[hpsdr] Pandora's Box Concept Update!

[Ben Hall]

Eric Ellison wrote:
> Hi Ben
> 
> Looks like we are getting 'filtered out' by Alex, certainly diluted! (smile)

I'm cool with that!  ;)  Let's face it, the boards are the neat thing 
here, Pandora is just an enabler or 'force multiplier' as we'd say at 
work.  Important, but not key.  And that's just fine with me.  :)

> 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. 

It's not a project yet - I wanted to get my feet "wet" before I proposed 
it.  Or, better said, I wanted to propose a concept that was somewhat 
developed.

My goal is to propose it formally next weekend.  I had wanted to do it 
this weekend, but my wife's in the hospital (Vanderbilt U Med Center) 
which is about two hours away.  She's a kidney transplant recipient and 
had a rejection attack.  (I was the donor - she's got my left kidney.) 
She's doing much better today.  I've been trying to keep our 15 month 
old out of trouble.  ;)

The proposal probably won't have the solid model like I hoped, but I'm 
now confident that a COTS (commercial off the shelf) case exists that 
could be modified for our use.

The BK-959 is looking pretty good, but my initial cardboard models show 
that fully loaded with 220 mm long cards, there isn't any spare room for 
a front panel.  May have to switch to something by Buckeye Shapeform if 
we must have some depth for front panel switches.

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

That would be great when we get a little closer to a final design.

> 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. 

The side-mount won't work I don't think - the BK-959 has internal side 
panels that the clam-shells mount to.  What might be possible, if the 
dissipation isn't too great, is to use these side panels as the 
heatsinks themselves.  Won't do 100 watts, that's for sure, but maybe 20 
or 40.  I can test this at some point.

> 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.

A group buy would be great - the price really comes down in bulk!  I 
recently purchased one of those PCR-100's on eBay, and I probably could 
mount one into a shielded box with a load and use the PCR-100 as a 
poor-mans spectrum analyzer.

> 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.

That would be very hot!  Something that could be used outside HPSDR 
would certainly increase interest!
-- 
Thanks and 73,
Ben, KD5BYB


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