QRP Labs Ultimate3S Manuel utilisateur

Ultimate3S: QRP Labs Multi-mode QRSS Beacon Kit

PCB Revision 1

1. Int oduction

Thank you for purchasing the QRP Labs third generation “Ultimate3S” ulti-mode QRSS beacon kit. This

kit is capable of automated transmission of a range of weak signal modes that are capable of worldwide

HF propagation using a fraction of a watt of RF output power. The Si5351A synthesiser module permits

accurate, stable operation anywhere on LF/ F/HF/VHF whilst plug-in low-pass-filter modules allow easy

band changing.

Recommended app oach to building the kit: This is a simple design but there are a large number of

features which provide a great deal of flexibility. Read this WHOLE manual and unde stand it! Follow

the construction section to build the kit. Use a receiver connected to your PC, with a slow-signal decoding

program such as Argo. onitor your signal, experiment and understand the various features before

connecting an antenna! Good pe fo mance depends on p ope set up: see the calib ation section.

This assembly manual must be ead in conjunction with the ope ation manual!

The U3S kit supports the following modes:

•QRSS mode (plain on/off keyed slow CW)

•FSK/CW mode (frequency shift keyed slow CW)

•DFCW mode (dual frequency CW, dit's and dah's on different frequencies)

•WSPR and WSPR-15 modes (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter)

•Slow-Hellschreiber (frequency shifted slow Hellschreiber)

•Hellshreiber (full-speed standard Hellschreiber, and half-speed Hellshreiber)

•CW (plain CW) and fast FSK mode

•Transmitter mode (manual keyed, on/off CW or FSK)

•Customisable FSK patterns

•Opera

•PI4

Other features:

•Si5351A synthesiser controlled output frequency (kit included with the U3S)

•Plug-in low pass filter boards (for all LF/ F/HF bands from 2200m to 10m, plus 6m band)

•16-column x 2-row LCD with backlight, and two-button user interface

•User-programmable (callsign, message, speed, FSK, mode, etc.), settings stored in EEPRO

•GPS interface, for locking the frequency, timing and location information

•On-chip generation of WSPR encoded message (no PC required)

•WSPR maidenhead locator can be generated from GPS-derived latitude/longitude

•Selectable “frame” size, for stacked QRSS reception

•Plain CW callsign identifier at selectable interval

•Produces approximately 250mW RF output on 30m (lower output on higher frequency bands)

•Higher output power by fitting additional PA transistors and/or higher PA supply voltage

The transmitter is designed to be powered with 5V DC. This could come from a mobile phone charger, wall

wart, or even four 1.5V batteries connected in series with a suitable low dropout regulator. However not all

chargers and wall warts are clean enough for powering the microcontroller. Do not use more than 6V: this

may kill the microcontroller; the LCD may not work properly with more than 5V. Best results will be

obtained with a well-regulated and well-smoothed 5V supply.

2. Design

The ATmega328 AVR microcontroller (IC1) is pre-programmed with firmware to control the LCD, buttons,

and GPS interface. The Si5351A Synthesiser module kit includes its own on-board 27 Hz crystal

reference oscillator. On/off keying is handled in software by switching on/off the output stage of the

Si5351A synthesiser IC. The Q1 BS170 OSFET is the power amplifier, producing about 250mW from a

5V supply on 30m (power output varies on different bands). Finally standard 7-element low pass filter plug-

in modules remove harmonics of the transmission frequency.

3. Pa ts List

3.1 Resisto s

R1 100K preset potentiometer, for LCD contrast adjustment (code “104”)

R2 No resistor – space is provided on the PCB only for reducing LCD backlight brightness

R3 No resistor – space is provided for a 100K resistor, if you want to do AVR firmware upgrades

R4 No resistor – space is provided for a 220K resistor, for smoother contrast adjustment

R5 4.7K preset potentiometer, for setting the PA bias (code “472”)

R6 4.7K resistor

3.2 Capacito s

C2, 3 22pF (ceramic, marking 22, or 220)

C1, 4, 5, 6 10nF (ceramic, marking 103)

C7 No capacitor – space is provided for future enhancements

3.3 Inducto s

L1 25 turns, FT37-43 core (black)

3.4 Semiconducto s

Q1, 2, 3 BS170 (note: two BS170 are provided in the kit. Only one needs to be installed in the kit.

For use with higher PA supply voltages, more transistors may be added, i.e. Q2 and Q3).

D1 No diode - provided for use with relay-switched LPF board kit

IC1 Pre-programmed ATmega328 microcontroller

Si5351A Synthesiser module, including 27 Hz reference oscillator

3.5 Miscellaneous

Two push buttons, S1 and S2

16-column x 2-row LCD (HD44780-compatible) with blue LED backlight

Printed circuit board, 80 x 37mm size

Wire for winding toroid

Socket for IC1

20 Hz quartz crystal

Two 10-pin female header sockets

Two 4-pin female header sockets

16-pin female header socket

16-pin male header plug

Four 12mm nylon hex PCB spacers

Eight 6mm 3 screws

Relay RL0 – not supplied, provided for use with relay-switched LPF board kit

4. Const uction

4.1 Gene al const uction tips

The kit comes as a main board, plug-in Si5351A synthesiser module, and a plug-in low-pass-filter module

for the desired band. The Si5351A synthesise module and low-pass filte module a e sepa ate kits.

The synthesise and one LPF a e included with the U3S. Please efe to the sepa ate inst uctions

fo const ucting these kits.

Parts placement is defined by the silkscreen printed legend on the PCB, so please observe it carefully,

paying particular attention to the correct orientation of the semiconductors.

The PCB is quite small and the parts are close together. You are recommended to use a low wattage iron

with a fine tip, and fine solder e.g. 1mm diameter or less. Take care not to overheat the PCB and risk

damaging it. A well-lit area and magnifying glass are useful. Be careful not to bridge solder across closely

packed connections. Some of the joints are very close to each other. I recommend checking with a DV to

make sure no solder bridges have been created.

Note that components D1, Q2, Q3, R2, R3, R4 and C7 are not required or supplied in the kit (R2 may be

added by the builder if lower LCD backlight brightness is desired). Q2 and Q3 are not supplied, additional

BS170 transistors may be installed here to increase the output power (see below). IC1 (the

microcontroller) has an IC socket, in case in future you wish to change the microcontroller e.g. for a

firmware upgrade for new features, etc., or in case you wish to program it yourself. Sockets are provided

for the synthesiser module and the low-pass-filter module.

4.2 Const uction steps

Please refer to the parts placement diagram below.

Pay special attention to the orientation of the semiconductors. For IC1, the dimple in the PCB silkscreen

must be aligned with the dimple at the top of the IC socket and the IC.

The order of construction is not important. However, a good principle to follow is to install the smaller

components first, so that the larger ones do not prevent easy access. One suggested order of construction

is described below. I recommend following it carefully.

1) Solde in the socket fo IC1.

To avoid confusion or mistakes later, align the

dimple at one end of the socket, with the

dimple illustrated on the PCB. The dimple

should be at the end nearest the right-hand

edge of the PCB.

2) Solde in all capacito s and the qua tz

c ystal (note the e is no C7).

Be careful not to mix up the 22pF and 10nF

capacitors. The two 22pF capacitors are the

ones on each side of the crystal.

3) Fit and solde switches S1 and S2

The switches are in a convenient location to

press with your left and right index fingers

when holding the module in your hands, with

the LCD facing you. However, it is certainly

nicer to fit off-board switches as well, on a

front panel (see later “hardware options”

section).

4) Wind and install the to oid

The silkscreen printing on the PCB shows

vertical mounting of the toroid. If you prefer

horizontal mounting, there is enough space for

it. When winding the toroid, remember that

each time the wire goes through the centre of

the toroid counts as one turn. 35cm of wire

should be enough for 25 turns. Trim the ends

of the wire, scrape the enamel off and tin them

with solder. As an alternative to scraping the

enamel off, the wire ends may be held in a hot blob of solder on the iron tip for a few seconds, and

the enamel will bubble away. Check continuity on the board with a DV .

5) Solde the sockets fo the Si5351A

synthesise module and the low-pass-filte

boa d.

Some care needs to be taken with the

alignment, to ensure that there is a good fit

when the plug-in boards are added. One

method is to build the plug-in modules first;

then use the Si5351A and LPF boards

plugged into the sockets. You can then solder

the pins, ensuring correct alignment.

6) Fit and solde R1, the p eset potentiomete

that sets the LCD cont ast.

Be careful not to mix up the presets R1 (100K)

and R5 (4.7K)! The code on R1 is “104”.

It is a slightly tight fit but apply pressure

carefully and evenly, and the pins of the

potentiometer will fit into the PCB perfectly.

Adjust this potentiometer to the fully clockwise position initially.

7) Fit and solde R5, the p eset potentiomete

that sets the PA bias.

Fit and solder the fixed 4.7K resistor R6.

NOTE: the photograph incorrectly shows R5

as 100K ("104"). It should be 4.7K (“472”). Be

careful not to mix up R1 and R5!

IMPORTANT: Tu n the t imme potentiomete all the way ANTI-clockwise, BEFORE applying

powe to the U3S boa d. Please see section "PA bias set-up" below.

8) Solde wi e jumpe s as shown in the

photog aph and diag am below, depending

on you equi ements.

Typical jumper connections are shown in the

photograph circled in yellow, and by red lines

on the parts placement diagram below.

Please ead the "Ha dwa e options"

sections below, to decide which jumpe s to

fit.

The wire jumpers can be made from offcuts from the other components e.g. capacitor leads. When

installing these wire jumpers, I find it convenient to install them as a small semicircular arch,

perhaps 5mm high off the board, as pictured. This is so that later, if they need to be removed (for

different hardware options configuration), you can easily cut the links using wire cutters. It is easier

than un-soldering them.

The W0-W1 and W2-W3 jumpers hard-wire the LPF into the circuit. Note that when a relay is fitted

at RL0, you do NOT connect these two jumper wires. The relay is part of another kit, the relay-

switched LPF board, that expands the capability of the U3S kit to sequence through up to 6 different

bands.

If R2 is installed, in order to reduce LCD brightness, then connect A1-A2 instead of A0-A1 (see

”hardware options” section below). You may decide to connect A0-A3 to use the software-

implemented brightness control.

You may also install a jumper at the +PA and +5V connections at the bottom of the picture below, in

order to power the power amplifier (PA) with the 5V supply. You should leave out this jumper if you

intend to run the PA at a higher voltage. See more details in the gHardware options h section  

below.

The "Heat" connection should be connected to +5V also, if you are using the OCXO version of the

Si5351A module. It provides +5V to the oven heater, using a thick track on the PCB. This avoids

voltage drop on narrow traces. If you are using the non-OCXO version of the Si5351A synthesiser

module, then you do not need to connect the "Heat" connection.

Also pay attention to the jumpers at R3 and R4 on the right-hand side of the diagram. R3 is an

optional resistor, to be fitted to enable in-circuit-programming for those wishing to update their own

firmware and having the necessary equipment.

If you do not fit a 100K esisto fo R3, then you must fit a wi e jumpe he e as shown.

Resistor R4 is an optional resistor, which is in series with the top of the contrast adjustment

potentiometer R1 and +5V. Typically the contrast voltage required is less than 1V and the

adjustment is rather sensitive. If you wish, you can fit a 220K resistor in this position, which will

make the contrast potentiometer less sensitive to adjust.

If you do not fit a 200K esisto fo R4, then you must fit a wi e jumpe he e as shown.

9) Solde in t ansisto Q1.

If you have purchased additional transistors

for Q2 and Q3 to increase the power output, I

still recommend starting with just the basic,

single transistor, 5V PA supply setup. Get

things working basically first, then later install

the additional transistors. Walk before you try

to run!

The transistors are located at the edge of the PCB with their flat side outwards. This is to allow easy

attachment of a heatsink if desired (for higher voltage and hence higher power operation).

10)Install two 16-way connecto s on the main PCB and LCD.

Install two 16-way connectors on the main PCB and LCD. Either way is fine, but my

recommendation for installing the LCD connectors, is to use the female (socket) connector on the

LCD side and the male (plug) on the PCB side.

Be su e to solde the socket to the eve se

of the main U3S PCB!! Not the top side! it

is ve y ha d to fix late , if you get this

w ong!

Bolt together the LCD module and the PCB,

with the 16-way connectors in place but not

soldered. Then when you solder them, you will

ensure perfect alignment. Use the eight 6mm 3 screws, and four 12mm nylon hex spacers, to bolt

the PCB to the LCD.

The combined 16-way plug and socket when

mated together, have a height of a little under

12mm. Therefore it is necessary to have a

gap somewhere.

y suggested method is illustrated to the right

here. Closely mate the plug and socket. Leave

the gap between the male header (plug) and the U3S PCB. I have found this method works

successfully.

As you can see in the photo, the remaining pin length poking through to the component side of the

U3S PCB is short. However, the pins are still present in the holes and solder will fill the holes and

connect to the pins.

At this stage, also solder the pins of the 16-way socket to the LCD module.

4.3 Module assembly

First the microcontroller IC1 should be inserted in its socket. Be sure to align the microcontroller chip

correctly. The dimple on the chip must be at the same end as the dimple on the socket, and the dimple on

the silkscreen legend on the PCB.

Next, plug together the three modules as shown in the following photographs.

Ensure that the Si5351A synthesiser module is inserted the correct way round as shown in the

photograph. The Low Pass Filter kit module should be plugged in with the “Out” legend aligned next to the

RF Output connector of the main PCB (see photo).

Impo tant! Upon powe -up, you will need to adjust the cont ast potentiomete R1 to view the LCD

p ope ly. Tu n it fully clockwise to sta t with (befo e applying powe ). Then tu n it g adually

anticlockwise until the displayed text looks co ect. The series of photographs below show the display

with a) fully clockwise; b) fully anti-clockwise; c) adjusted perfectly. When adjusted perfectly, you will see

"Diagnostic ode" message on the screen.

When you see "Diagnostic ode" it means all is well

with the processor and the LCD communication.

When you press the left button, diagnostic mode will

be cleared. Then you should see the flash screen. If

the Si5351A module is correctly built and inserted,

the firmware will recognise it. The text in the splash

screen will say "Ultimate3S". The "S" is important, it

signifies that the Si5351A has been correctly

detected.

If you cannot see any text on the screen even after adjusting the contrast setting, you have a problem.

Please refer to the "Troubleshooting" page on the U3S website (see resources section below).

4. Ha dwa e Options

4.1 Explanation of connections

The table to the right details the purpose of

the connection points around the right-

hand and bottom edges of the PCB. The

pin-spacing is 0.1-inches and a suitable

connector could be used if desired. These

are further described in the following

sections.

Note that the cluster of connections at the

left board edge are for fitting the connector

to the relay-switched LPF board kit. They

can be ignored for now.

Connections A0, A1, A2 and A4 allow options concerning the LCD backlight, as described below. Typically

you should connect A0 and A3, this enables the software controlled backlight control.

Label G oup Desc iption

5V GPS +5V supply to GPS module

Gnd GPS Ground connection to GPS module

RxD GPS Serial data input from GPS module

Pps GPS 1 pulse per second input from GPS module

R Future No connection – for future enhancements

S2 Buttons Optional external button S2, switch to Gnd

Gnd Buttons Ground for optional external buttons

S1 Buttons Optional external button S1, switch to Gnd

Clk2 Signal Clk2 Si5351A output, 3.3V p-p squarewave

Clk1 Signal Clk1 Si5351A output, 3.3V p-p squarewave

Clk0 Signal Clk0 Si5351A output, 3.3V p-p squarewave

Gnd Power Ground connection to Power supply

Heat Power +5V heater for OCXO/Si5351A module option

+5V Power +5V power supply

+PA Power PA power supply – may be connected to +5V

Key Control “Keying” output: high during transmit

Gnd RF Ground for RF output

RF RF RF output

4.2 Connection fo basic ope ation

For the most basic operation of this kit as

QRSS transmitter using 5V supply, it

needs only a power supply and RF output

connection.

To allow use of a higher voltage supply for

the PA, there are separate connections for the PA voltage and +5V supply. To run the transmitter using the

5V supply, be sure to connect a wire between the +5V and PA pins. This is shown by the short red

horizontal line in the diagram (right).

The "Heat" connection is only required if you are using the OCXO version of the Si5351A synthesiser

module. You must connect it to +5V to power the oven heater.

4.3 Alte native button mounting option

You may use an external pair of buttons to control the kit. The

button input signals are available at the edge of the board,

labelled S1 (left button) and S2 (right button). The buttons

should be of the push-to-make variety. The left button should

be connected between the S1 signal and ground; similarly the

right button should be connected between the S2 signal and

ground. Suitable buttons are supplied in the official QRP Labs

U3 Case and accessories kit.

4.4 Optional connection of GPS module

A GPS module may be connected to the kit, to provide

frequency stability, accurate time, and latitude and longitude

which can be converted to aidenhead locator format for

encoding in the WSPR message transmission.

Check that your module is powered from 5V. any modules

specify a 3.3V supply - in this case you will need to provide an

external 3.3V voltage regulator. Where a 3.3V GPS module is

used, the serial data and 1 pulse-per-second (pps) inputs are

not a problem for the 5V microcontroller on the kit PCB - no

voltage level conversion is required. Some GPS modules may

need a pull-up resistor however. QRP Labs supply a suitable

GPS module that is powered from 5V.

In cases where the location information is not required

(modes other than WSPR) or you wish to enter it manually,

the serial data input can be left unconnected. The 1 pps input is enough for the frequency lock function. A

1pps signal could be supplied from a non-GPS source, such as a laboratory frequency standard. Note that

the frequency locking function can only operate if you have selected a wait period between message

transmission (i.e. a non-zero gFrame h parameter).  

See operation instructions for details on how to configure the GPS interface.

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