Nextion Firmware for 3.2″ and 7″ screens

VE1BWV(Joe) and KN4UD (Allen) have  announced the release of Nextion firmware to support larger screen sizes with KD8CEC firmware v 1.094 and up.

The current releases include support for the 3.2 and 3.2E and for the 7 inch Nextion display.

The screens have been redeveloped with new buttons  and enhanced graphics to reflect each of the 2 display sizes.   This work is on going but due to high requests they have decided to release current versions which are fully functional and utilise the full display area.

Downloads:

[wpdm_package id=’2674′]

[wpdm_package id=’2677′]

[wpdm_package id=’2680′]

[wpdm_package id=’2682′]

Reference

Latest release of the TFT Colour Touch Control from VU2SPF and VE1BWV

VU2SPF and Joe VE1BWV have released the latest version of their TFT Colour Touch Control.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Low cost, standard easy to get parts, Colour, Touch Control and any combination of Touch Control or physical buttons.

TFT (Touch) Display module, Atmega 2650, Si5351 DDS, 1 UBITX and a few wires = All Band rig with Computer / Radio Touch Control Colour Display.

Some new features:

  1. Automatic Scanning – up to band edges in both the directions is now added in V2.9bU of software. The scanning allows one to find signals of interest across the band. Two small buttons labeled ‘U’ and ‘D’ scan in up and down directions from the currently set frequency. The scanning can be stopped by touching the frequency display area.
  2. CAT Control  – the software now has new code to emulate FT817 Cat commands… This provides radio and computer control for the digital modes.
  3. User Manual   A new comprehensive user manual has also been added. Various users and new builders have been looking for this for quite a while.The new version is available on Github at : https://github.com/sprakashb/TFT_TouchScreen_for_uBitxInfo also available at:
    http://vu2spf.blogspot.ca
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkg-IrjV2h4&t=375s

(UBITX ver2.9bu Installation Results)

Note that at present the firmware doesn’t support CW.

Reference

VU2SPF/VE1BWV new firmware release v2.9u

SP VU2SPF and Joe VE1BWV have just released the latest version of the TFT Colour Touch Control software.

Highlights

This software/hardware combination is low cost, uses standard easy to get parts and provides a colour, touch control and physical buttons if you want them.

You will require a TFT (Touch) Display module, an At Mega 2650 arduino board, Si5351 DDS module, a µBITx and a few wires

The result is an all-band rig with a computer controlled Radio Touch Control Colour Display.

Some new features

Automatic Scanning – up to band edges in both the directions is now added in V2.9bU of software. Scanning finds signals of interest across the band. Two small buttons labeled ‘U’ and ‘D’ scan in up and down from the currently set frequency.  Scanning can be stopped by touching the display panel.

CAT Control  – the software now has new code to emulate FT817 CAT commands. This provides radio and computer control for digital modes.

User Manual   A new comprehensive user manual has also been added. Constructors have been looking for this for quite a while.

The new version is available on Github at : https://github.com/sprakashb/TFT_TouchScreen_for_uBitx

Information is also available at:
http://vu2spf.blogspot.ca

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkg-IrjV2h4&t=375s

(UBITX ver2.9bu Installation Results)

Reference

New Software Release for TFT Colour Touch Screen

VU2SPF – Dr. SP Bhatnagar (India) and VE1BWV Joe Basque (CD)  are pleased to announce the initial public release of the UBITX Colour Touch Display Controller v2.72u.   
This is essentially  the same as the one for BITX, but modified to work with the UBITX.   The new software provides  a Colour Touch Display Controller with a no menu approach  to control your ubitx .
More info  can be found in the following locations:

The website contains information on how to download the code.

Features:
  1.  Low cost for parts – Suggested parts –  1 atmega2560 – approx $8.00US, 1 Addafruit dds Si5351 – $10.00  –  2.8 TFT  touch colour display     $12.00 US
  2. All bands, band selectivity, USB LSB  -Works well with digital modes
  3. All Display buttons are touch control – and no menus
  4. Any button can have a physical button and a TFT touch or any combination.
  5. 100 memory channels
  6. Tunable BFO’s
  7. 3 VFO’S – A  B  and  MEM
  8. USB / LSB
  9. TX  timeout control
  10. Touch TX button and or physical TX control – for ptt mike or digital modes (vox input low)

Next : New Feature – Working on adding  CAT Control

Connections diagram

Joe VE1BWV subsequently uploaded the connection diagram to show how the Arduino Mega 2560 connects to the display, the si5351a and the main board.

Another audio pop mod

Joe VE1BWV provides another audio pop mod:

You probably will want to install a pop click fix to eliminate a loud pop whenever TX is turned on and off.   This circuit uses a 1N4148 diode, a 470k  or 300k resistor, a .22 or .44uF cap and a 2n7000 MOSFET.  Joe says this works amazingly well and mounts on the rear of the volume pot as indicated below (ignore the 0.1 uF capacitor).
Reference

The first TFT display for uBITx

The first uBITx has appeared with a 2.8” TFT display.  The hardware is from Joe VE1BWV and the software from VU2SPF.

The display provides full touch control along with physical optional buttons.  100 memory channels come standard, along with a tunable BFO, selection of VFO A, B or M. All bands are selectable from the front display which is a cheap 2.8” TFT touch display.  Joe uses an AT Mega 2560 processor for lots of pins and better performance and an Si5351 for DDS.

Reference

Further details were given subsequently by Joe VE1BWV …

We have already done this for the Bitx40 and released software, videos etc.
Under youtube vu2spf and facebook as well as in the [BITX20] io group.
They are for the Bitx40 but the new code for ubitx has all the same features.I have 2 of my 3 Bitx running the basic same code. They work and look great.

See http:// vu2spf.blogspot.ca

This has info on the code, features, hardware, etc.  The full UBITX info will be posted soon, including the arduino sketch, hardware options, where to source parts.   An article in QRP magazine has just been released to subscribers.

Reference
 Joe recommends the Elegoo 2.8 inch  TFT Display with pen from Amazon.com  He has ordered 4 over time and the quality has been consistent, resulting in all of them working with clear, clean, crisp displays.
The price is  around $15.00 shipped within the USA. Note that the vendor does not ship outside of North America.
The Elegoo 2.8″ display with ATMega 2560 mounted behind it in the uBITx
Arduino Module : Joe uses the AT Mega 2560 and suggests Ebay is the cheapest source at less then $10.00 with any AT mega 2560 working.
DDS module –  SI5351  module (not just the chip)- available from Ebay or Adafruit direct or from Amazon.com for around $11.00.
Joe uses female single jacks to solder to the rear of the At Mega. Access to the pins is from the rear of the atmega 2560 as the front is facing the front radio panel with the TFT display plugged directly into it.  There is no room to get access to the pins after assembly.   This method minimizes the wires from AT Mega to the ubitx board.
You can also use an interface board which VU2SPF has developed – he has the pictures, but no pcb for sale at present.
Jumper cables are as follows:
  • 1 Jumper cable (2 pin) – male to female for connection of SDA and SDC lines from AT Mega to the Si5351 DDS.
  • 1 Jumper female to female 8 pin from atmaga to ubitx board
  • 3 cables for the clocks from Si5351 to the Ubitx.  – shielded cable is best
Joe feeds the rig with 13.5 volts – using a well filtered non switching power supply.   He also uses 2 “buck” converters (around $1.50 each on Ebay).
  • The first of these gets fed the 13.5 volt, and reduces the voltage to 9v to feed the AT Mega 2560.  This keeps it cooler than running full input voltage. He also adds 2  filter caps –  one 2000 mfd capacitor on the input side, and the other on the output side, along  with a 2- 10 ohm resistor on the output in series to act as a hash isolation filter.
  • The second converter is used to feed the SI 5351 module, adjusted to 5 volts. This uses the same filtering system as above.

Joe says this results in a very quiet rig with everything nice and cool.

Reference