Keyboard Shortcuts
ctrl + shift + ? :
Show all keyboard shortcuts
ctrl + g :
Navigate to a group
ctrl + shift + f :
Find
ctrl + / :
Quick actions
esc to dismiss
Likes
- QRPLabs
- Messages
Search
Re: QMX+ no power output, low SMPS bias current
I think I'm ready to give up. :(
?
In trying to diagnose the above questions, I powered it on and the magic smoke come out of the BS170s.? I ordered more, carefully replaced them, and again the magic smoke came out of them the moment power was applied.? I have no idea what I did, and I'm about ready to throw the whole thing out the window.
?
The only thing I can think of right now to help diagnose it is to put Zenner diodes across the BS170s to protect them from burning up, and then start probing for what's happening. |
Updated Wiki Page: QMX QMX_plus Startup
#wiki-notice
Group Notification
The wiki page QMX QMX_plus Startup has been updated by @Ludwig_DH8WN <DH8WN@...>. |
I think I broke my QMX...
I forgot the first rule of radios - if something works, don't fix it.
?
Anyway, I wanted to replace the diode that I have been using for the Rev 2 board modification with a smaller diode.? I replaced it and found that the radio would indicate high SWR every time I transmitted, so I put the original diode back in.? Now I can't hear any RF signals.? I can't even hear the "normal" birdies.? I'm attaching a picture of my "work".? Have I ruined L503?? I'm also afraid that I may have destroyed the trace at that end of L503.
Any suggestions would be helpful.? Thanks.
?
73,
Mike, KL7MJ
|
Re: QMX
#12v
On Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 03:19 PM, Wiggle Pig wrote:
I have a QCX Mini on 40m which is a fine radio but the QMX feels more smooth somehow; probably psychosomatic!That's interesting. I feel the opposite about my QCX Mini compared to the QMX. The QMX Mini receiver sounds better to my ears. Maybe once Hans gets around to eliminating all the SMPS-induced birdies, I will change my mind.? ?
The heatsink question has been discussed to death here. I trust Hans' design and don't see any need to improve it. I've never blown the finals.?
?
73, Mike KK7ER?
? |
Re: QCX-mini Blown IC?
Hi Scott. That usually happens when you install a blank IC2 without the EEPROM file loaded. I suspect something happened to IC2 when it was shorted. The easiest fix is to order a new firmware chip from Hans. Maybe your?Dad could add that to the order for the new rig. Doesn't hurt to have another one. If not too late he could change the order for the new one to be on a different band. I see you said QCX Mini in the title and QMX Mini in the note but fortunately the picture is of a QCX Mini. Good luck 73 ... Ron On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 10:04?AM waters.scott via <waters.scott=[email protected]> wrote:
|
Re: QMX
#12v
The other factor in all of this is the plastic package design. The heat sink practice for those other styles won't necessarily work here. The qmx design takes all this into account. Many cw qrp transmitters use 2 or 3 bs170 devices. Running digital waveforms provides a bit greater stress. Keeping the voltage at 12 volts or lower helps.?
?
Curt
? |
Re: QMX
#12v
On 20/04/2025 18:54, Wiggle Pig via groups.io wrote:
Given that the usual failure in the finals is through overheating, as a number of examples have shown,A number of examples have shown BS170s blown apart. But is that due to overheating in service or a result of a high voltage causing one to short THEN blow? 73 Alan G4ZFQ |
Re: QMX
#12v
So, as a bit more information (not all of it, obviously as you need to be security cleared for that!) I was thinking more of mainly increasing the thermal mass a little and perhaps trying to couple it to the case with a thermal pad or similar.
I have no real intention of using this unit for high duty cycle modes at the moment.
?
I¡¯m aware of the intention that the tinned pad on the board is the majority of the heatsinking but having done a fair bit of design and dev work on small RF units myself I¡¯m all too aware that the mounting washer here provides the majority of the sink mass, with the pad and board structure also providing a good chunk. Given that the usual failure in the finals is through overheating, as a number of examples have shown, I intend to try to reduce that heat by sinking it a little better; replacing the washer with a better heatsinking arrangement will likely improve things.
?
tra
Piggly |
Re: QMX+ with WA3TFS amplifier
Very interesting, Jim ! I believe you meant Q4 and not T1, that is the base of the ¡®3904.
?
And so removing C1 is also advised (or lifting one leg). I believe there are 1/8¡± jacks that can be wired to do this when plugged in - that is disable a connection. I may have these in stock.
?
I¡¯ll be out of commission for ¡®a bit¡¯ - having lumbar spine surgery in the AM. But once I am cogent again, I¡¯ll anxiously read what you¡¯ve come up with. :)
?
73, Jamie
WB4YDL |
QCX-mini Blown IC?
Hi all,?
My Dad just finished his QMX-mini build and after adjustments,(before casing) accidentally laid it on a spiral notebook and shorted something out. Now he gets the message ¡°Use original IC¡±.?
The only reference to this in the groups is from 2017 where someone tripped a protection fuse in an IC and needed to update firmware I think. Any idea if this is a simple fix? Is it a hardware, software or both issue? This is the 20M version that uses IC2 AT mega328. Is the IC2 likely the culprit? Dad ordered another kit thinking it¡¯s all fried but I suspect it can be a somewhat easy fix if we can trace down the issue.?
thanks all,
Scott
KF0OUH QMX builder (and SSB user :) )
?
|
Re: QMX+: Hearing a tone only when LSB is selected
Don,
I've gone back to 027, but when I was experimenting with the 003 beta, I could hear a tone on 12 meters the strongest, then 11 meters, 10 meters not as strong because the noise level is higher, and on 6 meters. I could hear it weakly in digital mode, not at all in CW, very loudly in LSB and there was some time or greater noise in USB as well. This is all with a dummy load attached. It doesn't seem to be injected in the RF stages, but somewhere in the digital to audio conversion - maybe. I can still hear it in those bands with firmware 027 as well, but much weaker and only in digital mode.
--
73, Dan - W2DLC |
QMX: After installing Beta, processing in LCD and nothing else
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi, After the installation of the latest Beta, the LCD shows only processing. Is this normal? Few minutes later i un/replugged the powersupply and it works as expected, ok, a little bit better than expected. A big Thanks to Hans for this awesome peace of hamgadget. 73, Jens |
Re: CW Filters
Hello Hans,
I would like to respond to your concerns one at a time On Fri, 2025-04-11 at 18:00:46 +0300, Hans Summers via groups.io wrote: I don't think your proposal would work well, though I find myselfThere is no "hole" in the Weaver modulation if we make it digital. All the information of the received signal is present in the I and Q channels. Suppose we want to listen to a CW signal transmitted at 7020 kHz. We set the VFO to 7020-12 = 7008 kHz. The mixed signals contain the sum and difference of these frequencies: 14028 and 12 kHz. Only the 12 kHz components pass through the lowpass filters in front of the ADC, and appear digitally as cosine and sine of a 12 kHz signal. We are now in the digital world. We mix the 12 kHz IQ signals with the -12 kHz IF frequency. The mixer outputs two DC components, which are the cosine and sine of the phase difference between the mixed signals. These DC components pass almost unaffectected through the lowpass filters, say ¡À50 Hz. The outputs are then mixed with the sidetone frequency (700 Hz) before being fed to the speaker's DAC. We will here a 700 Hz sine tone. Suppose we want to move the passband 20 Hz up. Then we adjust the IF mixer to 12020 Hz and the sidetone frequency to 720 Hz. The received signal will now appear as -20 Hz signals in the LP filter (the frequency needs a sign in the IQ domain). We will still hear a 700 Hz tone in the speaker, while the passband will be from -20 to +80 Hz around 7020 kHz. We shouldn't adjust the VFO because that would change the USB output. An additional problem is that you lose the advantage of doing the SDRI still use the 12 kHz IF, as described above. The bias, low-frequency noise, and hum are avoided. Finally another problem. To obtain a 50 Hz bandwidth CW filter, youThere is essentially no (extra) delay caused by the implementation of the filters. They run as a series of first or second order filters, not as finite-impulse filters. The realizations of the filters are on so-called balanced form, which makes them numerically robust. It is possible to run them using 16-bit arithmetics. (I have been running it on a 48MHz SAMD21 M0+ at 16-kHz.). The response of the filter will have a delay, but this is determined by the bandwidth and type of filter. The proposed filter works both for CW and SSB (Rx and Tx), without using Hilbert transforms. Best regards Anders |
QCX Classic Case WANTED
I post a message like this every 6months or so in hope...
I'm looking for someone who has an original QCX Classic case they no longer want. This is the BaMa Tech case that was sold by QRP Labs for sometime. The case is not available new any more. If you have such a case or maybe a cased QCX Classic that is fried and dead and you want to sell, please contact me andy.mm0fmf AT gmail.com. I'm in the UK and Brexit etc. has made shipping to and from the UK much more "fun and challenging" now. But if you are in the EU or in the US I have friends/relatives in either that will handle shipping to me making it simple for you :-) Here's hoping. Thanks Andy, MM0FMF |
Power out on 60 mtr QCX+
Hi
I recently built a QCX+ for 60 mtrs. Everything works ok except that I only get about 1.5watts out into a dummy. load.? Just wondering whether any one has built a QCX+ for 60mtrs and what power? out? that is expected for this band .
look forward to any replies.
Keith G4TJE
? |
to navigate to use esc to dismiss