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Good afternoon all.? I was talking with another fellow about the lack of indications with the QDX and that got us thinking about the possibility of using a multi-color LED instead of the current mono-color.? Would be nice to have an RGB LED to indicate Power On, TX, and ???.? Maybe insufficient output audio?? Due to the additional lead(s), it would require a new PCB.? With a bi-color, you can probably get away with the current PCB layout.? Not sure about voltages though.
Brad, KA3YAN
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Hello Brad
Doesn't the existing LED already indicate Power on, TX and insufficient audio drive??
73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
-------- Original message -------- From: Brad Morris <bradm75@...> Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 7:21 AM To: [email protected]Subject: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor LED Good afternoon all.? I was talking with another fellow about the lack of indications with the QDX and that got us thinking about the possibility of using a multi-color LED instead of the current mono-color.? Would be nice to have an RGB LED to indicate Power On, TX, and ???.? Maybe insufficient output audio?? Due to the additional lead(s), it would require a new PCB.? With a bi-color, you can probably get away with the current PCB layout.? Not sure about voltages though.
Brad, KA3YAN
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Hans,
In my opinion the blinking mono color LED requires observation at the exact time of activity to count blinks, where a multicolor LED would not require such attention. A casual glance would alert the operator to the condition.?
This is one of those Human Systems Integration pieces that just improves the overall usability of the machine. Not a ¡°must have,¡± but a nice to have.?
I hope no offense was taken at the suggestion.?
73,
Brad
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On 17/11/2022 11:28, Brad Morris wrote: A casual glance would alert the operator to the condition. Brad, Have you looked? The flashes are continuous, 3 fast - miss one or two flashes - 3 fast. Same with 2 flashes. On continuously.. I'm not sure that colours would help, apart from being pretty:-) 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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It can (for some) be difficult to count the flashes as well.? I have struggled with this depending on lighting conditions and radio positioning.? Three flashes fools me into believing it's two flashes and then I have to stop everything to carefully count.? Blue Power, Red TX means low audio, and?Green TX means all is well!? Something like that maybe?? The user wouldn't even have to focus on the device, only note the color change.
In the meantime, reducing the LED brightness may make the flashes easier to count also.
It's nice to catalog things like this for later revs.? They aren't show-stoppers but they make the device more user-centric for some lines of code to set GPIO levels (I'm sure it's a bit more than that ;) ).
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Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier to read.?
In some way though all the QRP Labs products have always been quite minimalist in their user interfaces. From the Ultimnate3S, to QCX, QDX, the number of controls and display elements has always been relatively?small. They all pack lots of features and performance, with a small number of user controls.?
Perhaps there are other ways to solve the counting to 3 problem. If ordinary correctly functioning transmit operation was for example, represented by a pulsating appearance of the LED? So it sort of fluctuated slowly at 1Hz from 0 to full brightness and back, if all was well - that would be quite distinct. But if an error condition needed to be indicated, then use 1 flash or 2 flashes - much easier to discriminate?between.?
This could be done on the existing hardware with no need a new version with?multi-colour LED.?
On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 4:07 PM Mitch Winkle < ab4mw@...> wrote: It can (for some) be difficult to count the flashes as well.? I have struggled with this depending on lighting conditions and radio positioning.? Three flashes fools me into believing it's two flashes and then I have to stop everything to carefully count.? Blue Power, Red TX means low audio, and?Green TX means all is well!? Something like that maybe?? The user wouldn't even have to focus on the device, only note the color change.
In the meantime, reducing the LED brightness may make the flashes easier to count also.
It's nice to catalog things like this for later revs.? They aren't show-stoppers but they make the device more user-centric for some lines of code to set GPIO levels (I'm sure it's a bit more than that ;) ).
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Hans,
I understand about minimalist.? As a person who lives off grid with my own PV "power station", minimalist is a way of life in many respects.
I think many may find an alternate solution helpful.? I will admit that I am new to the gang, so weigh my comments accordingly.? Lowering the intensity is likely step one.? I may try it with a series resistor under a lef of the LED to see.? First, I have to build a 4State QRP dummy load/watt meter and wrap up a couple of projects with the RPi Pico MCU (CW keyer and APRS Tracker).? This stuff is terribly addictive!!
Regards,
Mitch, AB4MW
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On 17 Nov 2022 at 5:07, Mitch Winkle wrote: Three flashes fools me into
believing it's two flashes and then I
have to stop to carefully
count.? I agree ... takes concentration to be sure of the count. Fooled me the first time around. Blue Power, Red TX means low audio,
and?Green TX means all is well!?
Something like that maybe?? The user
wouldn't even have to focus on the
device, only note the color change. That color scheme seems very realistic. In the meantime, reducing the LED
brightness may make the flashes
easier to count also. Maybe a simple user mod such as clipping one lead of the led and tacking in a resistor of suggested value. It's nice to catalog things like
this for later revs.? They aren't
show-stoppers but they make the
device more user-centric for some
lines of code to set GPIO levels
(I'm sure it's a bit more than that ;)
). agreed ... something for the list Hans keeps for days when he is bored and has nothing else to do. LOL Jim w2jc
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Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier to read.?
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Hey Lee!
I had thought about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power, Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray) would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via groups.io <kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier to read.
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Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration screen where the various different operating states and conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can choose a combination of different colors or flashing or variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit the operator...?
73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
-------- Original message -------- From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...> Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor LED Hey Lee!
I had thought about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power, Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray) would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via groups.io <kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier to read.
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Lovin the multi-color idea 100% !!
...Dave
On 11/17/22 2:48 PM, Hans Summers
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration
screen where the various different operating states and
conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can
choose a combination of different colors or flashing or
variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit
the operator...?
-------- Original message --------
From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor
LED
Hey Lee!
I had thought
about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power,
Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a
slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a
visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray)
would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many
color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via
groups.io <kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a
few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans
Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier
to read.
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Hans, I would license my single pixel display to the project. ;p
Colin - K6JTH
On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 12:05 PM Dave Edwards < kd2e@...> wrote:
Lovin the multi-color idea 100% !!
...Dave
On 11/17/22 2:48 PM, Hans Summers
wrote:
Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration
screen where the various different operating states and
conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can
choose a combination of different colors or flashing or
variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit
the operator...?
-------- Original message --------
From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor
LED
Hey Lee!
I had thought
about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power,
Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a
slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a
visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray)
would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many
color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via
<kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a
few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans
Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier
to read.
--
Colin - K6JTH?
|
Hello Colin?
Yes OK we can commence negotiations. But first I need to know. Is it a monochromatic pixel such as those on my lovely DEC VT320 terminal? And if so, green, amber or white? Or is it a two colour pixel such as evidently those on the screen of my Siglent oscilloscope? And is it only me that just detests the choice of yellow and pink for the two trace colours? Or is it an RGB pixel? I really think that given the scope of the requests, RGB might be required.?
73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
-------- Original message -------- From: Colin Kaminski <colinskaminski@...> Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 11:07 PM To: [email protected]Cc: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor LED Hans, I would license my single pixel display to the project. ;p
Colin - K6JTH
On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 12:05 PM Dave Edwards < kd2e@...> wrote:
Lovin the multi-color idea 100% !!
...Dave
On 11/17/22 2:48 PM, Hans Summers
wrote:
Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration
screen where the various different operating states and
conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can
choose a combination of different colors or flashing or
variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit
the operator...?
-------- Original message --------
From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor
LED
Hey Lee!
I had thought
about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power,
Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a
slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a
visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray)
would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many
color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via
<kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a
few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans
Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier
to read.
--
Colin - K6JTH?
|
Hans,
On a slight tangent, for those of us who want to reduce the brightness of the LED, what value resistor would you recommend we use to reduce the brightness by, say, half? Alternately, what value trim pot would you recommend (dial-a-brightness)? Also, would these values work on the 50W PA's LEDs?
Regarding the multi-color LED question, my vote would be to bite the bullet and add a second LED, like on the 50W PA. Red for power and green for transmit. Solid green = transmitting. Semi-slowly blinking green (say 1/2 sec on, 1/2 sec off) would indicate not enough audio. That would sidestep color-blind problems and then also help people like me where 3 flashes per second times 13 seconds is such that I'm going to have to either put my QDX where I can't see it or tape over the LED :-\
Regards,
Charles Johnson
KF4AYT
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Lol, yes, I use a 3 color LED ring around a touch button on my beer can filler with solid and flashing indications of the 7 possible operation states. In the manual I describe it as a single pixel display. It does well at red, green, blue, yellow and white. If I added some PWM code, 16M colors are possible.?
Colin - K6JTH?
Hello Colin?
Yes OK we can commence negotiations. But first I need to know. Is it a monochromatic pixel such as those on my lovely DEC VT320 terminal? And if so, green, amber or white? Or is it a two colour pixel such as evidently those on the screen of my Siglent oscilloscope? And is it only me that just detests the choice of yellow and pink for the two trace colours? Or is it an RGB pixel? I really think that given the scope of the requests, RGB might be required.? -------- Original message -------- From: Colin Kaminski < colinskaminski@...> Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 11:07 PM To: [email protected]Cc: Mitch Winkle < ab4mw@...> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor LED Hans, I would license my single pixel display to the project. ;p
Colin - K6JTH
On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 12:05 PM Dave Edwards < kd2e@...> wrote:
Lovin the multi-color idea 100% !!
...Dave
On 11/17/22 2:48 PM, Hans Summers
wrote:
Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration
screen where the various different operating states and
conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can
choose a combination of different colors or flashing or
variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit
the operator...?
-------- Original message --------
From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor
LED
Hey Lee!
I had thought
about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power,
Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a
slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a
visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray)
would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many
color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via
<kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a
few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans
Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier
to read.
--
Colin - K6JTH?
|
Charles, I would use one of these. In fact I will have to add them to an order.?
--
Colin - K6JTH?
|
Hans,
I think you need to steal the FT8 TX and RX code from the new Teensy library and put on a TFT touchscreen display (with a keyboard interface) on the Rev 6!? Get rid of the PC entirely for that application!?
:)
OK, I am downright evil.? I admit it.?
Fred W0FMS?
Hello Colin?
Yes OK we can commence negotiations. But first I need to know. Is it a monochromatic pixel such as those on my lovely DEC VT320 terminal? And if so, green, amber or white? Or is it a two colour pixel such as evidently those on the screen of my Siglent oscilloscope? And is it only me that just detests the choice of yellow and pink for the two trace colours? Or is it an RGB pixel? I really think that given the scope of the requests, RGB might be required.? -------- Original message -------- From: Colin Kaminski < colinskaminski@...> Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 11:07 PM To: [email protected]Cc: Mitch Winkle < ab4mw@...> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor LED Hans, I would license my single pixel display to the project. ;p
Colin - K6JTH
On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 12:05 PM Dave Edwards < kd2e@...> wrote:
Lovin the multi-color idea 100% !!
...Dave
On 11/17/22 2:48 PM, Hans Summers
wrote:
Of course, we'll also need a new QDX configuration
screen where the various different operating states and
conditions are listed, and a colour pallette available so we can
choose a combination of different colors or flashing or
variations in undulating brightnesses for each state, to suit
the operator...?
-------- Original message --------
From: Mitch Winkle <ab4mw@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 17, 2022, 10:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] Possible Rev 5 Suggestion - Multicolor
LED
Hey Lee!
I had thought
about the colors as well.? Perhaps it's solid Red for power,
Blue for TX with enough audio, and Green for low audio TX.??
That way a
slowly undulating Green (seen as light gray) would be a
visual clue for low audio, Solid Red (as a darker gray)
would be for RX/Power, and Blue may show up ok for many
color blind friends?
------- Original Message -------
On Thursday, November 17th, 2022 at 2:06 PM, Lee via
<kx4tt@...> wrote:
Multi-colors are not always easy to read. Quite a
few people (males especially) are red-green color-blind.
Lee KX4TT
PS - Good to see Mitch on the group.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12:21:14 PM EST, Hans
Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote:
Hi Mitch
I take your point about the multi-colours being easier
to read.
--
Colin - K6JTH?
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Brad Morris
Mitch Winkle
Lee
Colin Kaminski
Fred Spinner