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QCX sidetone issue
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Hi all,
My QCX kit arrived and built and working.? A couple of issues: 1. When powering on sometimes all I get is two rows of squares on the display. Power down then up again and all is fine. Can live with. 2. When changing keyer speed from the main screen - ie left button press and rotate encoder - if i change speed to 25 the sidetone tone falls in frequency and the volume is loud as in ear damaging rip the headphones off loud. This was in practice mode. I need to fix this. Running code 1.00a. Is this a coding issue or is something else going on? Regards Simon VK3ELH? |
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Hi Simon ? My QCX kit arrived and built and working.? Great! ? 1. When powering on sometimes all I get is two rows of squares on the display. Power down then up again and all is fine. Can live with. Several people have noted this. I have never seen it on any of my development or prototype or pre-production versions. I am not yet sure what the cause is, nor what the solution is.?? ? 2. When changing keyer speed from the main screen - ie left button press and rotate encoder - if i change speed to 25 the sidetone tone falls in frequency and the volume is loud as in ear damaging rip the headphones off loud. This was in practice mode. I need to fix this. This was resolved in version 1.00b see? - and to make extra sure I just tested it here also, and verified that it is indeed fixed in the exact scenario you mentioned.? 73 Hans G0UPL |
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Hans G0UPL wrote...
This was resolved in version 1.00b seeI'll soon know what firmware version I end up with, but if any updates are needed, would this do the job? Your above page mentions a "2 x 3-pin standard AVR header". The programmer below is 10 pin. Could I just connect the required pins? Or perhaps this one? -- 73 Keith VE7GDH |
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Hi Keith The second one would do the trick. Because it has the required 6-pin connector. You COULD use the first one and just connect the required pins of the 10-pin header; also little adapter PCBs are available on eBay too... but why make things more difficult! If you find one with the right 6-pin connector, just buy it :-) 73 Hans G0UPL On Tue, Sep 19, 2017 at 6:39 PM, Keith VE7GDH <ve7gdh@...> wrote: Hans G0UPL wrote... |
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Updated to 1.00b and sidetone problem solved.
I used an arduino uno board programmed as arduino as isp with six jumpers and avrdude. It took a while to work out how to do this I think I'll write it up with some pictures if that helps coz I presume most will want to do the upgrade to 1.00b. Ive also calibrated using first a nearby receiver to listen for the crystal frequencies and then later using the OLG1 unit. ?There was little difference in results between the two methods but maybe enough to put a wspr transmission outside the band if set close the band edge. One issue Im seeing is that when the QCX first starts up with the OLG1 connected, the QCX thinks the paddles are closed and so starts sending a series of dit dah dit dah ....... It stops once you enter the menu system or the keyer speed option when pressing the left button. It happens in both practice mode and in non practice mode. WSPR mode transmission tested and works with a couple of spots from one transmission. Exploring case options now. Regards Simon VK3ELH? |
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Hi Keith ? I used an arduino uno board programmed as arduino as isp with six jumpers and avrdude. It took a while to work out how to do this I think I'll write it up with some pictures if that helps coz I presume most will want to do the upgrade to 1.00b. Anything you write about that, I would be pleased to be able to put on the QRP Labs website to help others.? ? Ive also calibrated using first a nearby receiver to listen for the crystal frequencies and then later using the OLG1 unit.? There was little difference in results between the two methods but maybe enough to put a wspr transmission outside the band if set close the band edge. Hopefully if there is any difference such as this, the accurate one is the QLG1-calibrated one ;-)? ? One issue Im seeing is that when the QCX first starts up with the OLG1 connected, the QCX thinks the paddles are closed and so starts sending a series of dit dah dit dah ....... It stops once you enter the menu system or the keyer speed option when pressing the left button. It happens in both practice mode and in non practice mode. This is normal, because the QLG1 1pps and Serial data are connected to the same microcontroller input pins as the key (dit and dah inputs). There isn't any alternative but for the QCX to interpret information on the key input as keying... it doesn't know if there is a real key connected, or a GPS. If you set parameter "6.1 Beacon" to ON then you enable the beacon. Thereafter the QCX interprets everything on the dit/dah inputs as GPS 1pps and Serial data. Even if you power up, if you have "6.1 Beacon" ON then it will start up in beacon mode.? So basically, on those two inputs (dit and dah), the QCX will interpret input signals as GPS only when it is in Beacon mode or in the Alignment menu options that involve the GPS; otherwise the inputs are interpreted as dit/dah paddle inputs. One idea is to wire up a 3.5mm stereo plug so that you can easily swap between a paddle and the GPS, when you want to use the QCX as a CW transceiver, and when you want to use it as a WSPR transmitter.? 73 Hans G0UPL |
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Hi all,
sorry for maybe stupid question as I am quite new with QCX and even more in programming :( Is it possible to re-flashing the ATMega for latest f/w while it is in QCX board or should I remove it and put into the AVR programmer? Please do not kill me if?this question is?so big example of my ignorance... 73 - Petr, OK1RP? |
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Hi Petr ? sorry for maybe stupid question as I am quite new with QCX and even more in programming :( Not at all a stupid question. I intend to write something about upgrading QCX firmware but I have not found the necessary available microseconds yet.? You can do either way. If you want you can unplug it and put it in the AVR programmer, if your programmer has a suitable socket etc.? Or if your programmer has a suitable connector you can plug that onto the 2x3-pin ISP header on the QCX board. Normally the flat ribbon cable exits the crimped connector away from the board. That shows which way around to plug it in. Normally QCX should be powered up during programmng. 73 Hans G0UPL |
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On Wed, 2017-09-20 at 06:18 -0700, Kelly Jack wrote:
Petr, Hans,FYI: If you are powering the QCX from an external supply then the 5V connection to the programmer in not needed (in my experience). It will connect the output of two 5V regulators together which is probably not a good idea. PeterO G0DZB |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýSimon, Great tutorial! I have 6 pin header cables from old ISP programmers, could I just use the ISP port on the Arduino UNO to the ISP port on the QCX rather than use individual wires? I have tried this before without success because I didn't understand the Avrdudess program. This should clear things up a bit. Joel? N6ALT On Sep 20, 2017, at 6:18 AM, Kelly Jack <kellyjack1968@...> wrote:
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? If you are powering the QCX from an external supply then the 5V Programmers vary on how they handle this and it is good to check. On some programmers, it is a V-sense INPUT to the programmer - so that the programmer can sense what supply voltage the board has, and send the correct voltage levels accordingly. I use an Olimex programmer and it is like that. So I think it is one thing that has to be checked carefully - some programmers need it and some do not!? 73 Hans G0UPL |
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On Wed, 2017-09-20 at 16:46 +0300, Hans Summers wrote:
I should have been more specific. I was only concerned with the situation shown in Kelly's document which covers using an Arduino UNO as the programmer. As you say, other programmers do different things. PeterO G0DZB |
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? I should have been more specific.? I was only concerned with the Yes I agree... really there should not be that red wire shown in the document, that connects Arduino +5V to QCX +5V.? 73 Hans G0UPL |
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Hans G0UPL wrote...
Anything you write about that, I would be pleasedThat might have been directed at Simon VK3ELH (Kelly?) and not me, but I did order the USBasp USB ISP 5V AVR Programmer (eBay item # 232327462892, although I now see # 232312874571 new style!) plus I have an Arduino Uno that I could use per the excellent write-up by Simon. -- 73 Keith VE7GDH |
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Joel,
I have not tried this but I think the reset pin on the target board (the QCX) needs to be controlled by a pin that is an output pin. Some googling indicates that the reset pin in the isp header on an arduino board is a dedicated reset pin and an input pin only. And while it might be possible to recode the ArduinoISP sketch to make this reset pin an output pin it seems like more effort than its worth. What does seem possible is to use the other isp pins on the arduino and connect the reset pin from the target to pin 10 on the arduino. Mind the +5V pin though and the later comments regarding not connecting that at all given the potential complication from conflicting +5V supplies. So four pins from the isp header on arduino and pin 10 across to the target header. I have not tried this so theory only at this point. Regards Simon VK3ELH? |
Joel Caulkins/N6ALT
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