QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx
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In doing due diligence, one has to ask the tough questions. Does management see a Revision 2 PCB board on the way with all the known fixes on it? Would new firmware depend on having the new Revision 2 PCB board leaving the Revision 1 QMX units behind? Yes, this is a tough question, but a valid concern in making a decision. Thanks in advance, Billy
-- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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Thanks for the response. However, I have no idea of the meaning. Please elaborate so we can have an erudite discussion.
Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Ted via groups.io <k3rta@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 07:07 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
I'll make the popcorn...?
-- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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Thanks a lot William, you have given a powerful lucid informative answer for QRP-labs support of their products. I will take these under consideration as I make my decision. You have been most helpful.
Thanks again, Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of William Smith via groups.io <w_smith@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 07:21 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
If history (and following along in this group) is any guide, of course there will be PCB revisions as required and as Hans has to order new batches.? Sounds like he already has minor tweaks to the SMPS boards in the queue.
Also, if history is any guide, all firmware will run on all revisions.? Rev 1 QDX and Rev 5 QDX can all run the latest QDX formware, for instance: /* Assembly manual for PCB Rev 5 (document version 1.18f published 04-Apr-2023) Operating manual for firmware 1_10 (document version 1_10 published 19-Jul-2023) */ 73, Willie N1JBJ > On Aug 28, 2023, at 7:56 AM, N5SE <bwmoore@...> wrote: > > In doing due diligence, one has to ask the tough questions. Does management see a Revision 2 PCB board on the way with all the known fixes on it? Would new firmware depend on having the new Revision 2 PCB board leaving the Revision 1 QMX units behind? Yes, this is a tough question, but a valid concern in making a decision. Thanks in advance, Billy > -- > N5SE > Billy Wayne Moore > 7066 Shady Knoll Ln > Willis, TX 77318-6324 > Phone: 936-537-2975 -- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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KB1NLW
Thanks for your input. You have stepped forward to provide powerful support for QRP-Labs. I might point out why I am being so forward with due diligence. I am a retired physicist on the north side of my eightyth decade. I was first licensed in 1957. My mind
is clear as ever, but the body is shot. This, if bought, will probably be my last rig, so I want it to be right from the first. In reality, I would prefer the high bands to start with, but that is not there. Also, I have had problems with the early SDR units
and a little skittish there. And lastly, I am somewhat worried about being able to build the monster even though that is a large part of my enjoyment. Not mentally but physically. All of the teething problems have helped spark that concern.
Part of the due diligence is to figure how far down the road some the upgrades are. From what you say, the high band version is the only one requiring new hardware.
Your personal support of Hans and QRP-Labs is more that welcome and means a lot to me. I will hang around a while longer hoping Hans himself will chip in.
Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Chris KB1NLW via groups.io <chrisrey1@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 08:35 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
Hans incorporated two major hardware features that require future firmware.? These are SWR measurement and the ability to modulate RF amplitude.? I believe that the first firmware that combines the features of QCX and QDX has required more debugging than
expected.? There have also been a couple of significant hardware issues that were resolved.?
Thus, I am sure that Hans will include the expanded features, but (as with all software) it will take longer than he expected. Also, I am looking forward to building a second unit for high bands but I expect this will be delayed until the problem with some QDX having low power on 10M (Possibly QDX T1 identical to QMX T501) is resolved.? Hans does the QDX low power also happen with the 9V T1 winding. Finally Hans is very creative in his designs and I believe all in this group admire him. -- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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Grammar rule: Final y changes to I when suffix begins with a vowel.? Thus eighty changes to eighti before you add eth. HIF On August 28, 2023, at 10:41 AM, Hans Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote: Hello Willie > I am a retired physicist on the north side of my eightyth decade. I am also a physicist (graduated 1993, Imperial College Physics BSc, London university); but have never officially been a practicing physicist (debatable)! Please do also refer to my 52-tips video? which gives construction advice.? > In doing due diligence, one has to ask the tough questions.? > Does management see a Revision 2 PCB board on the? > way with all the known fixes on it?? I always do new PCB revisions, particularly in the early days of a product (say, the first year). There will always be a little tweak that I can make that will make construction marginally easier. Such as a slightly moved pad, or a slightly larger hole someplace.? There are very very few issues with QMX (surprisingly few).? 1) A manufacturing defect: the SMPS has a potential short between Q103 and Q104 drains which appears to affect around 10-30% of boards. However we are now testing all SMPS boards before shipment and fixing any that have the short. Therefore this problem is ALREADY solved... nobody ordering now needs to worry about it. For the next batch I'll move Q104 a little further away just to remove the need for any corrective work pre-shipment.? 2) Missing 5.1K pulldown resistors on the USB CC pins, which are needed if you are using a device with a real USB-C port, and a direct USB-C-to-USB-C cable (not an adapter).? 3) 20m Low power was an assembly instruction error; 20m low receive sensitivity was also resolved and is just an amendment to the manual.? So really, yes there will be a Rev 2 PCB, but it is minor stuff, and there will nothing wrong with having a Rev 1 PCB.? > Would new firmware depend on having the new Revision? > 2 PCB board leaving the Revision 1 QMX units behind?? NO! Like all the QRP Labs kits, all firmware revisions in general work with all PCB?revisions. Even the latest QCX firmware can run on the oldest Rev 1 QCX-classic PCB from 2017. If there is some new hardware feature such as the on/off controllable backlight on QCX-mini, or the CAT control port in QCX, then yes that requires some specific hardware modification etc. or PCB revision.? Hi Chris > Also, I am looking forward to building a second unit for? > high bands but I expect this will be delayed until the? > problem with some QDX having low power on 10M? > (Possibly QDX T1 identical to QMX T501) is resolved.?? > Hans does the QDX low power also happen with the? > 9V T1 winding. That was already resolved, Chris. The 12V QDX is less likely to suffer low power output, the 9V QDX is more likely to suffer low power output. The solution in both cases is a new output transformer design by Ross EX0AA. If you search this forum for "WTST" (Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for a high-band 12V QDX. If you search the forum for "RWTST" (Really Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for the high-band 9V QDX. The twisted output transformers completely solve the problem of sometimes getting low power output on 10m.? FYI we are also using the same twisted transformers on all QMX we assemble here in QRP Labs HQ for people (12V WTST and 9V RWTST).? I do need to urgently update the QDX documentation, and the QMX documentation (ahead of the high-band QMX where the twisted transformers shine).? 73 Hans G0UPL On Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 4:35?PM Chris KB1NLW via <chrisrey1=[email protected]> wrote: Hans incorporated two major hardware features that require future firmware.? These are SWR measurement and the ability to modulate RF amplitude.? I believe that the first firmware that combines the features of QCX and QDX has required more debugging than expected.? There have also been a couple of significant hardware issues that were resolved.? |
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Hans,
Just a quick note, I am not a William. Billy Wayne Moore is my real name. I was raised as a real Texas cowboy on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Yep, riding a horse, chasing cows, roping and the whole nine yards. Laid on the floor behind my father's rocking
chair and read by kerosene lamp (we only had two). From 8 years old on, I dreamed of being a physicist; and I made it. Just thought you might get a kick out of this. Look at my website
for the rest of the story.
Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Hans Summers via groups.io <hans.summers@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 09:41 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
Hello Willie
> I am a retired physicist on the north side of my eightyth decade.
I am also a physicist (graduated 1993, Imperial College Physics BSc, London university); but have never officially been a practicing physicist (debatable)! Please do also refer to my 52-tips video?
which gives construction advice.?
> In doing due diligence, one has to ask the tough questions.?
> Does management see a Revision 2 PCB board on the?
> way with all the known fixes on it??
I always do new PCB revisions, particularly in the early days of a product (say, the first year). There will always be a little tweak that I can make that will make construction marginally easier. Such as a slightly moved pad, or a slightly larger hole
someplace.?
There are very very few issues with QMX (surprisingly few).?
1) A manufacturing defect: the SMPS has a potential short between Q103 and Q104 drains which appears to affect around 10-30% of boards. However we are now testing all SMPS boards before shipment and fixing any that have the short. Therefore this problem
is ALREADY solved... nobody ordering now needs to worry about it. For the next batch I'll move Q104 a little further away just to remove the need for any corrective work pre-shipment.?
2) Missing 5.1K pulldown resistors on the USB CC pins, which are needed if you are using a device with a real USB-C port, and a direct USB-C-to-USB-C cable (not an adapter).?
3) 20m Low power was an assembly instruction error; 20m low receive sensitivity was also resolved and is just an amendment to the manual.?
So really, yes there will be a Rev 2 PCB, but it is minor stuff, and there will nothing wrong with having a Rev 1 PCB.?
> Would new firmware depend on having the new Revision?
> 2 PCB board leaving the Revision 1 QMX units behind??
NO! Like all the QRP Labs kits, all firmware revisions in general work with all PCB?revisions. Even the latest QCX firmware can run on the oldest Rev 1 QCX-classic PCB from 2017. If there is some new hardware feature such as the on/off controllable backlight
on QCX-mini, or the CAT control port in QCX, then yes that requires some specific hardware modification etc. or PCB revision.?
Hi Chris
> Also, I am looking forward to building a second unit for?
> high bands but I expect this will be delayed until the?
> problem with some QDX having low power on 10M?
> (Possibly QDX T1 identical to QMX T501) is resolved.??
> Hans does the QDX low power also happen with the?
> 9V T1 winding.
That was already resolved, Chris. The 12V QDX is less likely to suffer low power output, the 9V QDX is more likely to suffer low power output. The solution in both cases is a new output transformer design by Ross EX0AA. If you search this forum for "WTST"
(Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for a high-band 12V QDX. If you search the forum for "RWTST" (Really Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for the high-band 9V QDX. The twisted output transformers completely
solve the problem of sometimes getting low power output on 10m.?
FYI we are also using the same twisted transformers on all QMX we assemble here in QRP Labs HQ for people (12V WTST and 9V RWTST).?
I do need to urgently update the QDX documentation, and the QMX documentation (ahead of the high-band QMX where the twisted transformers shine).?
73 Hans G0UPL
On Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 4:35?PM Chris KB1NLW via
<chrisrey1=[email protected]> wrote:
Hans incorporated two major hardware features that require future firmware.? These are SWR measurement and the ability to modulate RF amplitude.? I believe that the first firmware that combines the features of QCX and QDX has required more debugging than expected.? There have also been a couple of significant hardware issues that were resolved.? -- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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Leland W9HIF,
I thank you. I grew up learning the hill country dialect. In addition, I was reading books way above my head and had to guess at the pronunciation. From day one, English was my weakest subject and still is. I never take umbridge with an honest helpful critique
of my mistakes. How else does one learn?
Of interest, I spent a week dealing with a physicist from Cambridge. It was amazing, his dialect and my hill country dialect were very similar.
Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Leland Lannoye, W9HIF via groups.io <W9HIFmemorialstation5@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 10:02 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
Grammar rule: Final y changes to I when suffix begins with a vowel.? Thus eighty changes to eighti before you add eth. HIF On August 28, 2023, at 10:41 AM, Hans Summers <hans.summers@...> wrote: Hello Willie
> I am a retired physicist on the north side of my eightyth decade.
I am also a physicist (graduated 1993, Imperial College Physics BSc, London university); but have never officially been a practicing physicist (debatable)! Please do also refer to my 52-tips video?
which gives construction advice.?
> In doing due diligence, one has to ask the tough questions.?
> Does management see a Revision 2 PCB board on the?
> way with all the known fixes on it??
I always do new PCB revisions, particularly in the early days of a product (say, the first year). There will always be a little tweak that I can make that will make construction marginally easier. Such as a slightly moved pad, or a slightly larger hole
someplace.?
There are very very few issues with QMX (surprisingly few).?
1) A manufacturing defect: the SMPS has a potential short between Q103 and Q104 drains which appears to affect around 10-30% of boards. However we are now testing all SMPS boards before shipment and fixing any that have the short. Therefore this problem
is ALREADY solved... nobody ordering now needs to worry about it. For the next batch I'll move Q104 a little further away just to remove the need for any corrective work pre-shipment.?
2) Missing 5.1K pulldown resistors on the USB CC pins, which are needed if you are using a device with a real USB-C port, and a direct USB-C-to-USB-C cable (not an adapter).?
3) 20m Low power was an assembly instruction error; 20m low receive sensitivity was also resolved and is just an amendment to the manual.?
So really, yes there will be a Rev 2 PCB, but it is minor stuff, and there will nothing wrong with having a Rev 1 PCB.?
> Would new firmware depend on having the new Revision?
> 2 PCB board leaving the Revision 1 QMX units behind??
NO! Like all the QRP Labs kits, all firmware revisions in general work with all PCB?revisions. Even the latest QCX firmware can run on the oldest Rev 1 QCX-classic PCB from 2017. If there is some new hardware feature such as the on/off controllable backlight
on QCX-mini, or the CAT control port in QCX, then yes that requires some specific hardware modification etc. or PCB revision.?
Hi Chris
> Also, I am looking forward to building a second unit for?
> high bands but I expect this will be delayed until the?
> problem with some QDX having low power on 10M?
> (Possibly QDX T1 identical to QMX T501) is resolved.??
> Hans does the QDX low power also happen with the?
> 9V T1 winding.
That was already resolved, Chris. The 12V QDX is less likely to suffer low power output, the 9V QDX is more likely to suffer low power output. The solution in both cases is a new output transformer design by Ross EX0AA. If you search this forum for "WTST"
(Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for a high-band 12V QDX. If you search the forum for "RWTST" (Really Weird Twisted Sisters Transformer) then this is the solution for the high-band 9V QDX. The twisted output transformers completely
solve the problem of sometimes getting low power output on 10m.?
FYI we are also using the same twisted transformers on all QMX we assemble here in QRP Labs HQ for people (12V WTST and 9V RWTST).?
I do need to urgently update the QDX documentation, and the QMX documentation (ahead of the high-band QMX where the twisted transformers shine).?
73 Hans G0UPL
On Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 4:35?PM Chris KB1NLW via
<chrisrey1=[email protected]> wrote:
Hans incorporated two major hardware features that require future firmware.? These are SWR measurement and the ability to modulate RF amplitude.? I believe that the first firmware that combines the features of QCX and QDX has required more debugging than expected.? There have also been a couple of significant hardware issues that were resolved.? -- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
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Hans,
Just completed my order for 1 QMX Kit + enclosure and received confirmation. Thanks for your help and honesty helping me make my decision.
Glad to be aboard, Billy
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Hans Summers via groups.io <hans.summers@...>
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 10:31 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QMX ---PCB Rev 2 -- #qmx ?
Hello Billy
?
My apologies, I think I was trying to be clever responding to several people in the topic in one post, but I confused you with the second poster who really was (is) Willie N1JBJ
?
Great story! A very?enjoyable?read, congratulations on a full and interesting life.?
I never dreamed of being a physicist. I dreamed of computers and electronics. But I couldn't choose between them, and as I had already read every book on both topics in the public library, the uni syllabus?in each case looked boring. And, Physics had always
been fun and interesting at school, and getting to grips with Einstein's special and general relativities sounded like it should be done. Furthermore if I chose physics I could postpone choosing between electronics hardware and computer software for a few
more years. So Physics it was!
73 Hans G0UPL
-- N5SE Billy Wayne Moore 7066 Shady Knoll Ln Willis, TX 77318-6324 Phone: 936-537-2975??? |
N5SE
Leland Lannoye, W9HIF