On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:26:55 +1000, Clifford Heath
<no_spam@please.net> wrote:

>On 29/9/22 11:55, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
>> On Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 8:05:37 AM UTC+10, John Larkin wrote:
>>> On Thu, 29 Sep 2022 07:00:50 +1000, Clifford Heath <no_...@please.net> wrote:
>>>> On 29/9/22 02:19, Don wrote:
>>>
>>>>> On the other hand, companies who manufacture consumer products must put
>>>>> more thought into design language: <https://paia.com/>
>>>>
>>>> That's not just consumer - it's music production. Those folk are true
>>>> aesthetes. Musicians believe that beautiful instruments enable them to
>>>> make more beautiful music, and I think they're right.
>>>>
>>> It's a fact that beautiful schematics and pcb's work better than ugly ones.
>>
>> But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
>>
>> Some people don't think about what they are seeing, and aesthetic appreciation isn't a rational process. If a schematic or a pcb just looks like one that worked well in the past, you are going to like it better than one that looks like something that didn't. As "facts" go, this has to be one of the less useful ones.
>>
>
>Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but if you lack any
>aesthetic sense, ugliness is a knife in your back.

Beautiful schematics and boards work better for a couple of reasons.
One, they have had more time being beautified and looked at and
thought about. Two, they are designed by people who really care about
details.

On a sunny day (Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:08:14 -0000 (UTC)) it happened "Don"
<g@crcomp.net> wrote in <20220929a@crcomp.net>:

>Jan Panteltje <pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/354190172519
>
>"Value for money .. value for many..." says it all.

>Beings the OP's "look at my cobbled together thing" serves as this
>thread's theme, here's another peek at my own cobbled contraption:
><https://crcomp.net/mp3mod/index.php>

Ha! I have several of those !
Bought many years ago from ebay...
My mp3 player however is a Creative Muvo, 10 hours on an eneloop AAA

>My webpage needs an update because this guy:
><https://www.ebay.com/itm/304571755908> recently replaced the cheap mp3
>player.

That one is new to me...
My creative muvo has been working now for almost 13 years...?
http://panteltje.com/pub/muvo_1_img_1638.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/muvo_2_img_1639.jpg
http://panteltje.com/pub/muvo_3_img_1640.jpg
No idea what I payed for it, bought locally in a store, love at first sight.

Also have a credit card size mp3 / video player from ebay
and little credit card size FM radios
Some came 3 for a few dollars... Al works.

>The new board costs only US$3.95 and it runs circles around the
>old player. You can read about all of the functionality packed into one
>proprietary chip on my new board.
> For my purposes - outdoor cycle spins and dog walks - only the 3.5mm
>output's necessary. Connected to a Sony Walkman MJR-J10, because they
>reliably stay in place.
> A few sad old dogs whined about corded earbuds and mp3 players the
>last time a link to my gizmo was posted. Nonetheless, in the end, my
>gadget proves out as the best solution for my needs.
>
>Danke,
>
>--
>Don, KB7RPU, https://www.qsl.net/kb7rpu

Interesting links
My wall clock:
http://panteltje.com/panteltje/raspberry_pi_FDS132_matrix_display_driver/index.html

John Larkin wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:07:25 -0400, Phil Hobbs
> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:
>
>> John Larkin wrote:
>>> On Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:16:11 -0400, Phil Hobbs
>>> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> John Larkin wrote:
>>>>> On Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:08:58 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>>>>> <pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On a sunny day (Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:39:04 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>>>>>> <jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>>>>>> <8qm8jh9oaked9p4mh4jbumqdd0ict06n5j@4ax.com>:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Sep 2022 04:56:06 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>>>>>>> <pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On a sunny day (Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:44:27 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>>>>>>>> <jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote in
>>>>>>>> <cpi6jhp2rui2013ud74ih85ncn8cjmhkn8@4ax.com>:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> We finally gave up on the dreadful Hammond boxes and custom labels. We
>>>>>>>>> have our own extrusions, blue anodized, and blast all the artwork with
>>>>>>>>> a Boss laser.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cfnhhynh6p3auxf/AACPOsScNGmuH1lAlNCPmSdGa?dl=0
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> This gets us better EMI and some conduction cooling too. Top and
>>>>>>>>> bottom both come off, which is handy when we have parts on both sides
>>>>>>>>> of the board.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Makes a bad impression
>>>>>>>> I would like connectors fixed mechanically to the front panel
>>>>>>>> as this way any forces are directly passed to the peeseebee.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Think about the forces when the connector is fastened to the panel.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Those are controlled by you during assembly, but you never met Big Joe who can turn anything past breakpoint,..
>>>>>
>>>>> Leave connector nuts loose?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> We use a fair number of U.FL to SMA bulkhead cables, which solves both
>>>> problems.
>>>
>>> That's expensive and labor intensive and wouldn't work very well in a
>>> small box with lots of connectors.
>>>
>>> http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/T564DS.shtml
>>>
>>> http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/J270DS.shtml
>>>
>>> We are not seeing connectors broken off of PC boards. They make
>>> Corvettes from epoxy-glass.
>>>
>>> We did get one batch of end plates with anodize in the countersunk
>>> holes, in defiance of the notes on the drawing. We'll have to touch up
>>> with a countersink to clean them up, a mild nuisance. I wonder if
>>> there is a kind of flathead screw that has groves or teeth on the
>>> bevels to scrape through the anoddize. I'd google but I don't know
>>> what to call that.
>>>
>>> Maybe our Boss laser could do it, clean out the anodize on the
>>> countersinks.
>>>
>>
>> Yeah, we normally have one to three connectors. We really like
>> U.FLs--they have a nice positive snap action, have gold contacts, cost
>> 20 cents, are the size of a SOT23, work up to 6 GHz or so, and have next
>> to no capacitance. Other than that, they stink.
>>

> They are hard to mate and un-mate.

Mating is easy. Unmating needs a quarter-twist of a small screwdriver
under the panhandle (where the cable attaches).

One of their principal virtues is that you can sprinkle them as test
points, which gets rid of the usual scope probe problems with pickup and
ground inductance. They don't have to be populated in the production
boards, and the footprints are small enough to ignore (usually).

> Transmission-line transformer, stock cable assembly:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/5o6mf5x94n1e08a/Z412_X.JPG?raw=1
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/kc217v0lfqaa48u/Pot_Core_TXline.JPG?raw=1
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>

Yeah, that's a cute hack I've been meaning tor try out.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1

What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
Or are you changing potcores all the time?

On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
<pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>
>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>Or are you changing potcores all the time?

Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/afe4oa9xuqdpbi2/Xfmrs.JPG?raw=1

We can buy those "windings" from Digikey. Elegant.

But tx transformers make gorgeous isolated outputs

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lkjr6ktog40zn3p/T760_Out_Pulse.jpg?raw=1

That was driven by mosfets. We'll go GaN in the future and get more
speed and more voltage.

On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
<jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
<ihvdjh50jhq407o7ti2b3csitdoo7ntc8k@4ax.com>:

>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>>
>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>
>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>
>https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1

Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
I have some equipment with these models but did not feel reliable.
Have some problem here with an USB RTL-SDR stick also the RF connector
should solder it really.

On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
<pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
><jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
><ihvdjh50jhq407o7ti2b3csitdoo7ntc8k@4ax.com>:
>
>>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>>>
>>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>>
>>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>>
>>https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1
>
>Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
> connectors.. seen many problems with connectors

Works great. Electronics needs connectors.

Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.

On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:26:15 -0700) it happened John Larkin
<jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
<rh9ejh17a3o1t61a4hpbqgnbk8df8g1iuq@4ax.com>:

>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>><jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>><ihvdjh50jhq407o7ti2b3csitdoo7ntc8k@4ax.com>:
>>
>>>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>>><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>>>>
>>>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>>>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>>>
>>>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>>>
>>>https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1
>>
>>Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
>> connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
>
>Works great. Electronics needs connectors.

>Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.

Well I never had a problem with RG178
putting on connectors in the right way requires more effort.
Do you do this just for the looks of it?? ;-)

Jan Panteltje wrote:
> On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:26:15 -0700) it happened John Larkin
> <jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
> <rh9ejh17a3o1t61a4hpbqgnbk8df8g1iuq@4ax.com>:
>
>> On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>> <pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>>> <jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>>> <ihvdjh50jhq407o7ti2b3csitdoo7ntc8k@4ax.com>:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>>>> <pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>>>>>
>>>>> What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>>>>> Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>>>>
>>>> Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1
>>>
>>> Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
>>> connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
>>
>> Works great. Electronics needs connectors.
>
>
>> Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.
>
> Well I never had a problem with RG178
> putting on connectors in the right way requires more effort.
> Do you do this just for the looks of it?? ;-)
>

U.FL jumpers are very cheap and work very well. We use quite a few.

I wouldn't want to try making one by hand!

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

On Friday, September 30, 2022 at 10:26:23 AM UTC-7, John Larkin wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
> <pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
> ><jla...@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
> ><ihvdjh50jhq407o7t...@4ax.com>:
> >
> >>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
> >><pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> >>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
> >>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?

> >>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.

> >Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
> > connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
> Works great. Electronics needs connectors.
>
> Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.

Didn't you say you were buying prebuilt connectorized cables? Crimping
is also not easy, but with the right (expensive) equipment, it's reliable.

Coaxial cable doesn't reflow-solder nicely, even if you wanted to hand-solder,
a bit of a preformed collar or wrap for the braid would be prudent. I like
to whip ends with a copper strand, like it was a rope, then tin that.
Works on stainless steel brake cables for the bike, too, with silver solder.

On a sunny day (Sat, 1 Oct 2022 02:04:44 -0700 (PDT)) it happened whit3rd
<whit3rd@gmail.com> wrote in
<07981aaf-05aa-4fd9-9b28-7036fbd2a8b7n@googlegroups.com>:

>On Friday, September 30, 2022 at 10:26:23 AM UTC-7, John Larkin wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>> <pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>> ><jla...@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>> ><ihvdjh50jhq407o7t...@4ax.com>:
>> >
>> >>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>> >><pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> >>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>> >>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>
>> >>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>
>> >Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
>> > connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
>> Works great. Electronics needs connectors.
>>
>> Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.
>
>Didn't you say you were buying prebuilt connectorized cables? Crimping
>is also not easy, but with the right (expensive) equipment, it's reliable.

Yes I have a lot of those with SMA connectors to connect things,
but only one length, that length would have to be correct for his coils.
He could have them made to length in China for large quantities perhaps.

>Coaxial cable doesn't reflow-solder nicely, even if you wanted to hand-solder,

Sometimes higher temperature helps 370 degrees C should work.

>a bit of a preformed collar or wrap for the braid would be prudent. I like
>to whip ends with a copper strand, like it was a rope, then tin that.
>Works on stainless steel brake cables for the bike, too, with silver solder.

Nice, have not tried that.
Here an example with RG178:
http://panteltje.com/pub/soldering_RG178_IXIMG_0871.JPG
I use that coax for about everything RF, that one makes a tuned antenna from a piece of 300 twin wire, impedance matched.
https://m0ukd.com/calculators/slim-jim-and-j-pole-calculator/

But even my sat dish with rotor uses that cable, it is so thin you do not have to drill holes in the outside wall
just goes through the window. that you can then close without problems...
PTFE, bit harder to melt the insulation, melting point 327 degrees C, makes soldering easier.

On Sat, 01 Oct 2022 06:23:52 GMT, Jan Panteltje
<pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:26:15 -0700) it happened John Larkin
><jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
><rh9ejh17a3o1t61a4hpbqgnbk8df8g1iuq@4ax.com>:
>
>>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>>><jlarkin@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>>><ihvdjh50jhq407o7ti2b3csitdoo7ntc8k@4ax.com>:
>>>
>>>>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>>>><pNaonStpealmtje@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpu6wpli7pvwuih/TX_1.jpg?raw=1
>>>>>
>>>>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>>>>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>>>>
>>>>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>>>>
>>>>https://www.dropbox.com/s/oam60ys8n0pt8bo/T750_1.JPG?raw=1
>>>
>>>Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
>>> connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
>>
>>Works great. Electronics needs connectors.
>
>
>>Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.
>
>Well I never had a problem with RG178
>putting on connectors in the right way requires more effort.
>Do you do this just for the looks of it?? ;-)

We just buy that cable assembly for $1.54. And pick-and-place the
connectors on the board. It's a cheap and easy and reliable.

But it does look cool, got to admit.

Given the need to make a custom transmission-line transformer, this is
a great way to do it. This is the isolated high-voltage output option
of a pulse/delay generator.

On Sat, 1 Oct 2022 02:04:44 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Friday, September 30, 2022 at 10:26:23 AM UTC-7, John Larkin wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:42:49 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>> <pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2022 07:41:26 -0700) it happened John Larkin
>> ><jla...@highlandSNIPMEtechnology.com> wrote in
>> ><ihvdjh50jhq407o7t...@4ax.com>:
>> >
>> >>On Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:51:37 GMT, Jan Panteltje
>> >><pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> >>>What's wrong with just a drop of solder?
>> >>>Or are you changing potcores all the time?
>
>> >>Stripping and soldering coax is a lot of labor.
>
>> >Yes, is that not more reliable? I mean
>> > connectors.. seen many problems with connectors
>> Works great. Electronics needs connectors.
>>
>> Cutting, stripping, soldering micro-coax is not easy or reliable.
>
>Didn't you say you were buying prebuilt connectorized cables?

DIGIKEY A36229-ND

$1.54 each.