[hpsdr] Pandora's Box Concept Update!

[Ben Hall]

Good evening all,

I just wanted to send a little update to the Pandora's Box concept.

Why do I call it a concept?  Because it's not been formally proposed as 
a new HPSDR project, so I'm calling it a concept until the time that a 
formal proposal is put forth.

So what's up with the concept?  Well, as y'all have read in the various 
Pandora's Box threads, if there are "n" HPSDR users, there is at least 
3*n ways of wanting to use the HPSDR.  Which is great and to me, a real 
strength of HPSDR: you *can* have it your way!

Some folks want a smaller, portable enclosure.
Some folks want something that can be incorporated into a larger 
enclosure. (IE: rackmount)
Some folks want cables in the front, some in the rear.
Et cetera.

So Pandora's Box is evolving from a "one solution fits all" concept to 
what Eric AA4SW so eloquently noted as the "Pand-oragami-Lego-mania" 
concept.  Or, better said, Pandora's Box really won't be a box unless 
you configure it that way.

Right now, I'm envisioning a small, off-the-shelf case like a Ten-Tec 
BK-959.  It will have a custom, purpose-designed panel with the slots 
cut to match the spacing of Atlas.  With a panel and the BK-959, the 
user will have a custom, fairly small, quality enclosure.

However, the purpose-designed panel will also be available separately, 
so that if you want to use the roughly 9" by 5" panel in a larger 
enclosure, all you need to do is cut a rough opening in the larger 
enclosure and mount the purpose-designed panel to your larger enclosure.

I'm also working into the concept a sub-chassis that will mate to the 
purpose-designed panel that will attach to Atlas, making an open-chassis 
that could be mated with the purpose-designed panel to a larger, user 
supplied enclosure.  If the user desired, this could be the starting 
point of a user-built walled box.

The purpose-designed panel could also be cut by the user to a smaller 
size, if desired.

For our friends in Europe, my goal is to make things as easy as I can. 
It is possible that Ten-Tec has European distribution channels; I aim to 
determine that shortly.  At any rate, the panel and the BK-959 will make 
for rather compact packages when disassembled.  The front panel, by 
itself, could be very inexpensive to ship in nothing more than a 
bubble-wrapped envelope.  One of the front panel houses, 
www.frontpanelexpress.com, has a European presence and may be able to 
distribute directly from Germany.

I'm still getting my hands around a few key things and will be bugging 
the community over the next week or so on the following:

1)  I want to have a solid model in the proposal, both of Atlas, the 
various sized cards envisioned, the enclosure, and the purpose-designed 
panel.  All I need for this is time with SolidWorks.  My prototype 
BK-959 arrived today.  (I love being just hours away from Ten-Tec.)

2)  Cooling / Heat dissipation.  With the 100 watt PA probably going to 
be housed in its own enclosure, it's my belief that heat dissipation of 
a fully-loaded HPSDR will be sub-100 watts.  Simple convection cooling 
(not fan-forced) may be sufficient.  I'd like more info on current / 
future power consumption / heat dissipation to understand what sort of 
cooling holes / forced air cooling might be needed.

3)  Power supply.  One big downside or upside (depending on your HPSDR 
desire) of a case the size of the BK-959 is that it won't have much room 
for a power supply.  Certainly, a standard ATX supply won't fit.  If 
Pandora is sized so that an ATX supply isn't an option, will that cause 
the community a lot of grief?  It seems that a 12 volt powered ITX 
(www.mini-box.com) supply is being pursued here with earnest by many. 
Is a 12 volt supply common enough around HPSDR hamshacks that using a 12 
VDC powered ITX isn't a big deal?

4)  Future expandability.  One nice thing about the BK-959 is that its 
an off-the-shelf Ten-Tec product.  The 100 watt PA could go in another 
Ten-Tec case that will closely match the BK-959 in style.  Probably they 
could be made to stack, either vertically or horizontally.  Does the 
design of Pandora need to be such that room is allowed for future box to 
box pass-thru's?

(Ben's opinion:  I sure want one of those Alex boards and if it needs 
its own box, I'd want to leave room that the Pandora with 
Atlas/Janus/Ozy/Mercury/Gibraltar/Alex control card/future cards could 
easily mate with another box.  So yes, leave room.)

More will be forthcoming!

thanks and 73,
ben
-- 
Thanks and 73,
Ben, KD5BYB