Start with building the Taurus Transceiver

10 December 2012

"Started with the building of the Taurus TX, 3.5 Watt qrp SSB transceiver"

The transceiver is design on two PCB's and designed by SP5DDJ (see links page).
The PCB's can used for 20,40 and 80 meter homemade TX.
A few parts you have to change to change the basic Ham-frequency.

In polish you can find an easy manual with the basic steps and also a checklist for the needed parts. When follow the 'installation' manual you will get a nice small QRP transceiver.

Their are a few mods for the basic-PCB .. when finished the building I will place them in the download section. In the meantime you can see a few
at - http://pa-11019.blogspot.nl - the hamsite of PD7MAA.

Click on the photo to see the full size !

  

pic a.                               

26-12-2012 UPDATE - Receiver is ready !      

Today the receiver is ready in his first stage. So far known the mods are used and the first QSO is recorded (see *.mov). The next step is de finetuning to hear the stations more easy, have to check the filters and potmeters!

         Movie of the Receiver board
  pic b.                                    

New antenna active ZS6BKW multiband dipole!

21 October 2012

"New wired multiband antenna is active, here you see how I build this nice antenne'

From the webpgae of OM PA1GF you can see the right values of the wires.
I made the option with 450 Ohm 'ladderline' and the RG213 coax cable direct to the
tranceiver. On pic.a you can see how I made the connection from the 'ladderline' to the wires. The 'ladderline' and the wires are twisted 'litze wire' , don't use massive cable or line !

The next foto (pic b.) is the picture from the plastic tube (40 mm) with to blind ends.
In centre you make a hole as big as the PL-chassis, the other end you make a small notch who is used for the twinlead cable.

The last foto will give you the view how the cable is active at outside.

Click on the photo to see the full size !

 

pic a.                                    pic b.                                pic c.

New rotor management with PIC-controler

07 October 2012

"Start to build a new management system with PIC-controler for the Antenna-rotor"

The next pictures will give the few of the development of the antenna-rotor interface
with a PIC 16F84 controler. The development is started on a breadboard to find the
correct parts and programming of the PIC controler.
I have started with the most easy program 'Hello World'
The next step was the basis program and he 3rd stage was the connection to a small relais to stear the antenna rotor. ( Pic. a to c)

 
pic a.                                    pic b.                                pic c.

The PICBasic app and the schema of the rotor you can download here!
('Downloads section')
Note: This app and schema are in beta stage ..pse test it before and give changes if you want,  do it by email !

New code update will follow!

25-11-2012 First hardware update:

In the time we are building on the PCB with th eelectronics I had to bring th eold hardware inside a new box. Also the rotation of the Antenna rotor I have to do by hand. But safety first .. the old hardware is build together in a plastic 'box' with on top space for the future electronincs.
See the results on the next pictures.

   

 Fig d.                                     Fig e.                          Fig f.

12-12-2012 Schema update and hex file in download section (soon)

Needed PC-scope - start to collect hardware!

29 April 2012

"For the project of the Taurus & Bitx 20m trancievers ..we need more to see"

The next pictures will give the first view of the nice small box, and the first small
parts we have collected. The box I found in the 'junk-box' is a case what I find on one of the dutch flee-markets in the Netherlands .. never used before!
 
The PCB design will be made and the schema is from 'Tim Witham - 1996'

Planning Taurus & Bitx 20m TX

Latest update: 11 august 2012
                  

"A first impression on photo of the Taurus PCB's.."

 
   (c) TB5X                                          (c) PA2EON

.: 14-05-12

Started with the building of the Bitx20 Tranceiver.
First with the 'Band Pass Filter' the L!,L2 and L3 are fixed well ..
The next picture will give the finished part of the PCB. The capacitors I've changed a little bit for higher quality. The 33 pF cap. is changed for the 39 pF !

In the download section you can find the (writing in the same time of building) 
'dutch manual .. of the Bitx20', every time updated after checking the parts etc.

.: 23-05-12

First part of the Bitx20 PCB is ready, the Band Pass Filter'.
The use of the ' polysterene'  capacitors is a little weird, the final test we give the
answer after the finished 'Rf-amplifier'. So far nothing special and started with part2.
See the latest changes in de download section of this site.


  (c) PA2EON - Fig. 1

.: 11-08-12

Second part of the Bitx20 is ready, the RF-amplifier .. and tested.
Also the third part, VFO is finished about 90 %
On the next pictures you can see the results .. in de download section you will find
the latest new (dutch) written so far.

In the VFO, I have changed a little the C's for ceramic one's (in the kit their are polysterene one's) because they fit better on the PCB

Figure 2. the  RF-amplifier and Figure 3. the VFO

 

(c) PA2EON - Fig 2.                                (c) PA2EON - Fig 3.

In the VFO section the 36 V zener is replaced by a 33 V (no why ?) .. and I have to find out if a VFO test in this stage of the build is OK or not.

Coming next .. the VFO on test!

CAT interface FRG8800

08 April 2012

"The first homemade project ready .."

Finished the CAT-interface for the FRG 8800 Receiver. This small project is easy to make I used the schema from J.F. Kok with the MAX 232 and his 'special made' software to handle the RX.

The interface is made in the 'open space' of the 144 Mhz transverter who is not in my RX .. if you have installed the 'transverter' you have to made an external box. The power for the interface, will get from the RS232 connection of the PC.

Pictures of the project:

     Copyrights:website of J.F Kok

  .: The schema of the interface.

 
 .: All parts.                                             .: Base position.                                           

 .: Interface ready.                                   .: Operational.

 Right click on picture to show large (640x480p) ..