October 26, 2024. Our democracy is at stake (Big Time). Vote wisely!

 Fabricating the Hybrid SSB Transceiver

Vote!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

October 13, 2024. Hiatus is over!

Now, I am just permanently gone! I will leave the prior radio postings on the blog until year end when all of the info will be wiped clean like I was never here.

This was a fun yet disappointing ride! Like a friend (Hal Parker, SK) once said: Put your finger in a glass of water and remove it quickly and see how big of a hole you leave. There is no hole, so the demise of this blog will leave no hole. The disappointment stems from the low number of blog readers and extending to low views counts of the you tube videos -- those are metrics you can't deny. The crowd sizes are indeed almost miniscule!

I am considering creating a political blog where I can rant unrestrained at you know who. 

Thanks to those who rode along and maybe picked up a piece or two of some obscure radio knowledge.

73's

Pete N6QW

Oct 3, 2024. Hiatus, on and gone!

 

Oct 2, 2024. The Build of the new Digital LO/BFO

A Hiatus for The N6QW Blog

I now will shortly begin an undefined period of hiatus and may (or may not ever) in the future return to blogging. I apologize to those few who daily, faithfully read the blog and are subjected to the outpouring of random comments from my weird, and slightly bent brain. [Homebrew radios and the 300-pound Mary Jo are indeed divergent subjects.]

But right now, the effort to keep things fresh and relevant exceeds my capacity to do so. As Adam Clayton Powell so aptly stated -- Keep the Faith and I add don't eat your pets. [For many, Adam Clayton Powell just doesn't ring any bells, but he was a very colorful and powerful Congressman representing Harlem for decades.]

But for now, we move to the final of the three-part series on the FAT display and start with a part fit check. The photo below shows a compact layout that keeps a small footprint yet provides the functionality that was the original goal. Note the 3.2 Inch display is larger than the board by a bit. 

Starting at the top, we have the Nano with the USB programming port on the outboard side. That will prove critical when you want to make some changes or tweak the code while installed in the rig. It is also placed so that the five voltage dividing resistors are close to the source pins on the Nano (8, 9, 10, 11 and 13). At the right-hand bottom is a 12-pin header that will provide 8 connections to the ILI9341 and the 4 Pins to the Encoder, which is also close to Pins 2 and 3, the Encoder pins. Short direct connections to the header are always a good thing. 

To the left of the 12 Pin Header is the Si5351. Above the Si5351 is a 9 Volt three pin voltage regulator to provide source voltage to the Nano and these connections are also short. The Vout Pin (9VDC) is very close to the Vin Pin on the Nano.

Not shown but provided for is another five-pin header that will connect to the Analog pins (top side of the Nano and short connections) for selecting USB/LSB, VFO select, and Step Tuning rates as well as SDA and SCL (A1, A2, A3 and A4, A5)

The next step is the final wire up and this photo serves as a guide as I make the permanent connections. Once all is working, I then will modify the code for two VFO's and a few other features that might make things uncluttered and yet functional

Thanks to all for riding along. Remember to vote.

TYGNYBNT.

73's

Pete N6QW

Oct 1, 2024. So, what is wrong with this photo?

 

This is the current display on the P3ST QRP SSB Transceiver which shows a lot of info on a 128X160 small sized screen. It is of the ST7735 form of Display.

What is presented are two VFOs (A &B) that have VFO memory, but also a much smaller display of the VFO frequencies with a thought of split operation. The simulated Green LED's signal what is "hot". 

The initial theory was that you could receive on the A VFO but actually transmit on the B VFO. While the logic exists in the sketch, it was never actually implemented. Albeit you can switch the VFOs with a panel switch but not split operation.

We also have the Step Tuning rate and the S Meter which by the way is implemented using an audio sample. I included my call sign just in case I forget and the title under the A VFO directs me to the Arduino sketch in the Arduino directory. Lest I forget we show which sideband is selected with a simulated RED LED.  

Needless to say, it took many hours of programming to get this display to work and it was more than a One and Done! [Referring to G3RJV (SK) who classed his projects as one evening of work on a project and you are finished.]

So, OK, there is nothing wrong with the display other than there is so much going on in a small screen that you either are squinting to see everything or just ignoring most of it.

Thus, the shift to the ILI9341 is to up the size of the information so it is easier to read and streamline the display so you can have the same information with less clutter.

Here is an example since we have VFO memory. Suppose we only show one frequency with an added small piece of information that states VFO A or VFO B using the A or B as we have now. We would also eliminate the smaller print frequencies since we are not including split operation. 

Oh, and double Oh, with the uncluttered space resist -- now what can I add in to the display. There is that Stockton Bridge "thingie" to give you SWR and then there is measuring the battery level since you are doing POTA operation and on and on. That was not the purpose of the change to the ILI9341 -- it was to improve visibility and to do the Marie Kondo thing of uncluttering my life!

TYGNYBNT. Don't eat your pet and be sure to vote.

73's

Pete N6QW