 or F9C Neosid core. Clipon cable suppressors are pretty useless at reducing RFI on HF, unless a few turns can be fitted through them. Cheers Bob VK2YQA On 23/3/24 07:36, qrp@... wrote:
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Re: QMX Immediately shutsdown; safe to apply power w/o control and display boards
Just a quick thought. Without the control board will the unit even power up since the rotary push to power on won't be available? You might try just removing the display. If the current stays up, then the fault might be in the display board or the 5v power board.? I've seen other posts where faults/ bridges/shorts in the power boards' connector chains have caused odd problems. I took the advice in the build instructions and clipped the one set of pins back about a millimeter or so because I could definitely see I that a few were too long and extended past the solder pads and awful close to other items.? Greg
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Re: Disconnect USB after TX
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýYou're getting RF into the computer.? You need to wrap toroid
chokes on the USB cable, the power cable, the coax, and any other
cables going to the computer.?? My Dell laptop is very sensitive
to RF if I do not take precautions.? You might also consider a USB
isolator.? I have one that is helpful not only for RF but also
prevents hash from going to the radio. 73 Charles - NK8O On 3/22/24 14:49, qrp@... wrote:
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