This is a chip aimed at the automotive market – this is a low power voltage regulator for supplying power to microcontrollers, for instance in a CD player. The TDA3606 is a voltage regulator intended to supply a microprocessor (e.g. in car radio applications). Because of low voltage operation of
Continue readingIC Decap – TDA3606 Multi Regulator With Battery Sense
I recently got the latest upgrade from Virgin Media, 200Mbit DL / 20Mbit UL, and to get this I was informed I’d have to buy their latest hardware, since my existing CPE wouldn’t be able to handle the extra 5Mbit/s upload speed. (My bullshit detector went off pretty hard at
Power for a He-Ne laser is provided by a special high voltage power supply and consists of two parts (these maximum values depend on tube size – a typical 1 to 10 mW tube is assumed): Operating voltage of 1,000 to 3,000v DC at 3 to 8mA.Like most low current
This particular IC came out of a very old VHF band radio, from the early 90’s. The die was encased in a custom ceramic package, like every other IC in the radio, with a custom part number. I managed to identify it from the markings on the silicon. This was
Continue readingIC Decap: Motorola MC68HC11E9 8-Bit Microcontroller
As supplied, the RTL type tuner dongles are a little fragile, especially when they’ve got a rather heavy coax feeder attached for Ham Radio use. The MCX antenna connectors on the tuner can’t stand up to much abuse, and even the USB plug rips itself from it’s mounts after a
Continue readingQuickie Project: Ruggedising The RTL-SDR Dongle
Since the boat was still running it’s internal network on 10/100M speeds, an upgrade was decided on, the internal WiFi signal strength was also pretty poor further than a few feet from the NOC. The new router is a Cisco/Linksys AC1750 model, with gigabit networking, and full 802.11ac 2.4/5GHz Wireless.
So, here is where all the action happens. Main radio of course is housed on the left, it’s partially hidden under my currently over-populated breadboard. All 3 monitors are linked to the same PC, using a pair of video cards. This is a very flexible system with so much screen
Here’s the final bit of the radio install now the required parts have arrived! The radio being inside, we needed a reliable way to route the antenna coax through the hull to the external antenna, I managed to find some N-type bulkhead connectors, that are perfect for this job: This
Thanks to Lewis over at Distant Signal Radio, the bad influence he is on my bank balance ;), I’m the proud new owner of a new Baofeng. This time it’s the UV-82. This radio is a little different from the other Baofengs I have. Here are the main differences: Dual
One bit of my equipment that I’ve never looked into is my scanner, a handheld Uniden unit. I got this when Maplin Electronics had them on special offer a few years ago. Here’s the scanner itself, roughly the same size as a usual HT. Here the back cover has been
A while ago I blogged about modifying the output voltage of some surplus Cisco switch power supplies to operate at 13.8v. Since I was able to score a nice Hammond 1598DSGYPBK ABS project box on eBay, I’ve built one of the supplies into a nice bench unit. Above is the
Recently I’ve noticed my usual mobile rig, the Baofeng UV-5R, has had very poor receive, and non-existent transmit. I did a power test on the radio, and confirmed it was still outputting it’s rated RF power. Trying another antenna proved that the radio was fine. Time to tear down the
Since my new Wouxun has audio output jacks, I figured it would be useful to have the ability to record what my rig hears, if anything interesting comes on the air. Under Linux, I use an application called, (creatively enough), Audio Recorder. Using a simple connection to the mic input
After a few years of running with the same look, I’ve decided on some changes. New theme! The site now looks much better, and has better support for more eye candy 😉 Addition of my QRZ link New QSO logging system Accessible from a button in the header, this is
I’ve noticed that the RF power output from the Chinese radios can be quite variable from model to model, and even from individual radios of the same model & batch. I’ve bought an RF Power meter (GY561) to do some tests on the HTs I have at present. All tests
I have recently come across the software the Wouxun factory uses to set the band limits on the KG-UV950P. While the software is in Chinese, it’s functional, and allows setting of all band limits on the radio. Here’s an English version of the interface: Note when using this software: This
There are times when I am frequently away from home base, usually either on the canal system or at a festival. During these times it’s very handy to be able to just grab a bag, without having to be concerned about sorting everything out. This post will only detail the
In my original review, I noted that this radio was supplied with a SO-259 socket for the antenna connection. However I’m less than fond of these, due to their non-constant impedance, which can cause signal loss issues at VHF/UHF. Because of this, I’ve replaced it with a high quality N-type
Following on from my review, here are some internal views & detail on the components used in this radio. Below is an overview of the main PCB with the top plate removed from the radio. Most visible are these MOSFETs, which are Mitsubishi RD70HVF1 VHF/UHF power devices. Rated for a
I recently came across a design for an Arduino controlled AD9850 DDS module, created by AD7C, so I figured I would release my Eagle CAD design for the PCB here. It is a mainly single-sided layout, only a few links on the top side are needed so this is easy
To provide more run time with the conversion to petrol & spark ignition, I have also upgraded the on-board electronics supply to compensate for the extra ~650mA draw of the ignition module. This modification is centred around a 3S Lithium-Polymer battery pack, providing a nominal 11.1v to a voltage regulator,
The engine now with it’s required ignition sensor, it is now mounted back on the chassis of the model. I have replaced the stock side exhaust with a rear silencer, so I could fit the ignition module in place next to the engine. For the mounting, I fabricated a pair
As the first USB hub I was using was certainly not stable – it would not enumerate between boots & to get it working again would require waiting around 12 hours before applying power, it has been replaced. This is a cheapie eBay USB hub, of the type shown below.
The final part for the battery pack has finally arrived, the PCM boards. These modules protect the cells by cutting off the power at overcharge, undercharge & overcurrent. Each cell is connected individually on the right, 12v power appears on the left connections. These modules also ensure that all the
Continue readingWearable Raspberry Pi Part 2.5 – Battery Pack PCM
A few modifications were required to the SMPS modules to make the power rails stable enough to run the Pi & it’s monitor. Without these the rails were so noisy that instability was being caused. I have replaced the 100µF output capacitors & replaced them with 35v 4700µF caps. This