Larry I have never disagreed with the problems with the mini jacks. However, they are readily available, small, come in different length patch cables, come with rf suppression etc.
We could use RCA Phono jacks which have a lot of friction and are also readily available. I think the amplifiers I've seen use phono jacks. They also come in various forms and adapter plugs. Eric -----Original Message----- From: Larry Loen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 9:36 PM To: Wallace Watson Cc: ecellison; FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Flexradio] RFC - Poor Man's Universal Controller Board Wallace Watson wrote: > Folks, > Attached is my first hack at the Poor Mans's UCB board design. Excuse > my novice approach, but I have not drawn schematics or done board > layout work for more years than I care to remember. > Also the incorrect symbol usage for the Opto-Isolator MOSFETS, but > with the ExpressPCB package I could only find a 4N25 opto-isoloator. > If anyone has additional custom component for use with the > ExpressSCH/ExpressPCB package I will substitute the correct symbol in > an update to the schematic. > > Please advise any and all suggestions for changes? > Well, I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but at least at first glance, by a novice kind of soldering kit guy, it looks pretty good. In fact, I was kinda vaguely thinking along these lines. Much more vaguely to be sure, but thinking. I have my amplifier up and running (thanks to Terry, W0VB and Bob Zellar, whose call I have momentarily forgotten at this late hour) , but it really isn't what I'm going to want long term. Today, I'm switching the amp on by hand and then transmitting. This board would be an excellent replacement for that, providing the MOSFETS can take enough current to ground a typical amplifier switching circuit. What I had in mind was probably to do a 12 v relay that, in turn, triggers the coax antenna switch that's external to my amplifier. I don't know what the current output is, but the immediate and (no doubt related) question is -- whether the MOSFETS can deal with 12v to "pick" a relay that, int turn, triggers a coax switch with a 110 v switch. The board looks good. . .though I do wonder about continued reliance on 1/8 inch plugs for everything (I'm thinking specifically of "J3 1/8 inch out"). Why not some sort of Molex plug here or just leave it to the user to attach whatever is suitable? I'm more agnostic on X-2 PTT switch in, but these do seem to be circuits potentially related to high power devices, even if they don't carry power themselves. Do we want to take on whatever troubles (e.g. intermittents) these 1/8 inchers give? I'm not necessarily excited about having the connectors right on the board as long as there is a proper "landing area" to attach wires to whatever is needful to something that can mount in the case or something. Larry WO0Z
