[hpsdr] Project proposal - Hermes

[Philip Covington]

On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 7:47 AM, Willi Reppel <wi.re at telia.com> wrote:
> ***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****
>
>
> Hi all,
> My experiences with HPSDR, consisting of Atlas,Penny Mercury and Ozi, shows that the modular solution has some advantages over a single board when performing fault tracing . I had start-up problems with my unit and could not get it operational. By interchanging the boards against other approved faultfree boards, I was able to trace the mal-functioning boards. TAPR´s ready assembled Atlas had a defective tantal capacitor and Ozi failed due to some bad soldering spots and a missing pull-up resistor. Locating of a fault on a single board would have been very difficult for me as layman and if TAPR´s terms of sale are applicable also for  single boards (no return for repair accepted) there is a risk to lose the money you invested into the project. In con-trary, the modular approach makes it possible to replace  faulty boards and to recover part of your investment.
> Willi
> SM6OMH

Hi Willi,

It is true Hermes would be combining a lot of complexity on a single
board.  A small defect or mishap could easily render the board
useless.  Combining the functionality of all of those individual
boards will necessarily make the board more expensive. Not as
expensive as the sum of the other boards, but more expensive than any
of the individual boards.   TAPR is able to produce the boards at a
much lower cost than a commercial manufacturer which results in a
lower cost to the purchaser.  They are also not able to service the
boards after they are sold because all the work is done by volunteers.
 This is something that people need to think about because mishaps can
and do happen - you could be left with an expensive non-functioning
board unless you are capable of troubleshooting and repairing SMT
component boards.

Phil N8VB

 1239889310.0