Re: On the TX signal, 5V tolerant I/Os and Pull-up resistors
Evan/ Fred: ?very interesting. My problems ended up being the same thing. I moved the QDX over to my Mac and it is performing normally. I have a USB ?cable with ferrites on order so am currently using the unprotected cable and it works great on the Mac. I¡¯m hoping the new protected cable and installing the radio in its case will improve the situation so it will work on the cheap windows laptop.?
I was getting a lot of warnings regarding the sound card on the windows machine. No warnings on the Mac.?
73¡ Ron
On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 13:05 Evan Hand < elhandjr@...> wrote: Fred,
Fred,
At first, I did think that the TX line out of the STM32 was at fault and reported the symptoms in the other thread.? After Hans posted the way that the PTT actually works I went back and change to the Raspberry Pi and found that the TX line DID work.? So you were not incorrect, just not informed on the latest news on the other thread.
So I apologize for any confusion that I might have created.? In my defense, the total logic on how that line is set was not explained before.? It was after the explanation from Hans and the RPi test that I confirmed it was not an output pin failure.
Thank you for the suggestions.
73
Evan
AC9TU
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Julian,
I do try to be the "trend setter" once and a while.
I am in the middle of seeing if my QCX mini is doing it also.
If they're doing it alternately, perhaps they're trying to converse with one another.......?
This is a kit I have had for over a year on the shelf. I have built several mini's first and no problems (except for my one BIG oops with one LCD display). I have been wanting an 80 meter for a while to travel with while camping. If it wasn't for the consistent timing of the flickering, I might think it was a bad soldered connection.
It's almost super precise in the timing and it's the only issue I find. It appears all functions work as they should.
I may do a factory reset on unit and start factory fresh. If it continues to do it I may change the 1.07a? chip with one of the fresh ones I have here to see if it still does it.
Regards and have pleasant dreams, I'm "hitting the hay"
73
James
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Re: Roots of Hans's supply chain issues
A cutting edge chip fab can cost more than $8 billion.
Stockpiling inventory doesn't always make sense if your product is subject to frequent changes.
Ports are jammed because of at least a half dozen different reasons these days.
It's a complicated world out there.
Jerry, KE7ER
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On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 07:17 AM, Mike Perry, WA4MP wrote:
For years I¡¯ve been warning Apple on Mac news sites not to do so much single sourcing, particularly in China. Always have several sources even if some cost more, I stressed. Recently, Apple announced that it would lose $8 billion dollars due to supply chain issues. I feel like I should bill them for business advice not taken.
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Re: Elecraft KXUSB with QCX Mini
Thanks folks, I found an adapter?on Mr Bezos¡¯ store. It uses the?FTDI chip set and?has the ability to change TTL level to 3.3v. I¡¯ll wire up a cable and report back. Also sound like the TS480 protocol should work w the Mini. Thanks for all who commented.
Rich
On Monday, November 8, 2021, 5:52 PM, Milt <w8nue@...> wrote: John,
There are many USB to TTL serial cables on the market that should allow you to control the mini from either a pc or RPi. On Nov 8, 2021, at 5:39 PM, John Ogren <r2bqdnx@...> wrote:
?Rich,
I checked that the QCX mini heats up my dummy load, but I need test equipment to confirm that it's working right. And the receiver appears to be working as well, so I don't think that hooking up the KXUSB cable did any damage. But to answer your original question, it doesn't look like the cable works with the QCX mini.
John WX0M
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Now you've just sent five hundred anxious QCX owners leaping to their units looking to see if theirs is doing the same...
--
Julian, N4JO.
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Re: Stuck in Grace-Hollogne :-(((
Let¡¯s hope my package is secretly on the move then.?
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On 9 Nov 2021, at 10:48 am, Eike Lantzsch <zp6cge@...> wrote:
?
On Montag, 8. November 2021 20:19:48 -03 Jeff | VA2SS via groups.io wrote:
> Wow!
>
> Without any prior update since October 31st, information this morning
> was still stating my package was stuck in Grace-Hollogne, I finally
> received my order today.
>
> Ok¡ at least everything is now received.
>
> 73
That's what I thought. It seemed to be stuck but meanwhile was transferred to Liege Airport, loaded onto a plane and transferred to the US, passed customs and then transferred within the US and eventuall delivered. All this time the status was not updated. For TNT/FedEx shipping is still more important than administering status messages.
Happy soldering!
Mine was held in customs for just 1 minute:
?
06/11/2021, 03:00
|
| Shipment arrived at TNT location (US?)
| 06/11/2021, 02:59
|
| Held awaiting customs clearance. We have no influence on this process.
| 05/11/2021, 23:54
|
| Shipment in transit
| 05/11/2021, 02:35
| Grace-Hollogne
| Shipment in transit
|
I expect to receive info that it was delivered to my mailforwarder in Miami one of the next days.
Then forwarded to Paraguay - that usually takes 3 to 4 working days.
--
Eike Lantzsch ZP6CGE
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Definitely not an alignment issue. Just checked and it's all aligned correctly.
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Re: QDX 80M getting 9W out?
I would also verify the harmonic content, as a high distortion or harmonic emissions can also confuse a power meter.
73
Evan
AC9TU
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Re: QDX has no power out
#qdx
On Sun, Nov 7, 2021, at 09:51 PM, Fred Spinner wrote:
Okay so one last question out of curiosity.? Are both voltage regulators regulating correctly? 3.3v and 5v?? Especially at 12v the AMS regulators still make me a little nervous.
The 3.3 volt regulator measures 3.27 volts The 5 volt regulator measures 4.95 volts. Both are within spec, so not the issue. 73 Evan AC9TU
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Dennis,
I do not know how to figure out what to adjust based on the scan results.? I guess we will need a response from the designer as he should know.
The scan is most definitely looking at the total filtering chain from the antenna, through the LPFs, through the bandpass filter, and to the detector.? ?I do not see a reason to scan the bandpass filter.? It is not really that critical to the overall operation.? Power out seems to be the most significant issue with QRP FT8 transmissions as I have always had a hard time working stations that I could hear but could not hear me.? Also, I am always more worried that I am operating legally rather than if my receiver is optimized for the band.
Again, you could be correct.? I just wonder about the usefulness of a scan of the bandpass filter.
73
Evan
AC9TU
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Re: Elecraft KXUSB with QCX Mini
John,
There are many USB to TTL serial cables on the market that should allow you to control the mini from either a pc or RPi.
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On Nov 8, 2021, at 5:39 PM, John Ogren <r2bqdnx@...> wrote:
?Rich,
I checked that the QCX mini heats up my dummy load, but I need test equipment to confirm that it's working right. And the receiver appears to be working as well, so I don't think that hooking up the KXUSB cable did any damage. But to answer your original question, it doesn't look like the cable works with the QCX mini.
John WX0M
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Re: Stuck in Grace-Hollogne :-(((
On Montag, 8. November 2021 20:19:48 -03 Jeff | VA2SS via groups.io wrote:
> Wow!
>
> Without any prior update since October 31st, information this morning
> was still stating my package was stuck in Grace-Hollogne, I finally
> received my order today.
>
> Ok¡ at least everything is now received.
>
> 73
That's what I thought. It seemed to be stuck but meanwhile was transferred to Liege Airport, loaded onto a plane and transferred to the US, passed customs and then transferred within the US and eventuall delivered. All this time the status was not updated. For TNT/FedEx shipping is still more important than administering status messages.
Happy soldering!
Mine was held in customs for just 1 minute:
?
06/11/2021, 03:00
|
| Shipment arrived at TNT location (US?)
| 06/11/2021, 02:59
|
| Held awaiting customs clearance. We have no influence on this process.
| 05/11/2021, 23:54
|
| Shipment in transit
| 05/11/2021, 02:35
| Grace-Hollogne
| Shipment in transit
|
I expect to receive info that it was delivered to my mailforwarder in Miami one of the next days.
Then forwarded to Paraguay - that usually takes 3 to 4 working days.
--
Eike Lantzsch ZP6CGE
|
Re: Elecraft KXUSB with QCX Mini
Rich,
I checked that the QCX mini heats up my dummy load, but I need test equipment to confirm that it's working right. And the receiver appears to be working as well, so I don't think that hooking up the KXUSB cable did any damage. But to answer your original question, it doesn't look like the cable works with the QCX mini.
John WX0M
|
Greetings, Just a question about the display on the QCX Plus. I finished the 80 meter version last week. It's working fine with 4.2 watts (13 volts) I was noticing a few days ago the tuning rate cursor flickers every 10 seconds for about a second, and then goes back to being solid line. Is this normal? Has anybody else noticed this? Should I be concerned since it appears to be working fine on transmit and receive? Maybe it's showing affection by winking at me ?.... Thanks for your time and help
Warmest regards
73
James
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Re: Stuck in Grace-Hollogne :-(((
Wow!
Without any prior update since October 31st, information this morning was still stating my package was stuck in Grace-Hollogne, I finally received my order today.
Ok¡ at least everything is now received.
73
--
Jeff | VA2SS
|
Re: Stuck in Grace-Hollogne :-(((
My ProgRock order has been stuck at Grace-Hollogne since Oct 29 (11 days) with no further updates. My previous order from QRP Labs only took a week to be delivered to Australia.
Regards
Ian
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On 8 Nov 2021, at 11:41 pm, Jeff | VA2SS via groups.io <jeff@...> wrote:
?Hi,
Nov. 8 update:
My QDX order did not move since October 31st¡ 9 days since the last update¡. still stuck at Grace-Hollogne. :-(
I called Fedex for an update. Because I am not the shipper, they cannot provide me information or the reason why my package is stuck there.
73
--
Jeff | VA2SS
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Re: QDX 80M getting 9W out?
That reading will also be influenced by the SWR of your antenna. What is the reading while radiating into a dummy load?
--
John AE5X
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Evan
? You were right on with the power setting. I had set it up on 40 but it was still down at mid-level on the other bands. I was sure that I had set them all.
? I found something unexpected about WSJT-X. If you set the power level when you're not transmitting, the next time you transmit it reverts back to the old level. If you're paying attention to something else, like your power/SWR meter, you might not notice.
--
? 73
??? KD8CGH
|
Are you sure it¡¯s not an alignment issue? I don¡¯t hear any 700 Hz tone on my QCX Mini with headphones, earphones or powered speaker. It¡¯s just a quiet hiss. I get some noise when I use a switch-mode power source but it¡¯s very quiet on a battery.?
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On 9 Nov 2021, at 5:47 am, Theo <theotheo36@...> wrote:
?Interestingly the tone seems to be much louder relative to the band noise when using headphones over a speaker. Perhaps the impedance of the audio device you have plugged in is effecting this? The radio is almost unusable when using headphones, but with a speaker I can barely tell a tone is there.
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Evan,?
Oh this is interesting.? You made me look closer at the schematic.? I don't think it's quite that the RF sweep has anything to do with the transmitter circuitry.? If you look, CLK2 from the si5351 goes right to the BNC connector, and is not used anywhere else.? This must be the rf generator.? It makes sense now that it goes through the LPFs so the square wave is filtered.? It must otherwise be in receive mode, though, because CLK0 and CLK1 do double-duty driving the push pull transmitter section, as well as providing clocks for the quadrature detectors.? It would need to tune along with the generated frequency in order to measure amplitude.?
I wouldn't think the LPFs should attenuate the signal much in the sweep range.? They are for filtering out higher order harmonics so the rolloff doesn't happen until a bit higher.? But I'm looking at the response graphs on page 70 and 71.? 40m for example, it does look like the rolloff just starts around 8MHz.? It's close, so I suppose the LPFs could be having an affect here, especially if they aren't in spec.
Still, I'm seeing in every case a rolloff on the RF sweep graph that starts before the LPFs are supposed to begin attenuating, which makes me think it's mostly the BPF.? And of course any attenuation on the lower frequencies is certainly the band pass filter.
Does this make sense?
Dennis
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Ronald Taylor
KB9NBL
Julian N4JO
Bob Benedict, KD8CGH