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Re: QCX PC board spots and mini holes

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Don, but are they connected on both sides? ?The larger ones are but most of the ones I pointed to do not. ?It¡¯s almost like they were put there as tack points to keep the copper stuck to the fiber board (but I doubt that). ?There are two different sizes, some almost look like they are mini through holes but most of them look like pin pricks. ?I know there are a lot of vias on Hans boards and more ground plane than usual but he discusses reasons for that.

Dave K8WPE

David J. Wilcox¡¯s iPad

On Oct 28, 2021, at 3:08 PM, Don VE3IDS <ve3ids.don@...> wrote:

?
Dave,

If you look at the corresponding location of the little dots on the opposite side of the board, I think you will find that it is ground plane there as well. They are to bond the ground plane together on both sides.?

73 Don ve3ids
On Thu., Oct. 28, 2021, 1:55 p.m. David Wilcox K8WPE via , <Djwilcox01=[email protected]> wrote:
While building one of the first QCXs recently I use a lot of magnification.? While doing that I saw all these little dots in the ground plane (that don¡¯t go through the board) and even some very small holes not used for part installation.? I tried to point to them with red lines. Can anyone tell me what they are and what they are for?



It took me a long time to find time and true interest to dig into these kits even though I bought them maybe 3 years ago.? I bought three from Hans at Dayton the first year he was selling them.? I should have begun sooner as they are a fun build and not difficukt at all. I have followed this email account and learned all of the mistakes others have made.? Also doing T1 FIRST is the way to go.? Try fitting it in after all her other parts are installed?????

Dave K8WPE since 1960

David J. Wilcox¡¯s iPad

On Oct 28, 2021, at 7:23 AM, Janez S58J <janez.s58j@...> wrote:

?
Hi Paul

Nice idea. But then the QCX-mini is by far the smallest part of the whole setup. Can you imagine having a panadapter as a separate?box the size of QCX mini? Like Elecraft's KX3?+ PX3 combo. That would?be really cool!

I know it is a rather ambitious idea, but I could resist it, hi!

Kind regards

Janez, S58J

V V ?et., 28. okt. 2021 ob 11:56 je oseba Paul Harrison via <dj0cu=[email protected]> napisala:
This panadaptor looks perfect as an addition to the qcx mini etc.

A description can be seen here:?

And can be purchased on Banggood.com at the moment for around 40 euros.

Paul DJ0CU.

<image0.jpeg>


Re: British electrical plugs

 

We can probably all agree the topside.

Dan
--
Daniel Holmes, danielh@...
"Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

On Oct 28, 2021, at 3:02 PM, PHILIP GRAITCER via groups.io <pgraitc@...> wrote:

We need to discuss which side of the road is safer to drive on, too.

Phil, K3UT





Re: British electrical plugs

 

We need to discuss which side of the road is safer to drive on, too.

Phil, K3UT


Re: QDX new firmware 1_01

 

I'm very excited about the IQ output! Question: What is the frequency range on receive? Is it also limited to 3.4-14.5 MHz?

--
Ryan Flowers - W7RLF




Re: QDX

Hew Lines
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Many thanks Hans, that explains things. Greatly apprectiated.

73 Hew VA7HU (ex DA2YI)

On 2021-10-28 12:11 a.m., Hans Summers wrote:

Hello Hew

I was a bit mystified by that... so had to look into it... I do not think you received your QDX. I think you received order?50607 which was two QLG2-SE kits.?

50063 does not appear to have been sent which is a glitch in the QRP Labs team Turkey... I have just gently applied my foot and so they should be shipping it today.?

73 Hans G0UPL

On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 4:48 AM Hew Lines <va7hu@...> wrote:
QDX? #50063 just arrived in Nanaimo BC this morning. Shipped 7 days ago.

73 Hew VA7HU

I am still waiting for my order #50000 shipping confirmation.? I have the PayPal email confirming payment at 1:02 CST (1802Z).? It may be that because I ordered more than one for our build club that the quantity is causing the delay.? All good things take time, as long as it is not next year ;-)

73
Evan
AC9TU?



Re: British electrical plugs

 

Hi Evan. What are the ratings, please?

73
Roger
8P6RX

Get
On 28 Oct 2021, at 16:19, Evan Hand <elhandjr@...> wrote:

Mike Perry,

There are two different 120vac receptacles with different ampere ratings:
?

One is rated for 15amps, the other for 20amps.? The fact that the receptacle rated for 20 amps has a perpendicular opening is to allow for the corresponding 20amp rated plug to be inserted where the 15amp receptacle will not allow the plug to be inserted.? You will find the 20amp receptacle in most kitchens, and the 15amp in the remaining parts of the house.? One should not install a 15amp receptacle in a 20amp circuit, and vis versa.?

With the above notes, it is not as simple as you portray.? You should also note that " Electrical failures or malfunctions ?were the second leading cause of U.S. home fires in 2012-2016?" per an NFPA report.?

Please be careful and employ professional help if you are not aware of the dangers involved.

Respectfully,
Evan
AC9TU
40+ years of Industrial Electrical Engineering.


Re: British electrical plugs

 

Mike Perry,

There are two different 120vac receptacles with different ampere ratings:
?

One is rated for 15amps, the other for 20amps.? The fact that the receptacle rated for 20 amps has a perpendicular opening is to allow for the corresponding 20amp rated plug to be inserted where the 15amp receptacle will not allow the plug to be inserted.? You will find the 20amp receptacle in most kitchens, and the 15amp in the remaining parts of the house.? One should not install a 15amp receptacle in a 20amp circuit, and vis versa.?

With the above notes, it is not as simple as you portray.? You should also note that "Electrical failures or malfunctions?were the second leading cause of U.S. home fires in 2012-2016?" per an NFPA report.?

Please be careful and employ professional help if you are not aware of the dangers involved.

Respectfully,
Evan
AC9TU
40+ years of Industrial Electrical Engineering.


Re: British electrical plugs

 

Hello!? One thing I do for long distance power needs is to use as Allison states, "low voltage landscape wiring".? I use that to keep a large Ah battery charged and on float.? As long as you don't plan on spending a lot of time there and depleting the battery, you can have all the power you need.? When your gone it has all day to charge back up.? Use as large a battery as necessary for your project.? Steve KY4GX.


Re: British electrical plugs

 

Probably: the electrons just flow on the other side of the wire...
--
Julian, N4JO.


Re: British electrical plugs

Michael.2E0IHW
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Neat!
Would that be coger in the UK?

Michael UK

On 28/10/2021 20:35, ajparent1/KB1GMX wrote:

Here in the USA (conus) 24V AC is typically used for landscape?
lighting and uses direct bury cable...
I've used that to deliver power to the shed for LED lighting and
also rectified regulated to run gear out there.? Its poer limite to
about 100W as the transformer is small (100VA).


Re: British electrical plugs

 

Here in the USA (conus) 24V AC is typically used for landscape?
lighting and uses direct bury cable.? The requirements to do that
are trivial no electrician required.? Good care (fusing) is easy as
low voltages so not require special hardware.

I've used that to deliver power to the shed for LED lighting and
also rectified regulated to run gear out there.? Its poer limite to
about 100W as the transformer is small (100VA).

Since I can choke the leads at both ends noise is not an issue.

Allison
-------------------------------
Please reply on list so we can share.
No private email, it goes to a bit bucket due to address harvesting


Re: QCX PC board spots and mini holes

 

Dave,

If you look at the corresponding location of the little dots on the opposite side of the board, I think you will find that it is ground plane there as well. They are to bond the ground plane together on both sides.?

73 Don ve3ids

On Thu., Oct. 28, 2021, 1:55 p.m. David Wilcox K8WPE via , <Djwilcox01=[email protected]> wrote:
While building one of the first QCXs recently I use a lot of magnification.? While doing that I saw all these little dots in the ground plane (that don¡¯t go through the board) and even some very small holes not used for part installation.? I tried to point to them with red lines. Can anyone tell me what they are and what they are for?



It took me a long time to find time and true interest to dig into these kits even though I bought them maybe 3 years ago.? I bought three from Hans at Dayton the first year he was selling them.? I should have begun sooner as they are a fun build and not difficukt at all. I have followed this email account and learned all of the mistakes others have made.? Also doing T1 FIRST is the way to go.? Try fitting it in after all her other parts are installed?????

Dave K8WPE since 1960

David J. Wilcox¡¯s iPad

On Oct 28, 2021, at 7:23 AM, Janez S58J <janez.s58j@...> wrote:

?
Hi Paul

Nice idea. But then the QCX-mini is by far the smallest part of the whole setup. Can you imagine having a panadapter as a separate?box the size of QCX mini? Like Elecraft's KX3?+ PX3 combo. That would?be really cool!

I know it is a rather ambitious idea, but I could resist it, hi!

Kind regards

Janez, S58J

V V ?et., 28. okt. 2021 ob 11:56 je oseba Paul Harrison via <dj0cu=[email protected]> napisala:
This panadaptor looks perfect as an addition to the qcx mini etc.

A description can be seen here:?

And can be purchased on Banggood.com at the moment for around 40 euros.

Paul DJ0CU.


Re: British electrical plugs

Michael.2E0IHW
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Not worried about our sturdy plugs.

The main risk comes from heater switches manufactured far far away...

Michael UK

On 28/10/2021 19:45, va3rr via groups.io wrote:




Re: British electrical plugs

 


Re: British electrical plugs

 

We're not afraid, we're prudent: 240v/250V bites a lot harder than 110v. You can guess for yourself how I know ;-)
The plugs aren't different sizes: they are fused specifically to protect the appliance wiring.
Our system is safer than the US system, with completely separate circuits for lighting and power, appliance wiring and connectors that don't get dangerously hot, and switched outlets as standard.
Not that I'm biased, or anything... ;-)
--
Julian, N4JO.


Re: British electrical plugs

 

Next up, the Tubes versus Valves discussion -)

73 de Lee KX4TT



On Thursday, 28 October 2021, 02:29:23 pm GMT-4, Mike Perry, WA4MP <editor@...> wrote:



> On Oct 28, 2021, at 12:20 pm, G3SPL <leepd60@...> wrote:
>
> Mains cable to the shed?? Yes, good idea, but to be legal it would need to be installed or at least inspected by a qualified electrician.?


Even without that G3 call sign, Peter, I¡¯d suspect you were in the UK.
¡ªMike Perry, WA4MP


British electrical plugs

 

On Oct 28, 2021, at 12:20 pm, G3SPL <leepd60@...> wrote:

Mains cable to the shed? Yes, good idea, but to be legal it would need to be installed or at least inspected by a qualified electrician.

Even without that G3 call sign, Peter, I¡¯d suspect you were in the UK. Why? Because at the regulatory level the British seem to fear electricity far more that we Americans do. We require inspections only for new construction or a major rebuild. Home improvement stores will sell anyone the buried cable to run to a shed.

Of course one reason for that is that your main supply is 230 volts while ours is a safer 115. But there are other surprises. I recently watched a UK video that discussed the special plugs used for 5 amp residential circuits. Why bother, I thought, to wire for such a piddling amount? Make all your circuits at least 15 amps and you¡¯ll worry less about blown fuses and tripped breakers.

This Wikipedia article leaves me stunned. Why three different-sized plugs for 15, 5 and 2 amps? The purpose seems to be to make it almost impossible to draw more from a circuit than its capacity. But why worry about that, thinks this American. If you draw too much, the breaker will simply trip and no harm will be done. And why the clumsiness of putting the fuse in the plug, as with the huge BS 1363 plug? It¡¯s bigger than many modern devices. Fuse a circuit at the breaker box.

The 15 ampere (A) sockets were generally given a dedicated 15 A circuit. Multiple 5 A sockets might be on a 15 A circuit, or each on a dedicated 5 A circuit. Lighting circuits fused at 5 A were generally used to feed the 2 A sockets. Adaptors were available from 15 A down to 5 A and from 5 A down to 2 A so in practice it was possible for an appliance with the smallest size of flex to be protected only by a 15 A fuse. This is a similar level of protection to that seen for portable appliances in other countries, but less than the protection offered by the BS 1363 fused plug.
All that seems needlessly complex to us across the water. Except for high-demand circuits such as clothing dryers, we have one type of plug with either two or three compatible pins and don¡¯t see that as a danger. What little danger there was, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens, has been eliminated by GFCIs.

And yeah, I am aware that many Brits are sensitive about their electrical plugs and have fond memories of when they were taught in school how to wire a device for one of the many different plugs. We¡¯re never taught that because everything electrical running on 115 volts has the same plug and comes from the store that way. No wiring required. For a spirited defense of British plugs as the best in the world, go here:



As I believe Winston Churchill said that the British and Americans are two people separated by a common language. We¡¯re also separated by uncommon electrical plugs.

¡ªMike Perry, WA4MP


Re: A remote QDX....

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

That¡¯s if its a hard wired installation with a ring main in the shed and separate lighting circuits etc

?

If a ¡°temporary¡± extension lead into a socket in the house I think it avoids all the installation / inspection issues

?

e.g.

?

or even

?

They come with various length leads and also are safer if the shed develops a leak

?

Peter

M0PWX

?

?

From: G3SPL
Sent: 28 October 2021 17:21
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] A remote QDX....

?

Mains cable to the shed?? Yes, good idea, but to be legal it would need to be installed or at least inspected by a qualified electrician.? And even with mains power, you still need a data cable to control the QDX (unless you're going to insulate the shed and put in electric heating so you can operate in it).? No, keeping it low voltage I think is cheaper, easier and safer.? I've already had an idea to put in a power cable separate from the data cable - but feeding 20V DC over it to a local regulator (13V) to power a QDX...? But, still got to wait for my turn to come up in a future QDX sale scramble!

--
Peter Lee
G3SPL

?


Re: QCX PC board spots and mini holes

 

Nice job! Vis-a-vis the tiny holes, might they be vias? Vias are used to connect various circuit board layers, including ground planes...


Re: QCX PC board spots and mini holes

 

The small holes are vias. They connect the front and back of the board together using the plating on the sides of the holes, allowing a trace to continue on the other?side. It's sometimes necessary to create a viable route for a signal without needing a jumper wire.


On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 1:57 PM David Wilcox K8WPE via <Djwilcox01=[email protected]> wrote:
While building one of the first QCXs recently I use a lot of magnification.? While doing that I saw all these little dots in the ground plane (that don¡¯t go through the board) and even some very small holes not used for part installation.? I tried to point to them with red lines. Can anyone tell me what they are and what they are for?



It took me a long time to find time and true interest to dig into these kits even though I bought them maybe 3 years ago.? I bought three from Hans at Dayton the first year he was selling them.? I should have begun sooner as they are a fun build and not difficukt at all. I have followed this email account and learned all of the mistakes others have made.? Also doing T1 FIRST is the way to go.? Try fitting it in after all her other parts are installed?????

Dave K8WPE since 1960

David J. Wilcox¡¯s iPad,_