Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
Hans:
Well, it does the same thing with _009 and _001 and it does it with the QDX, I guess I just never noticed it before. So it is a Mac Terminal issue or an operator issue, not a QMX or QDX issue. Possibly an issue with this OS version.
Randy:
I have an older MacBook Air (2013) running OS 11.7.10, Big Sur. I am using Terminal program. I have tried to QUIT the app in addition to EXIT TERMINAL, but doesn't seem to make any difference. EXIT TERMINAL blanks out the terminal screen, but an enter brings the QMX menu back, altho I don't usually do this. It still requires a restart of the QMX or disconnecting USB and reconnecting before it will allow WSJT-X to connect. In Terminal, I am using 'screen /dev/tty.usbmodem14201' to connect.
If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.?
73, Dan? NM3A
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Hi Hans,
Thank you for the update!
Can you tell me if the GPS unit I purchased from you should work with the QMX yet?
It does not go into transmit? at the specified times (or anytime)!
The time gets updated, but no TX. Is there something I may have set wrong?
Also while in Beacon Mode at 25 WPM my QMX locked into keydown transmitting a constant 5.15 Watt Carrier. This has happened twice already.
Thank you for your hard work!
Michael N2ZDB
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Re: Your opinion please.
#qmx
C526 looks ok. It had been touched in the process of building and the solder on one end slightly melted out of the normal shape, touched it up and it looks normal now. I don't think it was overheated. I don't have any way to test it however.
I'll see what I can do to get to a scope.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Cliff, C526 is a common point as well. Could it have been damaged?
Testing the output transformer in situ is not easy but if you can get some oscilloscope time, post pictures of the drain voltage waveforms at the BS170s.
JZ John,
I heated my QMX up doing FT8 until it dropped power (radio out of the case). Tested in situ and no change in the drive voltage, but a drop in Tx ma. From what I understand since no drive change then all before the finals hasn't changed and the issue must be beyond that. Went over the board again and touched up couple solder points, but no change. Replaced all the BS170s to get a matched pair. No change in power. FWIW all bands are down, not just one band. Today, once it dropped in power it hasn't gone back up so I'll see over night if something cools down and the power comes back up.?
The output transformer did not get hot today. Just comfortable warm. Any ideas how to test the transformer without pulling it? Since it's all bands I don't see any common component except the transformer T501 except the SWR transformer, T507.
Details:
Initial: After hot: Power ? ~4.0 watts 2.3 W Tx Current ? 785ma 700ma Drive V on both sets of finals 2.510v 2.510v
John,
Like you say, not likely, but "maybe".
I just ordered a can of freeze spray for testing.
I'll try to heat the QMX up by usage and when the power drops try to check the drive to the finals. That should be a big clue. If the drive is the same then I'll start thinking about redoing the transformer. If the drive has dropped then the issue is back the other way.
Cliff,Yeah, that is a puzzle. Here is a (highly speculative) possible explanation:- Initial power drop is caused by temperature rise due to basictransistor parameters as per linked post, exacerbated by weak heatsinking.- A secondary sharp power drop comes from a nicked-wire short kickingin as the transformer heats up along with the board and things expand.That is sort of the Challenger O-Ring scenario, I know, but not implausible.JZ KJ4AOn Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:38?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
John,
I see what you mean, but I still wonder if there is something else lurking around also.
Initially the drop is almost unnoticeable then it drops over time about 1/2 watt. I could live with that, but at some point it all of a sudden drops another watt to watt and a half. Now I'm down to around 2 watts or a bit less after I started out at 3.5W and this is at 10v trying to be easy on the finals. Seems like something gives up which is what got me looking at the drive to the finals. I'll have to set things up so I can get it hot enough to cause the drop then test the drive on the finals.
What triggers the big drop? Cool it off and it's back up to 3.5W.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 14:16, John Z <jdzbrozek@...> wrote:
Cliff,
I think this may explain your sagging output power.
/g/QRPLabs/message/111164
I'm concerned that a shorted turn in your output transformer may have
set you up for this. The transformer should not be running hot.
JZ KJ4A
On Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:07?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
I think you're right Paul.
Now back to the original issue of significant power drop after the unit has been used for a while.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 13:59, Paul - AI7JR <paul.hanchett@...> wrote:
If you've got that 2.5 volt measurement on the gates, I'd think the driver IC is probably OK.
On 9/30/23 10:24, Cliff wrote:
Just pulled the finals planning to change them all, but decided to test the voltage on the gates with them out. The voltages are different, slightly and I noticed that one side the drive voltage increased slightly when the finals were pulled and the other side not. 2.523 vs 2.546 with the finals out.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing here? Only 0.023v different. I don't remember looking that closely before so maybe they always have been that way, but my recollection is that they were much closer.
I hate to change the driver IC for nothing, but if it'll make a difference, I have the chip to do it.
BTW, with the board cool power out is back up to normal.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:07, Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
Ryuji,
I probably will change all the finals, but just wondered if there was some testing that could be done to help an on going problem. That idea of the foam might help also.
I was using 10V on a 12V build to see if I could get more life out of the BS170s. Transformer is the original design. Unit was build nearly 5 months ago now. Worked great for a long time until I stressed it with no antenna attached and transmitting several times. Driver IC and finals have been changed multiple times.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:01, Ryuji Suzuki AB1WX <ab1wx@...> wrote:
I would replace all final transistors. If you routinely experience very hot finals, you might want to consider inserting a bit of thermally conductive foam between the board and the aluminum case. Good ones are about 15 W/mK if I believe the catalog spec. Those good ones are loaded with heavy minerals and it's quite heavy and cool to touch.
Which transformer configuration did you use? What's your supply voltage?
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Re: Your opinion please.
#qmx
Cliff, C526 is a common point as well. Could it have been damaged?
Testing the output transformer in situ is not easy but if you can get some oscilloscope time, post pictures of the drain voltage waveforms at the BS170s.
JZ
John,
I heated my QMX up doing FT8 until it dropped power (radio out of the case). Tested in situ and no change in the drive voltage, but a drop in Tx ma. From what I understand since no drive change then all before the finals hasn't changed and the issue must be beyond that. Went over the board again and touched up couple solder points, but no change. Replaced all the BS170s to get a matched pair. No change in power. FWIW all bands are down, not just one band. Today, once it dropped in power it hasn't gone back up so I'll see over night if something cools down and the power comes back up.?
The output transformer did not get hot today. Just comfortable warm. Any ideas how to test the transformer without pulling it? Since it's all bands I don't see any common component except the transformer T501 except the SWR transformer, T507.
Details:
Initial: After hot: Power ~4.0 watts 2.3 W Tx Current 785ma 700ma Drive V on both sets of finals 2.510v 2.510v
John,
Like you say, not likely, but "maybe".
I just ordered a can of freeze spray for testing.
I'll try to heat the QMX up by usage and when the power drops try to check the drive to the finals. That should be a big clue. If the drive is the same then I'll start thinking about redoing the transformer. If the drive has dropped then the issue is back the other way.
Cliff,Yeah, that is a puzzle. Here is a (highly speculative) possible explanation:- Initial power drop is caused by temperature rise due to basictransistor parameters as per linked post, exacerbated by weak heatsinking.- A secondary sharp power drop comes from a nicked-wire short kickingin as the transformer heats up along with the board and things expand.That is sort of the Challenger O-Ring scenario, I know, but not implausible.JZ KJ4AOn Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:38?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
John,
I see what you mean, but I still wonder if there is something else lurking around also.
Initially the drop is almost unnoticeable then it drops over time about 1/2 watt. I could live with that, but at some point it all of a sudden drops another watt to watt and a half. Now I'm down to around 2 watts or a bit less after I started out at 3.5W and this is at 10v trying to be easy on the finals. Seems like something gives up which is what got me looking at the drive to the finals. I'll have to set things up so I can get it hot enough to cause the drop then test the drive on the finals.
What triggers the big drop? Cool it off and it's back up to 3.5W.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 14:16, John Z <jdzbrozek@...> wrote:
Cliff,
I think this may explain your sagging output power.
/g/QRPLabs/message/111164
I'm concerned that a shorted turn in your output transformer may have
set you up for this. The transformer should not be running hot.
JZ KJ4A
On Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:07?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
I think you're right Paul.
Now back to the original issue of significant power drop after the unit has been used for a while.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 13:59, Paul - AI7JR <paul.hanchett@...> wrote:
If you've got that 2.5 volt measurement on the gates, I'd think the driver IC is probably OK.
On 9/30/23 10:24, Cliff wrote:
Just pulled the finals planning to change them all, but decided to test the voltage on the gates with them out. The voltages are different, slightly and I noticed that one side the drive voltage increased slightly when the finals were pulled and the other side not. 2.523 vs 2.546 with the finals out.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing here? Only 0.023v different. I don't remember looking that closely before so maybe they always have been that way, but my recollection is that they were much closer.
I hate to change the driver IC for nothing, but if it'll make a difference, I have the chip to do it.
BTW, with the board cool power out is back up to normal.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:07, Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
Ryuji,
I probably will change all the finals, but just wondered if there was some testing that could be done to help an on going problem. That idea of the foam might help also.
I was using 10V on a 12V build to see if I could get more life out of the BS170s. Transformer is the original design. Unit was build nearly 5 months ago now. Worked great for a long time until I stressed it with no antenna attached and transmitting several times. Driver IC and finals have been changed multiple times.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:01, Ryuji Suzuki AB1WX <ab1wx@...> wrote:
I would replace all final transistors. If you routinely experience very hot finals, you might want to consider inserting a bit of thermally conductive foam between the board and the aluminum case. Good ones are about 15 W/mK if I believe the catalog spec. Those good ones are loaded with heavy minerals and it's quite heavy and cool to touch.
Which transformer configuration did you use? What's your supply voltage?
|
Re: QMX VSWR indication
#qmx
Before I implemented the "quadratic equation correction" for my QRP reflectometer (mentioned in my post above), I simply used the straight voltage levels from the diode rectifiers in the SWR calculation.? What I found disconcerting was that when I switched my QDX between normal and reduced power (i.e. one third of power) the antenna SWR apparently greatly improved!? Of course that is nonsense and is due to the lower output from the reflectometer diode rectifiers being lower down the "knee" of their characteristic.? I found that using the "quadratic equation correction" caused the SWR indication to be essentially the same regardless of whether on normal or reduced power.? Not so disconcerted now!
--
Peter Lee
G3SPL
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Re: QMX VSWR indication
#qmx
The object of the SWR meter is to give an indication of the match of the antenna to the radio, to help to protect the PA from damage. It isn't a precision instrument, referenced to NIST standards.? What we have is plenty good enough to help to protect the PA and help users tune antennas.
If you really want better, do the necessary experiments, using properly calibrated instruments and standards of course, and come up with a calibration algorithm that can be added to the current code.
I'm really glad that Hans has got the SWR working including protection but I'm sure he has better things to do now.
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Re: Your opinion please.
#qmx
John,
I heated my QMX up doing FT8 until it dropped power (radio out of the case). Tested in situ and no change in the drive voltage, but a drop in Tx ma. From what I understand since no drive change then all before the finals hasn't changed and the issue must be beyond that. Went over the board again and touched up couple solder points, but no change. Replaced all the BS170s to get a matched pair. No change in power. FWIW all bands are down, not just one band. Today, once it dropped in power it hasn't gone back up so I'll see over night if something cools down and the power comes back up.?
The output transformer did not get hot today. Just comfortable warm. Any ideas how to test the transformer without pulling it? Since it's all bands I don't see any common component except the transformer T501 except the SWR transformer, T507.
Details:
Initial: After hot: Power ~4.0 watts 2.3 W Tx Current 785ma 700ma Drive V on both sets of finals 2.510v 2.510v
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
John,
Like you say, not likely, but "maybe".
I just ordered a can of freeze spray for testing.
I'll try to heat the QMX up by usage and when the power drops try to check the drive to the finals. That should be a big clue. If the drive is the same then I'll start thinking about redoing the transformer. If the drive has dropped then the issue is back the other way.
Cliff,Yeah, that is a puzzle. Here is a (highly speculative) possible explanation:- Initial power drop is caused by temperature rise due to basictransistor parameters as per linked post, exacerbated by weak heatsinking.- A secondary sharp power drop comes from a nicked-wire short kickingin as the transformer heats up along with the board and things expand.That is sort of the Challenger O-Ring scenario, I know, but not implausible.JZ KJ4AOn Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:38?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
John,
I see what you mean, but I still wonder if there is something else lurking around also.
Initially the drop is almost unnoticeable then it drops over time about 1/2 watt. I could live with that, but at some point it all of a sudden drops another watt to watt and a half. Now I'm down to around 2 watts or a bit less after I started out at 3.5W and this is at 10v trying to be easy on the finals. Seems like something gives up which is what got me looking at the drive to the finals. I'll have to set things up so I can get it hot enough to cause the drop then test the drive on the finals.
What triggers the big drop? Cool it off and it's back up to 3.5W.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 14:16, John Z <jdzbrozek@...> wrote:
Cliff,
I think this may explain your sagging output power.
/g/QRPLabs/message/111164
I'm concerned that a shorted turn in your output transformer may have
set you up for this. The transformer should not be running hot.
JZ KJ4A
On Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 3:07?PM Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
I think you're right Paul.
Now back to the original issue of significant power drop after the unit has been used for a while.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 30, 2023, at 13:59, Paul - AI7JR <paul.hanchett@...> wrote:
If you've got that 2.5 volt measurement on the gates, I'd think the driver IC is probably OK.
On 9/30/23 10:24, Cliff wrote:
Just pulled the finals planning to change them all, but decided to test the voltage on the gates with them out. The voltages are different, slightly and I noticed that one side the drive voltage increased slightly when the finals were pulled and the other side not. 2.523 vs 2.546 with the finals out.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing here? Only 0.023v different. I don't remember looking that closely before so maybe they always have been that way, but my recollection is that they were much closer.
I hate to change the driver IC for nothing, but if it'll make a difference, I have the chip to do it.
BTW, with the board cool power out is back up to normal.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:07, Cliff <ae5zaham@...> wrote:
Ryuji,
I probably will change all the finals, but just wondered if there was some testing that could be done to help an on going problem. That idea of the foam might help also.
I was using 10V on a 12V build to see if I could get more life out of the BS170s. Transformer is the original design. Unit was build nearly 5 months ago now. Worked great for a long time until I stressed it with no antenna attached and transmitting several times. Driver IC and finals have been changed multiple times.
73,
Cliff, AE5ZA
On Sep 29, 2023, at 20:01, Ryuji Suzuki AB1WX <ab1wx@...> wrote:
I would replace all final transistors. If you routinely experience very hot finals, you might want to consider inserting a bit of thermally conductive foam between the board and the aluminum case. Good ones are about 15 W/mK if I believe the catalog spec. Those good ones are loaded with heavy minerals and it's quite heavy and cool to touch.
Which transformer configuration did you use? What's your supply voltage?
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Re: QMX Update? V_0005 vs _0009?
Thanks for the replies,
AGC and volume control would be at the top of my list also.
I think I'll wait a bit longer, maybe try 30m. Haven't been on
that band in a while.
--
Chuck, W5USJ
EM22cv, Rains Co., Texas
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Re: Payload decoder for Lora Light Tracker
Hi Hans,
Unfortunately there is no user friendly and free alternative to Cayenne myDevices. Datacake is also buggy for Cayenne payload integration.
I am in touch?with Richard for alternative solutions/integrations.
TA2MUN
Hello Richard
Mustafa TA2MUN needs to answer this point. He is the designer and producer of the LightAPRS and LightTracker products, QRP Labs is acting as distributor only. Mustafa is on here so hopefully will see this.
On Mon, Oct 2, 2023 at 5:22?PM Richard Fairman < acampb5160@...> wrote: I've been trying to get infor on a payload decoder for the Datacake integration from Helium
Cayenne has been discontinued so the tracker is useless without data display of the telemetry
I've raised a ticket but no response
The documentation still refers to the Cayenne dashboard which has been discontinued
I cannot launch without telemetry tracking
R
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
Dan,? I also run a Mac and do not have that issue.? Not only must you do the "Exit Terminal" in the QMX app, you must also release the port by killing the app you are using to communicate with the virtual serial port.
I go back and forth several times between WSJT-X and the Terminal App while testing and checking things out.? I've never had this problem.
If I can assist further, let me know.
73, N4TVC, Randy
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Re: qmx with new firmware
Hello Enzo
Not intended... I will fix that.?
On Sun, Oct 1, 2023 at 9:42?PM Enzo M0KTZ < m0ktz@...> wrote: Hans,
on a related note: when you exit from the SWR Test function, the keyer is diasabled. You need to enter the menu and exit again (or power-cycle) to get the keyer back. Don't know if that's intended.
72/73 de Enzo M0KTZ
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
There's CW decoder, Power/SWR and Battery icon all talking to the screen when they want. It gets tricky.?
I have dealt with this by using a section of memory as a screen buffer. Every item blanks its space and then writes to the buffer. A house keeping routine updates the actual display from the buffer. This keeps the blanking from flickering the screen. I have heard of people using a mask to only update the pixels that have changed but I have never needed to try this. ?YMMV.? -- Colin - K6JTH?
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Re: QMX Diagnostic Screen
Hi Evan,
The difference between the transmit and receive voltages could be the voltage drop across the power cable.??
Something to look out for.
Been there before.
73
Ray VE7AVG
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Re: QMX VSWR indication
#qmx
Peter,
Did you use 1N34A diodes in your tandem bridge??
Paul N1DPW?
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
Hello Dan
Please could you put 009 back and try it again? I don't think either of those things are related to 010 and probably not related to firmware at all... I don't have a Mac so it's hard to say.?
Played with _010 today. Noted the following:
On a Mac, when I go into the terminal, everything works fine, except when I try to exit the terminal. I click on EXIT TERMINAL and then close Terminal. However, I can't go back into WSJT after that until I power down and power back on the QMX. Not sure if this was there before _010 or not, but I don't think so. QDX doesn't do this.
Also noted low rcv levels (~20-30 on the scale) in WSJT and many fewer decodes than the QDX. I increased the audio gain in the QMX from 54 to 70 and WSJT rcv levels came up to same as QDX (~60-70). Does this affect CW too?
--
73, Dan? NM3A
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
Played with _010 today. Noted the following:
On a Mac, when I go into the terminal, everything works fine, except when I try to exit the terminal. I click on EXIT TERMINAL and then close Terminal. However, I can't go back into WSJT after that until I power down and power back on the QMX. Not sure if this was there before _010 or not, but I don't think so. QDX doesn't do this.
Also noted low rcv levels (~20-30 on the scale) in WSJT and many fewer decodes than the QDX. I increased the audio gain in the QMX from 54 to 70 and WSJT rcv levels came up to same as QDX (~60-70). Does this affect CW too?
--
73, Dan? NM3A
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
You're doing an epic job, Hans. The radio is already a small miracle ??
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
One more little thing..... if the radio is set to practice mode, the usual "P" appears on the screen to show this. If, however, SWR protection is also turned on, the "P" gets replaced by an "S" as soon as the key is pressed.
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Re: Minor issues with fw 1_00_010
Many thanks Ronan
I suspect 2 and 3 are pre-existing, and 1 is new in 010. Screen update conflicts between the various different processes which are running and accessing the screen have been a challenge, even in the QCX there were bugs in this area and it took some releases to iron them all out! There's CW decoder, Power/SWR and Battery icon all talking to the screen when they want. It gets tricky. I'll take a look. And at the other two. Thanks again. 73 Hans G0UPL
I've been using the new firmware since yesterday and have noticed a few minor issues:
1. The SWR and Power meter area of the display can get corrupted and will occasionally fill with some of the decoded CW. See photo below. This can be cleared by entering and leaving the menu.
2. The radio will occasionally cut short or extend a dit or dah when sending with a straight key. This happens even with a good dummy load attached so doesn't appear to be radiated RF being picked up by the key leads. I don't recall this happening in the previous firmware but will reload it to check. It can be an issue if it happens while sending callsigns etc?
3. CW messages don't seem to completely clear when they are erased. If I delete a long message in a slot and replace it with a shorter one, the last part of the long message seems to remain as a ghost and is transmitted after the short one has played even though it's invisible in the messages memory.
None of these are exactly life or death issues but are hopefully fixable.?
Cheers,
Ronan
MM0IVR
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Re: QMX Diagnostic Screen
Hello Ryuji
I have never seen any instability, at any supply voltage. If you put a 'scope at the AOD403 drain that would show any issues. I don't see how you could get 12-18V there.? 73 Hans G0UPL
On Mon, Oct 2, 2023, 10:31 PM Ryuji Suzuki AB1WX < ab1wx@...> wrote: Interesting. Yeah, that circuit looks like an amplifier than PWM when I look at again now.
So, when I saw reliably about 12 to 18V at the drain of Q507 and around L502 and T501 primary (with the final amp transistors removed), is it more of a stability question rather than filtering? At ADC_PA it was measuring about 6.5V as QMX diagnostics sees it (when the DC in supply was 7.5V) so I'm sure the voltage averages out to that value (due to C529). If individual variability in the phase margin is the question here, does it make sense to add a one-pole, phase-lag compensator, now that the amp has a lot more than 25kHz bandwidth?
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Chuck Carpenter
Randy, N4TVC
Colin Kaminski