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Re: Handheld Tutor
Hi Bruce,
Nice job, I have done the opposite, no custom pcb, modules including a TDA530 amplifier module joined using crimped KF2510 connectors. All are powered from an external 5V mobile phone power bank, picture attached. You might notice the recycled Tomtom satnav speaker. Also made a version of the Ken KM4NFQ Mega 2650 version, with a plug on UNO type TFT, parallel rather than the SPI type which?minimises external wiring. Both versions work very well so thank you both for for your excellent work. 73, Bob GM4CID |
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Re: Handheld Tutor
Hello Bruce W8BH,
That looks really good! How do the PCBs arrive? Are all three boards stuck together? You are using JLCPCB? What are the parts used? What is the most difficult SMD to solder on this version of the Morse Tutor? More snapshots, please. Top. bottom, exploded, and so forth. -- Regards, Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified" /g/w8bhMorseTutor |
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Handheld Tutor
Attached are photos of a Morse Tutor prototype I built.? Some features: Handheld:? 110 x 60 x 20 mm (roughly) Li-poly battery or USB powered, with built-in battery charger Larger 3.2" display. Built-in speaker?+ External audio out jack Runs the same code-base at the Blue Pill. The construction is mainly SMD.? The "enclosure" is a PCB sandwich. It is a work in progress so I don't have many details.? But if anyone wants a great way NOT to make a power supply, I can help. Bruce |
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Re: Blue Pill programming procedure
Hi Mark:
I really like your case. The idea to make it as thin as possible is a great approach. My only issue with it is permanently soldering The STM32 to the PCB. I guess the reason that is an issue is that I feel more comfortable being able to pull the MCU out for reprogramming etc. I had lots of trouble getting the codebase rammed into the STM32. I stumbled around with it for quite a while. I ended up using the STLink V2 interface AND the ST utilities from their website. I ended up getting the Arduino produced binary where the IDE places it and used the ST tool to get the code into the MCU. I had to ¡°fiddle¡± with the switches on the MCU to properly download to it. All in All a pretty frustrating process. I still am not positive what the two switches really do and ultimately how they should be set for Joy. Anyway - Kudos to you and everyone else that has made this CW tool possible. I enjoy QRQ CW (I used to talk with a good friend of my Dads - Jim Ricks - W9TO). Using the TO Keyer - I could keep up with Jim and my Dad (K8AA Sk). They would start out at about 35 wpm. But then they got going at about 65 wpm. They left me in the dust at around 45 wpm!! Sorry about the nostalgia, but when I think that the art of CW is gradually fading away, it makes me sad. 73 - John - N6API Sent from my iPhone 6! John J. Bahun Senior Software / Hardware Engineer - Retired (Apple DTS) Amateur Radio Operator - N6API Extra Class as of 03/05/2019! CFO Member #046 |
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Re: Blue Pill programming procedure
Hello Bob GM4CID,
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Go ahead and upload your notes to the File section. Let me know how it goes. You will be the first person to try, as far as I know. I recommend uploading your notes to GitHub or a similar file repository. Most group file sections I have seen are cluttered with out-of-date files that are never updated. However, it is easy to update files on GitHub, and it doesn't impact the amount of group strage space for attachments (1GB). After 1GB of a free group's storage space is used, old attachments are deleted to make room for new attachments. At least, that is how I understand it. 8^D Ken, KM4NFQ On Sat, Mar 28, 2020 at 11:19 AM GM4CID <gm4cid@...> wrote:
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Re: Blue Pill programming procedure
Hello Jim,
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The link to the STLINK utilities is at: Just in case that link does not make it through to you, here it is, broken down: http colon double forward slash github dot com forward slash texane forward slash stlink At that site you will find the STLINK utilities used to flash a BIN file to a 'Blue Pill'. From what I understand, pre-compiled binaries of the utilities are available for many OSes. So you should find the pre-compiled utilities for MS-Windows there. As for myself, I have been using the GNU/Linux OS for 23+ years and I do not have MS-Windows on a PC. As a matter of fact, I had to compile the STLINK utilities for the GNU/Linux distribution that I use (Debian). So I cannot help you with MS-Windows. On my system, the STLINK utilities work with an STLINK V2 dongle (see attachment). The BIN file for the latest W8BH Morse Tutor can be found at: The command line for the st-flash utility is: $ st-flash write mct.bin 0x8000000 where: the '$' is the command line prompt. Do not type the '$'. 'st-flash; is the name of the utility. 'write' is an option. 'mct.bin' is the name of the BIN binary file to be flashed to the 'Blue Pill'. '0x8000000' is the hex address that the bin file will be written to. I do not know what the MS-Windows command-line equivalent is? It may be documented at the github texane stlink site linked to above? If anyone has successfully used an STLINK V2 dongle and flashed a BIN file to a 'Blue Pill' using MS-Windows, please share your experience. Ken, KM4NFQ On Sat, Mar 28, 2020 at 1:12 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
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Re: How do you breadboard your Arduino projects, here is how I currently do mine.
Hello Bob GM4CID,
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I appreciate your effort to try and stimulate some discussion. I think that the lack of an actual "KIT" for the W8BH Morse Tutor might be part of the reason for the lack of discussion? However, the lack of an actual W8BH Morse Tutor Kit gives everyone an opportunity to kit the project in their local area, according to their local needs. Some areas might have ten people, and other areas might have fifty? Instead of getting an 'extra' PCB from someone who has purchased a set of five boards, each person here might order a set of five boards, and build a couple of units to show to their local Amateur Radio Club or Society. There is the opportunity to be an 'Elmer' and to share a project that has the possibility to allow beginners to: (1) learn how to solder, (2) how to use the Arduino IDE, and (3) learn CW. I don't know about the UK, but here in the USA, the requirements for CW have been totally abolished. As the current population of CW Operators become Silent Keys, there are not enough replacements to further the practice of CW. It will slowly become a thing of the past, as fewer and fewer people practice the discipline. So I encourage everyone to order some PCBs, build a couple of W8BH Morse Tutors, and try to drum up some interest for CW in their local area. The potential for exciting some interest in homebrewing and CW is there. It just requires some 'Elmers' to get the ball rolling. Young people are the future of Amateur Radio. That includes the 'young-at-heart' as well as the actual youth. The QRP Labs 'QCX' 5W CW Transceiver was designed for the Youngers On The Air (YOTA) summer camp in 2017. So if a local group can be stimulated to build a Morse Tutor, and learn CW, then the next step would be to lead that group in the building of a QCX, or maybe a W8DIZ 5-Watter CW Transceiver. Yeah, it takes some time and effort on the part of the person who decides to be an 'Elmer'. But the 'self-isolation' period for the COVID-19 virus won't last forever. Now is the time to 'kit' a W8BH Morse Tutor. When groups can once again get together, working units can be shared with others. This group was started to discuss using the W8BH Morse Tutor, help troubleshooting builds, and sharing the joys of learning CW. Ken, KM4NFQ On Fri, Mar 27, 2020 at 1:51 PM GM4CID <gm4cid@...> wrote:
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Re: Morse Tutor STM32 Blue Pill my build using point to point wiring
Hello Bob GM4CID,
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That is a very sharp looking Morse Tutor! Your Single Lever Paddle is also a nice piece of work. Ken KM4NFQ On Fri, Mar 27, 2020 at 7:20 AM GM4CID <gm4cid@...> wrote:
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Re: How do you breadboard your Arduino projects, here is how I currently do mine.
Hello Bob GM4CID,
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Wow! That is a very nice prototyping setup you have made. I use Busboard Prototype Systems BB830 Solderless Plug-in Breadboards. In the past, I have purchased cheap Chinese breadboards from Amazon and eBay. However, the cheap breadboards are not very cheap in the long run, as the quality is very poor. So I recommend buying good quality breadboards for prototyping. I made a simple setup to hold some potentiometers, but otherwise my parts are usually scattered around the breadboard. Regards, Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified" /g/w8bhMorseTutor Regards, Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified" /g/w8bhMorseTutor On Fri, Mar 27, 2020 at 7:47 AM GM4CID <gm4cid@...> wrote:
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How do you breadboard your Arduino projects, here is how I currently do mine.
Here is an example of my latest approach to prototyping, a POC (proff of concept) breadboard with an Arduino Nano in an expansion board prewired to an I"C 16x2 LCD, a rotary encoder that can be switched to A0/A1 or D2/D3 or disconnected, an encoder switch to A2 and another switch to A3. All wiring is done from underneath so all the Nano ports and multiple Vcc and Gnd connection pins are accessible.
In the photo an OLED display and a Si5351 DDS on the small breadboard are connected using I2C. A second Nano and rotary encoder are for the moment mounted on the larger breadboard. and connect to an adjacent SPI TFT display. When not powered from a PC, I use either a 5V mobile phone power bank and a USB lead or a couple of 18650 batteries to Vin. How do you do your prototyping? 73, Bob GM4CID |
Fred Piering WD9HNU
Ken KM4NFQ
Bruce Hall
John Bahun
