WiFi Direction

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NZ0I

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Jun 2, 2017, 2:01:29 PM6/2/17
to Receiver Development Platform
Based on the low cost, wide assortment of breakout boards and development tools, and large support community, it seems that the ESP8266 is the best candidate for use in the ARDF receivers and transmitters. So I think I will proceed down that path.

I've ordered an Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 board to experiment with. Assuming it proves to be suitable, I'll simply add pin sockets for that breakout board to the Digital Interface and Transmitter board designs.

The Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 is an especially attractive choice because the board can be used standalone, and its firmware can be modified using Arduino IDE tools, using a process that AdaFruit has documented online. So by adding the breakout board to the receiver and transmitter designs, builders who choose to include them can program them themselves with widely and freely-available Arduino tools.

Gerald Boyd

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Jun 4, 2017, 1:58:46 PM6/4/17
to NZ0I, Receiver Development Platform
Looks like a real good board. That's amazing they can sale it for that cost. Given the cost of the board we could just use the eval board?
Jerry 

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Charles Scharlau

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Jun 4, 2017, 2:05:43 PM6/4/17
to Gerald Boyd, Receiver Development Platform
Yes, I'm thinking that we can just treat the Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 breakout board as a WiFi module, at least for now. It has some features that should make it easier to use, so it seems like a reasonable plan to simply plug it into the Transmitter and Digital Interface boards.

On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 1:58 PM, Gerald Boyd <wb8...@icloud.com> wrote:
Looks like a real good board. That's amazing they can sale it for that cost. Given the cost of the board we could just use the eval board?
Jerry 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 2, 2017, at 12:01 PM, NZ0I <charles....@gmail.com> wrote:

Based on the low cost, wide assortment of breakout boards and development tools, and large support community, it seems that the ESP8266 is the best candidate for use in the ARDF receivers and transmitters. So I think I will proceed down that path.

I've ordered an Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 board to experiment with. Assuming it proves to be suitable, I'll simply add pin sockets for that breakout board to the Digital Interface and Transmitter board designs.

The Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 is an especially attractive choice because the board can be used standalone, and its firmware can be modified using Arduino IDE tools, using a process that AdaFruit has documented online. So by adding the breakout board to the receiver and transmitter designs, builders who choose to include them can program them themselves with widely and freely-available Arduino tools.

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Gerald Boyd

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Jun 4, 2017, 2:17:42 PM6/4/17
to Charles Scharlau, Receiver Development Platform
I see from the data sheet as a bonus we get an additional analog input channel (1 volt) . Could be used for monitoring something.

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NZ0I

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Jun 4, 2017, 5:45:23 PM6/4/17
to Receiver Development Platform
Actually, I had been looking for another ADC input. An idea I had for improving reliability is something I'll call "Backup Mode".

The idea is that, during a championship competition, where you would like to have extra-high reliability, you could place two transmitters at a control, both of them with independent antennas (close together), and their own separate power supplies, everything totally redundant. Both transmitters would be powered on, but one of them would be in "Backup Mode".

In Backup Mode, a transmitter is synchronized and prepared to transmit at all times, but it will only transmit if it fails to detect a strong signal coming from another nearby transmitter during those time intervals when it is supposed to be on the air. The two redundant transmitters would be close enough together that the backup transmitter would receive a very strong signal from the one nearby: so strong that it should not require a receiver to detect it, just a simple field strength detector. But we need one more ADC to read the voltage from the field strength detector circuit.

The Backup Mode concept is currently half baked. I'm not sure it will be worth the effort, and it might actually increase the risk of problems, rather than prevent them. It needs more thought, but the ADC is there if we want to experiment with it.


On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 2:17:42 PM UTC-4, Gerald Boyd wrote:
I see from the data sheet as a bonus we get an additional analog input channel (1 volt) . Could be used for monitoring something.

Sent from my iPhone



Yes, I'm thinking that we can just treat the Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 breakout board as a WiFi module, at least for now. It has some features that should make it easier to use, so it seems like a reasonable plan to simply plug it into the Transmitter and Digital Interface boards.
On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 1:58 PM, Gerald Boyd wrote:
Looks like a real good board. That's amazing they can sale it for that cost. Given the cost of the board we could just use the eval board?
Jerry 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 2, 2017, at 12:01 PM, NZ0I  wrote:

Based on the low cost, wide assortment of breakout boards and development tools, and large support community, it seems that the ESP8266 is the best candidate for use in the ARDF receivers and transmitters. So I think I will proceed down that path.

I've ordered an Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 board to experiment with. Assuming it proves to be suitable, I'll simply add pin sockets for that breakout board to the Digital Interface and Transmitter board designs.

The Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 is an especially attractive choice because the board can be used standalone, and its firmware can be modified using Arduino IDE tools, using a process that AdaFruit has documented online. So by adding the breakout board to the receiver and transmitter designs, builders who choose to include them can program them themselves with widely and freely-available Arduino tools.

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Gerald Boyd

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Jun 4, 2017, 7:11:38 PM6/4/17
to NZ0I, Receiver Development Platform

That’s an interesting idea. I think there is an analog devices ( or of the other IC companies) that makes an RF detector chip. If its close enough could make an rf detector using diodes and an opamp.

 

Jerry

 

From: receiver-devel...@googlegroups.com [mailto:receiver-devel...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of NZ0I
Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2017 3:45 PM
To: Receiver Development Platform <receiver-devel...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [receiver-development-platform] WiFi Direction

 

Actually, I had been looking for another ADC input. An idea I had for improving reliability is something I'll call "Backup Mode".

 

The idea is that, during a championship competition, where you would like to have extra-high reliability, you could place two transmitters at a control, both of them with independent antennas (close together), and their own separate power supplies, everything totally redundant. Both transmitters would be powered on, but one of them would be in "Backup Mode".

 

In Backup Mode, a transmitter is synchronized and prepared to transmit at all times, but it will only transmit if it fails to detect a strong signal coming from another nearby transmitter during those time intervals when it is supposed to be on the air. The two redundant transmitters would be close enough together that the backup transmitter would receive a very strong signal from the one nearby: so strong that it should not require a receiver to detect it, just a simple field strength detector. But we need one more ADC to read the voltage from the field strength detector circuit.

 

The Backup Mode concept is currently half baked. I'm not sure it will be worth the effort, and it might actually increase the risk of problems, rather than prevent them. It needs more thought, but the ADC is there if we want to experiment with it.



On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 2:17:42 PM UTC-4, Gerald Boyd wrote:

I see from the data sheet as a bonus we get an additional analog input channel (1 volt) . Could be used for monitoring something.

Sent from my iPhone



Yes, I'm thinking that we can just treat the Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 breakout board as a WiFi module, at least for now. It has some features that should make it easier to use, so it seems like a reasonable plan to simply plug it into the Transmitter and Digital Interface boards.

On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 1:58 PM, Gerald Boyd wrote:

Looks like a real good board. That's amazing they can sale it for that cost. Given the cost of the board we could just use the eval board?

Jerry 

Sent from my iPhone


On Jun 2, 2017, at 12:01 PM, NZ0I  wrote:

Based on the low cost, wide assortment of breakout boards and development tools, and large support community, it seems that the ESP8266 is the best candidate for use in the ARDF receivers and transmitters. So I think I will proceed down that path.

 

I've ordered an Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 board to experiment with. Assuming it proves to be suitable, I'll simply add pin sockets for that breakout board to the Digital Interface and Transmitter board designs.

 

The Adafruit HUZZAH ESP8266 is an especially attractive choice because the board can be used standalone, and its firmware can be modified using Arduino IDE tools, using a process that AdaFruit has documented online. So by adding the breakout board to the receiver and transmitter designs, builders who choose to include them can program them themselves with widely and freely-available Arduino tools.

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Charles Scharlau

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Jun 4, 2017, 7:54:23 PM6/4/17
to Gerald Boyd, Receiver Development Platform
I was imagining a simple diode solution, but we are already using RF detector chips (LTC5507) in the SWR bridges of the transmitter. I'm certain that they would be plenty sensitive in a field strength indicator application. In fact, it might even be possible to use the SWR indicators to detect the strong signal received from the other transmitter... then we won't need that additional ADC in the WiFi chip. 

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