Re: QMX - Weird bug after upgrade
If you can see the battery symbol, it's not in update
mode! But it also suggests that some version of firmware
is loaded...
Paul -- AI7JR
On 9/17/24 15:37, Yannig - F4IUJ via
groups.io wrote:
I've just tried to put the radio in firmware update more and
no I can't see it on my PC...
?
May be it is hardware ?
?
Also after a bit of time the battery symbol starts to flash
in the top right corner.
?
73,
?
Yannig
--
Paul -- AI7JR
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Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
Allison,
Tuning the antenna is all well and good, but when you use an antenna portable (as I and many other POTA/SOTA) ops do), that same antenna can have quite different properties depending on the deployment. Tuning the antenna in the field takes time and probably extra parts and equipment. Using an antenna tuner (with appropriate protection, like an absorptive bridge or much lower power output) often makes much more sense than tuning the antenna itself.?
--
73, Dan? NM3A
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Re: QMX - Weird bug after upgrade
I've just tried to put the radio in firmware update more and no I can't see it on my PC...
?
May be it is hardware ?
?
Also after a bit of time the battery symbol starts to flash in the top right corner.
?
73,
?
Yannig
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Re: QMX - Weird bug after upgrade
Are you also saying that when you do the factory reset that the QMX doesn't appear as a flash drive on the PC??
If that IS working you should be able to see if the ver 27 firmware file is still there, remove it and drop in a lower version firmware, say version 20?, into the flash drive window to see if you can get it back.?
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 6:06 PM, Yannig - F4IUJ via groups.io <F4IUJ@...> wrote: Hello all,
?
I've updated my low band QMX for firmware 17 to 27 and I have two weird things happening :
- I can't connect anymore the QMX to the PC whether it is to JS8CALL or to Putty. The QMX doesn't appear on my windows PC (no soundcard, no Com Port)
- After a few minutes, the screen becomes darker and darker and eventually the QMX shuts itself off (no backlight) with the first row of the screen still black and the second row blank. This happens wether the QMX cable is plugged to the computer or not
I've done a factory reset but same symptoms... Not sure what to do next...
?
72 de Yannig - F4IUJ
|
QMX - Weird bug after upgrade
Hello all,
?
I've updated my low band QMX for firmware 17 to 27 and I have two weird things happening :
- I can't connect anymore the QMX to the PC whether it is to JS8CALL or to Putty. The QMX doesn't appear on my windows PC (no soundcard, no Com Port)
- After a few minutes, the screen becomes darker and darker and eventually the QMX shuts itself off (no backlight) with the first row of the screen still black and the second row blank. This happens wether the QMX cable is plugged to the computer or not
I've done a factory reset but same symptoms... Not sure what to do next...
?
72 de Yannig - F4IUJ
|
Ah. Probably just a gotcha. Perhaps pull Arduino power right from the main power-in barrel connector or the very nearby JP using some header pins and include a drop down converter (if needed for the Arduino) on the dev board.
Googled Arduino power specs just a few minutes ago. Sources say 7 to 12 volts. Others say beware of using 12 and convert down ...
Hope the fix is easy.?
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 4:07 PM, me@... <me@...> wrote: Hi Greg!
?
I have read that portion of the manual too, since I bought QMX+ to integrate the ATU tuner and internal battery. And, as an experimenter, mentally I was ready to accept risks associated and bite the bullet.
?
So, I did not think that Nano would cause an appreciable current to be drawn while radio is off and it is powered through the usb.
?
Without turning radio off and arduino being powered from QMX+ - all has been working perfectly for couple of weeks. Until I plugged usb to arduino and turned radio off :)? And, I did that on purpose to see the serial debug messages from my code while radio is powering up.
?
And before powering arduino from QMX+ and USB on it - it also consistently worked from the protype board and arduino being powered with its own power supply. But grounds between itself and QMX+ were shared. Turning radio on/off did not cause any issue. So, these two bits of a success deceived me :)
?
I have a revision 2 board with SMPS integrated. But most of its components are big enough I can resolder them with my fat fingers. Now I will have to troubleshoot to find what is broken on SMPS. Will follow Steve's advise.
?
--
73,
Sardar ( AC8L).
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Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
Rather than use a ZM2 (a good unit) I tune the actual antenna for less than 1.5:1
then I can omit the tuner.
?
Of course depending on the design of the EFHW some do not tune uniformly
on all bands.
?
--
Allison
------------------
Post online only,?
direct email will go to a bit bucket.
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Re: A ¡°pluggable¡± firmware architecture?
It was one of those, for me, yes. _Compute!_ was general, _Compute Gazette_ was specific to Commodore, as I recall, but both tended to have some code for Commodore at various times.
Either way, that word processor probably saved my academic career. My handwriting is atrocious; my typing at the time was also atrocious unless I could treat "backspace" like just another key, and my typewriter was manual, so that wasn't an option.
Once I convinced Luddite teachers to accept 8-pin dot matrix print in lieu of typewritten papers, things got much, much better...
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024, at 19:40, Mike KK7ER wrote:
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 09:54 AM, Michael - WD0OM wrote:
My first word processor came out of _Compute!_ magazine!
?
Ah, yes!? I may have gotten the name wrong.? It may actually have been Compute!'s Gazette.
?
73, Mike KK7ER
?
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Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
The problem can be there is no acceptable SWR above a small minimum...
?
For example when you tak about 2:1 swr the impedance can look like 25 ohms?
and that would cause high current in the finals. or it can be 100 ohms where
higher voltages might be developed.
?
That is one point and if its really 50 ohm btu has 25 ohms of capacitive
reactance the impedance is not 50 ohms and that also stresses the transmitter.
?
What a small minimum, usually 1.5:1 or less.? depends on how your pushing
the finals.
?
--
Allison
------------------
Post online only,?
direct email will go to a bit bucket.
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Hi Sardar;
Page 15 of the Rev 2.00 Assembly manual shows that IC101 is the 78M33 voltage regulator. It is the only 78M33 regulator in the parts list.
Page 10 of the Rev 2.00 Assembly manual shows the location of IC101 - near the bottom right corner of the board next to JP201.
73, Steve, N3SB
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Show quoted text
-------- Original message -------- From: me@... Date: 9/17/24 4:43 PM (GMT-05:00) Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX+ is dead after voltage drops to 5V #ATmega328 #QMXplus
Only rev1. schematics are available. But on Rev2 there are 4 voltage regulators in different parts of the board. It will be a little dangerous to try to repair the board without schematics.
?
--
73,
Sardar ( AC8L),
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Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
Tony,
"Your zener fix was one of a few that were discussed way back when. Hans
added diode pads to the schematic so he was OK with this workaround."
Hans had a lot of uncertainties about Zeners and never included any. When I got my last QMX, I noticed that those pads were missing on the newer Rev.?
?
I, too, have had no issues with PA failures over the last 6 years and 9 kits. No good answer as to reasons for some having multiple failures.?
--
73, Dan? NM3A
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Only rev1. schematics are available. But on Rev2 there are 4 voltage regulators in different parts of the board. It will be a little dangerous to try to repair the board without schematics.
?
--
73,
Sardar ( AC8L),
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Re: Winding toroids with a chopstick?
17.09.2024 23:26 Dean - KC9REN
kirjutas:
Chris,
Can you please post the site where you saw this video?
Dean - KC9REN
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Re: Winding toroids with a chopstick?
Myself I use very small crochet hooks preferably plastic ones
as it makes it easy to pull the wire though.
?
I also have a pinch tool for holding the toroids.??
?
--
Allison
------------------
Post online only,?
direct email will go to a bit bucket.
|
Re: Winding toroids with a chopstick?
Chris,
Can you please post the site where you saw this video?
Dean - KC9REN
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Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
You may use a 3dB or 6dB attenuator between TRX and Tuner to protect the PA. This way the PA will always have a reasonable SWR no matter what the tuner does.
BR
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On 17. Sep 2024, at 21:37, Tony Scaminaci via groups.io <tonyscam@...> wrote:
I second Joe¡¯s selection. I used the ZM-2 to tune my EFHW antenna so all the 40-10 meter WSPR frequencies showed less than 1.5 VSWR. Now I don¡¯t even need to use the tuner for WSPR. The absorptive bridge will keep the QMX safe during tuning. The best tuner that I have found for the QMX is the ZM-2 ATU. It has a tune option that has a resistor that keeps the QMX from seeing a high SWR. Just adjust the two knobs until the light goes out and then switch to Operation mode.?
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Hi Greg!
?
I have read that portion of the manual too, since I bought QMX+ to integrate the ATU tuner and internal battery. And, as an experimenter, mentally I was ready to accept risks associated and bite the bullet.
?
So, I did not think that Nano would cause an appreciable current to be drawn while radio is off and it is powered through the usb.
?
Without turning radio off and arduino being powered from QMX+ - all has been working perfectly for couple of weeks. Until I plugged usb to arduino and turned radio off :)? And, I did that on purpose to see the serial debug messages from my code while radio is powering up.
?
And before powering arduino from QMX+ and USB on it - it also consistently worked from the protype board and arduino being powered with its own power supply. But grounds between itself and QMX+ were shared. Turning radio on/off did not cause any issue. So, these two bits of a success deceived me :)
?
I have a revision 2 board with SMPS integrated. But most of its components are big enough I can resolder them with my fat fingers. Now I will have to troubleshoot to find what is broken on SMPS. Will follow Steve's advise.
?
--
73,
Sardar ( AC8L).
|
Re: QCX Mini 6 meter beacon stopped transmitting
John, the check arrived today. Thank you. Hope the little box is transmitting !!!!
73 ... Ron
Ok John. With nothing on pin 3 it could be bad IC1. But I don¡¯t see how that would be the case with a high SWR event. Use the scope to see if you have 27 MHz on one of the crystal leads by ICI.?
Ron In measuring gate voltages I did check them while transmitting. I do have an oscilloscope. I used it to check pin 4 on IC3 and read 0 volts while in receive and in TX. I also checked pin 3 on IC3 and read the same 0v on RX and 0v on TX. I didn't see a square wave on any pins on IC3 during TX.?
?
On IC3 PIN #(RX) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?On IC3 PIN #(TX) ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?1. 5.2v? ? 14 5.2? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?1. 5.2v? ? ? 14. 5.2v?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?2. 5.2v? ? 13. 5.2v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?2. 5.2v? ? ?13. 0v
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?3. 0v? ? ? ?12. 5.2v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 3. 0v? ? ? ? ?12. 0v
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?4. 0v? ? ? ?11. 0v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?4. 0v? ? ? ? 11. 5.2
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?5. 0v? ? ? ?10. 0v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?5. 5.2v? ? ? 10. 0v
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?6. 5.2v? ? ?9. 0v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 6. 5.2v? ? ? ?9. 0v
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?7. 0v? ? ? ? 8. 5.2v? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?7. 0v? ? ? ? ?8. 5.2v?
?
Thanks, John
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??
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Re: A ¡°pluggable¡± firmware architecture?
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 09:54 AM, Michael - WD0OM wrote:
My first word processor came out of _Compute!_ magazine!
?
Ah, yes!? I may have gotten the name wrong.? It may actually have been Compute!'s Gazette.
?
73, Mike KK7ER
?
|
Re: QDX and QMX+ (soon at least) what is the max safe swr?
One note¡ the ZM-2 is not an ATU, it¡¯s a manual tuner.
On Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 2:38?PM Tony Scaminaci via <tonyscam= [email protected]> wrote: I second Joe¡¯s selection. I used the ZM-2 to tune my EFHW antenna so all the 40-10 meter WSPR frequencies showed less than 1.5 VSWR. Now I don¡¯t even need to use the tuner for WSPR. The absorptive bridge will keep the QMX safe during tuning. The best tuner that I have found for the QMX is the ZM-2 ATU. It has a tune option that has a resistor that keeps the QMX from seeing a high SWR. Just adjust the two knobs until the light goes out and then switch to Operation mode.?
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Paul - AI7JR
Ronald Taylor