CC1 back on track

The CC1 build is back on track with the replacement U6 transistor and U4 oscillator.

I ended up completely mangling 3 out of the 5 pads that U6 is mounted on, so I had to do some creative/ugly jumpering between U6 and the components it connects to.

Pro tip: Before trying to remove a part, make sure all the solder is removed before pulling it off.

CC1 voltage regulators
CC1 voltage regulators

It’s supposed look like U7 on the right (maybe minus that big ball of solder on pin 4). Instead, I had to jumper across to C65 and C66 and connect pins 1 and 3 (normally connected by a trace under U6). The wire to the right connects Vout to the 3.3V test point. It looks ugly, but it works. Still getting 5V from U7, and 3.26V out of U6. For a while, I was getting a little worried that I had completely ruined things.

CC1 build is back on track. Next I need to wind some inductors for L12 and L13 to finish off the audio amp/mute stage.

CC1 Audio Amp/Mute

Finished off the microcontroller/DDS section of the build with the installation of U5. Used the solder and wick method to put it on as suggested in the assembly guide. Used a bit of flux paste to help hold the IC down and went at it with the solder. Worked out reasonably well and I think I managed to get it on without any solder bridges.

CC1 microcontroller/DDS
CC1 microcontroller/DDS

The next section (Audio amp/mute) has more SMT and is a fairly dense section of the board. Takes some patience and steady hand to get all the components in, but by now you’re used to the ‘tack and solder’ method so it goes a little faster.

CC1 audio amp/mute section
CC1 audio amp/mute section

Dave/AA7EE suggested installing one of the electrolytic caps (C36) in this stage and thinking I’d be clever, I went ahead and did it early. A little too early as it turned out, because the stage also calls for the two other larger electrolytic caps (C20 and C29). C36 is right next to C29, and if C36 is there first, it’s impossible to install C29. So because I jumped the gun, I ended up having to remove C36, solder on C29 then solder C36 back on.

The last part of the stage involves putting on the connectors and switches, which is pretty easy and goes pretty quickly. Almost starts looking like a transceiver now.

Next step is to wind two inductors and put them on. Once the replacement U4 and U6 arrive, I’ll put those on and be able to test if it produces any tones.

QST magazines available

Last summer at one of the radio club meetings, one of the older hams brought in a small stack of QST magazines that he didn’t want any more and asked if I’d be interested in them. Being newly licensed, I said sure!

I’ve gone through them a few times now, and with Connie’s collection of QST, these are duplicates now so I thought I’d pass them along to someone else to enjoy.

There aren’t a whole lot of them. I have Oct 2011-Feb 2012 and April-May 2012. Would prefer to hand them off to someone local, but I’d also consider shipping them.

Softrock Lite II ready to put on the air

At long last I’ve finally gotten around to putting the coax and interface cord on the Softrock Lite II receiver. The cord to plug into the sound card came from some old discarded speakers, and the coax is a short length of RG58 with an SMA connector that I picked up a while ago. I was originally going to use it for an antenna project for the VX8-DR, but figured I could always get another one later.

Softrock Lite II ready for the air
Softrock Lite II ready for the air

Now I just need to find some time to get it on the air. If I want to use the antenna, I’ll have to find an SMA (female) to SO-239 adapter, or make some jumper wires to connect the ends.

CC1 Microcontroller/DDS Part 1

While I’m waiting for Jason to send me a new U6 transistor, I decided to forge on ahead with the build. Lots of small SMT caps and resistors to put on, but using the ‘tack and solder’ method, it’s been going pretty smoothly.

Then I got to the part where U4 (50 MHz oscillator) is installed. After reading Dave’s (AA7EE) note about solder bridging the pad and cap of U4, I was trying to avoid doing the same thing and in the process ended up bridging the pad and cap anyway. Argh.

After some application of solder wick followed by wailing and gnashing of teeth, there was one pad that still seemed to be bridged that I couldn’t fix.

Dave helpfully pointed out that one of the pads Is GND, which just happened to be the pad I thought I was having an issue with. So with any luck, U4 hasn’t been cooked by me trying to wick away solder that wasn’t causing a problem anyway (just in case, Jason is also sending another U4) and I can continue on.

Next step is to install U5 (DDS chip) with teeny tiny leads.