[hpsdr] Pandora's Box Concept Update!

[Eric Ellison]

Hi Ben

Looks like we are getting 'filtered out' by Alex, certainly diluted! (smile)

Great Work! I thought this WAS a project I just didn't see the tab! If not
it should be. This is the point where a LOT of us will be making buying
decisions on enclosures, we might get a price break, as a group. When you
are talking with the folks at TenTec, see what the 50, 100, 200 price breaks
would be for case with the 6 slot front panel, and whether they would drop
ship USA in a single purchase, with multiple locations. 

I can run an "Intrests" on Dale's website to get some idea as to how many
would be interested. 

I ordered a B 959 today in black.

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.

This is good!

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:

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.

I think a loaded HPSDR set, can be passive cooling. The 100W? err well, it's
going to be so efficient at 100W that it shouldn't make any heat (smile).
Seriously, either a separate enclosure here, or mount it outboard to one
side of the case with heat sink. 

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?

We can do a 1 time group buy on these, if they work good. Chris has done
some work and the results look pretty good. However, it would be great if
some others could test the 120 Watt unit for radiated noise as well as on
the buss. Everything is regulated on board anyway, so some shielding between
supply and boards may do. We need some quick test team on this unit.

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?

Yup!

(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.)

My feeling about Alex is it should be a 3 way. 
Put a DIN connector on it, to mount on Atlas, pick up power and control from
the buss.
Also put external connections i2c connection, reset, ground, JTAG and
whatever else is needed to control it. External power connection from a
standard Molex 12v-G-G-5v.
Also make it 'stand alone for any receiver project going on out there,
outside SDR.
Make it modular with plug in filter sections in any case.


More will be forthcoming!

I look forward to it.

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

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