SID R ECEIVER A SSEMBLY M ANUAL

SID R ECEIVER V 1.1

Assembly Manual Rev. 1.0 April 24, 2011

Copyright 2011, Lionel LOUDET

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Safety First................................................................................................................................................. 4 Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage............................................................................................5 Tools and Test Equipment Required............................................................................................................... 6 Soldering and Desoldering.............................................................................................................................. 7 Assembly Procedure........................................................................................................................................ 8 Preparation of the Enclosure..................................................................................................................... 9 Receiver Section Assembly....................................................................................................................... 10 Visual Inspections.................................................................................................................................... 16 Resistance checks .................................................................................................................................... 16 Power On Tests ........................................................................................................................................ 16 IC installation........................................................................................................................................... 18 Frequency Tuning.................................................................................................................................... 20 Initial Gain Setting.................................................................................................................................. 23 Final Receiver Section Assembly............................................................................................................. 24 Power Supply Section Assembly.............................................................................................................. 25 Visual Inspections.................................................................................................................................... 26 Power Supply Section Test....................................................................................................................... 26 Final Board Assembly.............................................................................................................................. 27 Calibrate Offset........................................................................................................................................ 28 Mechanical Assembly............................................................................................................................... 29 Final calibration....................................................................................................................................... 31 Software installation..................................................................................................................................... 32 Perl Installation....................................................................................................................................... 32 MySQL Installation.................................................................................................................................. 33 Gnuplot Installation................................................................................................................................. 33 SID Monitor Scripts Installation............................................................................................................. 33 MySQL Databases Initialisation............................................................................................................. 34 SID Station Scripts Configuration.......................................................................................................... 35 A few miscellaneous but important considerations................................................................................35 Alternate Software Installation : SIDmonitor program..............................................................................36 A few miscellaneous but important considerations................................................................................36 Appendix........................................................................................................................................................ 37 A. Bill Of Material........................................................................................................................................ 38 B. Illustrated Parts List............................................................................................................................... 39 Identifying resistors................................................................................................................................. 39 Identifying Capacitors.............................................................................................................................. 39 Supply part............................................................................................................................................... 40 Receiver part............................................................................................................................................ 40 C. Specific parts............................................................................................................................................ 43 Frequency-setting resistors..................................................................................................................... 43 Averaging Filter Integration time setting............................................................................................... 43 D. SID Receiver Synoptic............................................................................................................................. 44 E. Schematics............................................................................................................................................... 45 F. Layout SID Receiver Synoptic................................................................................................................. 47 G.Protocol of the MAX187 USB/Serial Interface........................................................................................ 48

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Introduction
Safety First
FAILURE TO READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS OR FATAL ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

This receiver uses a mains transformer to supply power to the circuits. Mains voltage is present at the input plug, the on/off switch, the fuse, the mains tapping arrangement and the transformer. YOU MUST NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TOUCH THE LIVE OR THE NEUTRAL TERMINALS. If you are in any doubt about your abilities to use and work with this receiver safely, please get expert local help. Avoiding the Accidents Perform all the initial tests using an external regulated DC power supply. The supply and receiver parts are separated on the PCB to that purpose. Connect the receiver to the mains only when all checks and tuning steps are done. Please follow the instructions. When working on mains-powered board: Stand on an insulated surface. Use an RCD. These devices monitor the balance of current flowing in the live and neutral wires. If an imbalance of more than (typically) 30mA is detected then the RCD will shut off the power. Don't wear metal watch-straps, jewelry, etc. These can come into contact with live circuits. Keep one hand away. This limits the risk to get a shock across the chest. Take care.

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage

Some parts used in this project are sensitive to Electrostatic Discharges (ESD). These discharges can remain unnoticed and can happen under any environmental conditions. ESD damages can be destructive but damaged components can also fail partially, leading to strange behavior and difficult troubleshooting investigations. Sensitive parts are stored in anti-static packaging ( anti-static bags or anti-static foam). When manipulating those components, it is important to have a means to drain off static charges that could be created by your body or clothing. The easiest means is to wear a grounded wrist strap and work on a static dissipating mat. Please observe the following precautions: Leave ESD-sensitive parts in their anti-static packaging until you install them. The assembly procedure list when ESD sensitive parts are manipulated. use an ESD wrist strap and static dissipating work mat while handling the ESD sensitive parts (ICs) or the populated PCB. Use an ESD-safe soldering station

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Tools and Test Equipment Required

You will need the following tools to build the SID receiver: 1. Temperature-controlled ESD-safe soldering station. A fine-tip should be used (spade tip width less than 0.05 (1.3 mm). Tip temperature should be set in the 700 to 800F range (370 to 420C). 2. Small-diameter (0.02 to 0.04, 0.5mm to 1mm) leaded solder. Do not use acid-core solder or water-soluble flux solder. 3. #0, #1 and #2 size Phillips screwdrivers. 4. #2 blade screwdriver. 5. 5.5mm wrench for tightening M3 nuts (or 3/32 wrench for 4-40 nuts). 3/4 wrench (or 17mm) for nuts. Use of pliers is not recommended since it could results in damages to the nut and/or PCB. 6. Resistor Lead forming tool. Very useful to bend the leads to the right shape and spacing. 7. IC DIP package lead forming tool. Ensures safe and correct spacing of IC leads. 8. Diagonal cutters. Flush-cutting type is advised. 9. Small rule 10. Small try square 11. Center punch, hammer 12. Small round metal file, small square metal file 13. Dremel tool, grinding stone for dremel 14. Drill bit 3.2mm (or 1/8), step drill bit (up to 1) 15. Digital Multimeter (DMM) for voltage and resistance checks. 16. Power supply +/- 5VDC nominal Test Equipment: Either: Signal Generator. Dual Channel Oscilloscope. Or: High-Quality soundcard (192kbps/24bits) connected to a computer running SpectrumLab software Optional/Useful Equipment: 1. A magnifying glass with a hands-free stand is also recommended. 2. Narrow solder wick or a vacuum desoldering tool can be helpful.

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Soldering and Desoldering

Avoid inhaling smoke or fumes. Lead is toxic, wash your hands after soldering. This PCB has plated-through holes. A very small amount of solder is necessary to make a good connection with the pad. Fillets of solder are nor required, and can even lead to solder bridges. The tip of the iron must touch both the component lead and the pad before solder is applied. Check for cold solder joints. Solder joints should look clean and shiny. Cold solder joints must be cleaned (using solder wick or vacuum sucker). To avoid cold solder joints, ensure the tip temperature is correctly set in the 700 to 800F range (370 to 420C). Also, regularly clean the tip. Properly clean the solder flux residues when all board parts are soldered. Use appropriate cleaning agent. This SID receiver board is a high-quality double-sided with plated-through holes. Removing components can be difficult without the proper equipment. All of the solder must be removed from the hole before a lead can be removed. Double-check parts values and orientations. If you need to remove components: Do not pull the component lead too strong. Remove all solder with a vacuum desoldering tool and apply heat. The part must come easily. Plated-though hole and traces can be damaged otherwise. Use a high quality vacuum desoldering tool. Do not try to reinstall a part without having first removed all solder from the holes. The safest way to remove ICs is to cut all of the pins of the device first, and then remove each pin individually. PCB damages can result otherwise.

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Assembly Procedure
It is recommended that you print out this manual to follow easily the step-by-step instructions

The PCB contains two sections: the receiver section on the right hand side, and the power supply section on the left hand side.

This arrangement allows performing most of the checks and tuning steps without the receiver being connected to the mains. Please follow the procedure described in this assembly manual and take all necessary precautions when the board is connected to the mains.

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Preparation of the Enclosure

Before soldering any part to the PCB, take benefit of have an unpopulated PCB to determine more easily the location of the holes to make in the box.

Depending on the enclosure, it may be necessary to perform some milling to ensure the PCB will lay flat against the side of the box. For instance, here is an example of milling done on a Hammond 1590D box at the center rib. This has been done using a Dremel tool and a grinding stone.

Put temporarily the standoffs on the PCB and check its implantation in the box. Mark the position of the connectors position.

Take care to have a clearance of about 1mm (3/64) between the board and the enclosure side panel. Ensure that the enclosure center rib is not at the same level as some parts marked on the PCB silkscreen.

The PCB is maintained using 8 mounting screws. Mark the holes centers using a center punch. Holes drilled on the bottom of the enclosure must have a diameter of 3.2mm for M3 screws or 1/8 for 4-40 screws. For the antenna (and optional carrier) connectors, carefully determine the alignment. The hole center is 8.5mm (11/32) above the PCB. Hole diameter is 1/2 (13mm). For the USB connector, a square hole must be done. The bottom of the USB connector is 16mm (5/8) above the top of the PCB.

The openings to create in the enclosure are now carefully indicated. Carefully remove the standoffs from the board, and proceed with the board assembly described in the following sections.

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Receiver Section Assembly

Install the following resistors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

R001 1k R002 1k R003 20k R004 10k R005 4.7k R008 10k R009 4.7k R011 10k

The value of the following resistors is function of the receiver frequency. Please refer to the frequency table in Appendix C. R101A ______ R101B ______ R102A1 R102A2 R103A R104A R201 10k R202 4.7k R301 10k R302 10k R303 10k R304 3.3k R305 10k R306 10k R401 20k R402 39k R501 1M R502 1M R506 1M R507 1M ______ ______ ______ ______

R102B1 R102B2 R103B R104B

______ ______ ______ ______

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual The resistors R503 and R505 must be matched. Use a DMM to measure the value of ten 1% 47k resistors, and choose those that have the closest resistance value.

R503 47k R505 47k R601 10k R602 90.9k R603 30.1k R604 10k R701 10k R801 1k R802 470 R803 1k R804 51

Here is a picture of the board at this stage of the assembly:

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Install the following diodes in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe polarity indicated on the silkscreen.

D301 1N4148 D302 1N4148

Install the following non-polarized capacitors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

C001 47n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C002 68p 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C003 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C005 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C006 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C101B 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C201 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C202 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C301 22p 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C501 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C601 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C602 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C801 100n 0.2 (5.08mm) lead spacing C802 1n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C803 100n 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing

Install the IC sockets in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

The use of IC sockets is not mandatory, but highly recommended for maintenance and to ease board checks. Observe the IC orientation indicated on the silkscreen.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

IC1 DIL8 IC2 DIL8 IC3 DIL8 IC4 DIL8 IC5 DIL8 IC6 DIL20 narrow (width = 0.3) IC7 DIL8 X4 DIL24 wide (width = 0.6). Polarity is indicated by the pin 1 location on the silkscreen.

Install the following non-polarized capacitors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

C103 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) lead spacing C104 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) lead spacing C701 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) lead spacing C703 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) lead spacing

Install the following polarized capacitors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe polarity indicated on the silkscreen.

C101 4.7 10V tantalum 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C102 4.7 10V tantalum 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C702 10 10v or more electrolytic, 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing C704 4.7 10V tantalum 0.1 (2.54mm) lead spacing

Do not populate C401 yet

Install the test pins in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

IN MID OUT

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Install the jumpers in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

For each jumper, use two adjacent pins from a 0.1 (2.54mm) width male pin header strip.

JP1 JP2 JP3 JP4 JP5

Do not install shunts on the pin headers yet.

Install the transistors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe transistor orientation shown on the silkscreen .

T1 BC237 T2 BC237

Install the neon bulb in the outline shown on the PCB silkscreen:

GL1

The neon bulb is for protection of the receiver input against high voltages that may occur during storms in the vicinity of the receiving station. The bulb does not glow under normal circumstances!

Install the trimmers in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe trimmer adjustment screw as shown on the silkscreen .

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R007 200k or 250k R010 200k or 250k R102A3 10k or 5k, see frequency table R102B3 10k or 5k, see frequency table R203 100k R504 1k

Install the BNC connectors the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

X2 X3 is optional (carrier output) and most users will not need to populate this connector.

Your board is almost complete. Please perform carefully the visual inspections and resistance checks listed here below. This could save you lots of trouble and destruction of sensitive (and expensive) parts.

Here is a picture of the board at this stage of the assembly:

Note that the author has used here a TNC connector instead of a BNC connector.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Visual Inspections

Use a magnifying glass and check the receiver section of the circuit board for the following:

Missed or cold solder connections. Solder bridges, especially between IC pins. Polarized capacitors and diode orientations.

Resistance checks

Use a DMM to perform the following resistance checks.

Resistance between GND and IC6 pin 3 0 Resistance between GND and IC6 pin 5 0 Resistance between GND and IC6 pin 10 0 Resistance between GND and IC6 pin 17 0 Resistance between GND and IC7 pin 5 0 Resistance between GND and X4 pin 7 0 Resistance between GND and X4 pin 24 0

If any check fails: carefully check the position and orientation of all parts; inspect the board with a magnifier for solder bridges or missed solder joints.

Power On Tests

Solder three wires to the X1 terminals on the receiver section.

It is recommended to NOT solder the wires in the terminal holes. This arrangement is temporary and it may be tricky to unsolder properly those wires when tests are done. Figure here below shows a possible way to solder those wires:

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Failure to respect the following procedure WILL lead to potentially hazardous parts destruction .

Set your regulated power supplies to the following values:

nominal voltage: +5V current limited at 100mA nominal voltage: -5V current limited at 100mA

If your power supplies does not have a precise digital indication of the output voltage, use a DMM to check the output voltages: +5V output must be in the 4.8V to 5.2V range -5V output must be in the -5.2V to -4.8V range Connect the power supply GND to pin 2 of the X1 power connector (marked Connect the +5V output to pin 1 of the X1 power connector (marked Connect the -5V output to pin 3 of the X1 power connector (marked

Connect power supply to PCB:

X ).

) )

Switch on power supply: Check the current limitation does not trip on both +5V and -5V lines Use a DMM to measure voltage at the following pins: IC1 pin 8: +5V IC1 pin 4: -5V IC2 pin 8: +5V IC2 pin 4: -5V IC3 pin 8: +5V IC3 pin 4: -5V IC4 pin 8: +5V IC4 pin 4: -5V IC5 pin 8: +5V IC5 pin 4: -5V IC6 pin 20: +5V IC6 pin 9: -5V IC6 pin 11: -5V IC6 pin 12: -5V IC7 pin 1: +5V IC7 pin 3: +5V X4 pin 15: +5V X4 pin 21: +5V

Switch off power supply

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

IC installation

Carefully install the IC on corresponding sockets: Observe IC orientation. The use of a forming tool to correctly align the IC pins is strongly recommended . Observe handling precautions when manipulating ICs (refer to the Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage section at the beginning of this manual)

IC1 TLE2082 IC2 TLE2082 IC3 TLE2082 IC4 TLE2082 IC5 TLE2082 IC6 MAX275 IC7 MAX187

Set the jumpers of the UM232R module (see picture): J1 of the UM232R module connects pins 2 and 3 J2 of the UM232R module is not installed Install the UM232R module on the socket X4. Take care of the orientation.

Switch on power supply: Check the current limitation does not trip on both +5V and -5V lines Check the current drained by the SID receiver: +5V 31mA -5V 30mA

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual You are now ready to tune your receiver to the frequency you choose for your receiver. Here is a picture of the board at this stage of the assembly:

Note that this picture has been taken at a later stage, when C401 was installed.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Frequency Tuning
The frequency tuning must be correctly done to obtains good results. The tuning is quite sharp, so these step are to be followed carefully. Two different procedures are described here. Either gives good results and the choice is a matter of personal preference and available test equipment Tuning Method 1: using a signal generator and oscilloscope

Warm-up and configure signal generator. Wait till the output frequency is stable.

Check frequency using a good frequency meter. Frequency should remain with +/-10Hz of the target frequency for proper tuning. Set waveform to sine and amplitude to 20mV peak-to-peak

Power up the SID receiver. Wait about half an hour so that temperature is stabilized. Check that jumpers JP1, JP2 and JP3 are not installed Connect signal generator output to test point IN Connect oscilloscope channel 1 input to generator output. Triggering source should be channel 1. Connect oscilloscope channel 2 input to test point MID Adjust the trimmer R102A3 so that the amplitude of the MID signal is maximized Alternately, you can set the oscilloscope in XY-mode. IN and MID are out of phase when the tuning is correct. A straight line is then visible on the oscilloscope. Install jumper JP2 Connect oscilloscope channel 2 input to test point OUT Adjust the trimmer R102B3 so that the amplitude of the OUT signal is maximized. Alternately, you can set the oscilloscope in XY-mode. IN and OUT are in-phase when the tuning is correct. A straight line is then visible on the oscilloscope.

A precise tuning (better than 10 Hz) is required. The trimmer position should be no more that 1/8 th of a turn from the correct setting. The tuning procedure is now complete 20

SID Receiver Assembly Manual Tuning Method 2: using SpectrumLab software This method takes more time that the method presented above, but it is as precise and does not require any test equipment. The SpectrumLab software is a free tool written by Wolfgang Buescher (DL4YHF). It can be downloaded freely at the following address: http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html. SpectrumLab runs on Windows machine and is (but this is reductive for such a powerful tool) a spectrum analyser using the computer soundcard for data acquisition. We assume here that you have a basic knowledge of SpectrumLab. If not, please read carefully the manual and play a bit with the tool till you are familiar with it. Nevertheless, only basic functions are used here. Always use the line input (and not the microphone input) of your soundcard. Microphone inputs are noiser and can easily be destroyed by high-level signals . There is no need to connect an antenna to perform this test. SpectrumLab as a noise generator function that could be used to send noise at the input of the filter (IN test point), but it is usually not required. The noise in the circuits is usually sufficient to obtain good results with the antenna and the IN test pin unconnected.

Configure SpectrumLab to analyse data from your soundcard line input. Power up the SID receiver. Wait about half an hour so that temperature is stabilized. Check that jumpers JP1, JP2 and JP3 are not installed Connect soundcard line input to test point MID Adjust SpectrumLab settings to display the spectrum around the tuning frequency. Ensure that the one pixel per FFT bin is checked in the Spectrum(1) tab. Adjust the trimmer R102A3 so that the spectrum of the MID signal is exactly centered on the frequency of interest.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual Repeat the two steps above till the frequency is precisely enough adjusted. A precise tuning (better than 10 Hz) is required. The trimmer position should be no more that 1/8 th of a turn from the correct setting. To do so, increase progressively the FFT size (i.e. the frequency resolution) from e.g. 8192 till at least 131072. The FFT average could also be increased till the maximum value of 100 for the final steps to smooth out noise.

Install jumper JP2 Connect soundcard line input to test point OUT Readjust SpectrumLab settings. Adjust the trimmer R102B3 so that the spectrum of the OUT signal is exactly centered on the frequency of interest

Repeat the two steps above till the frequency is precisely enough adjusted, increasing progressively the FFT size as described previously. A precise tuning (better than 10 Hz) is required. The trimmer position should be no more that 1/8 th of a turn from the correct setting. Here is an example of spectrum obtained at the last stage of the frequency tuning process:

The tuning procedure is now complete Tuning Issues If you have any problem to tune the receiver on the desired frequency, check R102A1, R102A2, R102B1 and R102B2 values. If the MAX275 oscillates, the Q of the filter or the gain of the filter is too high. The resistor values presented in appendix should give sufficient margin. Nevertheless, if the problem occurs, try reducing R103A/R103B and/or increasing R101A/R102B.

The R102A3 and R102B3 trimmer setting must not now be modified. Otherwise the full tuning process will have to be redone.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Initial Gain Setting

The objective of the procedure described in this section is just to perform a rough calibration of the SID receiver gain so that the signal level fits within the amplitude of the ADC (0 to 4.095V). Loop antenna are commonly used for SID monitoring stations. There are easy to build and offer directivity that improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal. A simple loop antenna can be built using approx. 60 turns of enameled wire over a 0.5m to 1m (2ft to 3ft) square frame.

Orient the antenna. The loop antenna plane must be oriented in the direction of the transmitter. Connect antenna to X2 (antenna input) connector. Install jumpers JP1, JP2 and JP3 set offset voltage to zero.

Use a DMM to measure voltage between ground and the R506 lead closest to board border. Adjust R504 to read 0mV.

Use a DMM to measure voltage between ground and the pin1 of IC4. This voltage depends of the transmitter distance, transmitter power, antenna efficiency and of signal level amplification setting (R007, R010, R203).

Check that R007, R010 and R203 trimmers affect the measured voltage. For the moment, leave those trimmers at their center position (default setting) Set the final output amplification (jumpers JP4 and JP5): if the measured voltage is less than 1260mV, install both JP4 and JP5 (final gain x3.25). if the measured voltage is less than 1024mV, install only JP5 (final gain x4). if the measured voltage is less than 409.5mV, install only JP4 (final gain x10). This final stage is set to ensure that the output voltage is within the analog-to-digital converter range. If the measured voltages are higher that 1260mV, reduce the preamplifier gain (R007, R010 and R203) and install both JP4 and JP5

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Final Receiver Section Assembly

Be sure to switch off the power supply

Unsolder the temporary power supply wires from the X1 connector.

The C401 capacitor was not installed previously to ease the tuning steps. It can now be soldered.

Install the C401 polarized capacitor in the outline shown on the PCB silkscreen:

C401 default value is 470. This value gives an approximate integration time of 1 minute. Should you need different setting, please refer to Appendix C.

C401 (defaults to 470 6.3V)

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Power Supply Section Assembly

Remove the wires temporarily soldered at the X1 connector of the receiver section. Install the following diodes in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe polarity indicated on the silkscreen.

D1 1N4001 D2 1N4001 D3 1N4001 D4 1N4001 D5 1N4001 D6 1N4001

Install the spade connectors at the mains terminals:

PAD1 PAD2

Install the following non-polarized capacitors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen:

C3 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing C4 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing C7 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing C8 100n LCC 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing

Install the voltage regulators in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe regulators orientation shown on the silkscreen .

IC1 78L05 IC2 79L05

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Install the following polarized capacitors in the outlines shown on the PCB silkscreen: Observe polarity indicated on the silkscreen.

C5 4.7 10V or more tantalum 0.1 (2.54mm) spacing C6 4.7 10V or more tantalum 0.1 (2.54mm) spacing C1 2200 16V or more electrolytic 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing C2 2200 16V or more electrolytic 0.2 (5.08mm) spacing

Install the mains transformer in the outline shown on the PCB silkscreen:

TR1 230V/9V 1.5VA (or 115V/9V 1.5VA)

Visual Inspections

Use a magnifying glass and check the power supply section of the circuit board for the following:

Missed or cold solder connections. Solder bridges, especially between IC pins. Polarized capacitors and diode orientations.

Power Supply Section Test

Observe precautions when connecting the board to the mains. Refer to section Safety First at the beginning of this document.

Connect to the spade terminals at pads PAD1 and PAD2 to a mains cable. Switch on mains voltage. Use a DMM to check the following voltages at the power supply output connector X1:

voltage between GND (X1 center pin, marked the range 4.8V to 5.2V. voltage between GND (X1 center pin, marked range -5.2V to -4.8V.

X ) and +5V (X1 pin 3 marked ) should be in X ) and -5V (X1 pin 1 marked ) should be in the

Switch off mains voltage. Unplug the mains terminals

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Final Board Assembly

Be sure to unplug the board from mains terminals

Connect the power supply section and the receiver section:

install a wire jumper between the power section output connector X1 pin 3 (marked the receiver section input connector X1 pin 1 (marked ). install a wire jumper between the power section output connector X1 pin 2 (marked the receiver section input connector X1 pin 2 (marked X ). install a wire jumper between the power section output connector X1 pin 1 (marked the receiver section input connector X1 pin 3 (marked ).

) and X ) and ) and

Remove solder flux residues using an appropriate cleaner.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Calibrate Offset
The power supply output voltages can be different from those used during the initial calibration. The output voltage may be affected so a recalibration should be done.

set offset voltage to zero.

Use a DMM to measure voltage between ground and the R506 lead closest to board border. Adjust R504 to read 0mV.

Picture of the final board:

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Mechanical Assembly
Please ensure that all screws are tight. A loose screw can cause mechanical and electrical problems. On the other hand, threads can be easily stripped if too much force is applied when tightening screws. Use of a hand tool of the correct size is necessary.

Drill the 8 PCB mounting holes ( 3.2mm or 1/8). Deburr both sides. Drill the antenna input connector hole ( 13mm or 1/2). Deburr both sides. If carrier output connector is used, drill the carrier output connector hole ( 13mm or 1/2). Deburr both sides. Open a rectangular hole for the USB connector (size 12mm wide x 11mm height)

drill a 10mm (3/8) hole at the center of the rectangle use a small square file to shape the hole to its final dimensions

Carefully determine location of mains wire opening/line socket, fuse holder and power supply switch. Take care of these parts dimensions and check for sufficient clearance with PCB. Drill a hole or open a rectangular hole for the power supply switch (size as per switch dimensions) Drill a hole for mains cable grommet or create opening for line socket (size as per grommet or socket dimensions). Drill a hole for fuse holder (if a panel-mount holder is used).

Create mains wiring (mains socket, fuse holder, power switch).

The mains Neutral wire is connected to the board PAD1 and to the power supply switch lamp return. Crimp one spade female connectors for connection to the PCB, with a derivation to the power supply switch. Use heat-shrink tube to isolate the connector. The mains Phase wire is connected to the fuse holder, then routed through the power supply switch, then to the board PAD2. Crimp one spade female connectors for connection to the PCB. Use heat-shrink tube to isolate the connector.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Mount the 8 standoffs on the bottom of the PCB. Use lock washers and hex nuts on top of the PCB. Install the PCB in the enclosure Use 8 screws and flat washers to attach the standoffs to the enclosure bottom panel. Install 4 self-adhesive rubber pads at the bottom of the enclosure. Install the 1/2-28 hex nut and associated washer on the BNC connector(s). Install the mains wiring in the enclosure, mount line socket, fuse holder, power switch. Carefully route wires and use cable ties where appropriate. Connect mains wires at pins PAD1 and PAD2.

Close the lid of the enclosure.

Your receiver assembly is now complete CONGRATULATIONS!

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Final calibration
The final calibration phase is a long-term process that has to take place over a few days. Its aim is to ensure that the daily signal evolution fits correctly over the analog-to-digital converter range (between 0V and 4.095V). Ideally, the mid-day signal amplitude should be between 1.5V and 2.5V. The maximum signal level (usually, but not always, at nighttime) should exceed the 4.095V level very infrequently. This calibration has to be done with the antenna and receiver at their final location. The antenna has to be correctly oriented. Never touch the R102A3 and R102B3 frequency tuning trimmers. Should you do it, the whole frequency calibration process would have to be redone.

Ensure antenna is correctly oriented and installed in its final position. Observe the signal level evolution aver a few days. Day/night transitions should be clearly visible, indicating a correct recording of the VLF signal evolution.

Adjust R007 and/or R010 and/or R203 to adjust the overall amplitude level. Repeat this process over a few days.

If you have trouble to find a correct calibration, you may need to change jumpers JP4 and JP5, as described in the Initial Gain Settings section of this document.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Software installation
Data acquisition and storage can be implemented through the industry-standard MySQL database. A set of perl scripts to acquire, store and retrieve data has been written by the author. This method has the advantage of being very robust and powerful. The use of MySQL gives access to endless possibilities for data retrieval and post-processing.

Those scripts can be installed on Linux or Windows platforms. The installation instructions shows here after were tested on Linux Ubuntu (8.04 and above) and on Windows XP.

Perl Installation

Install Perl

Linux: sudo apt-get install perl perl-doc libdbd-mysql-perl Windows: You can choose from the following Windows distributions of Perl: http://www.activestate.com/activeperl/downloads http://strawberryperl.com/

Please refer to documentation from each web site for installation instructions.

Upgrade Perl and add extra libraries

Linux: sudo perl -MCPAN -e shell install Bundle::CPAN install DateTime install Device::SerialPort install DateTime::Format::MySQL install DateTime::Format::Epoch::Unix install DateTime::Format::Natural::Lang::EN install Readonly reload cpan

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual exit Windows: perl -MCPAN -e shell install Bundle::CPAN install DateTime install Win32::SerialPort install DateTime::Format::MySQL install DateTime::Format::Epoch::Unix install DateTime::Format::Natural::Lang::EN install Readonly reload cpan exit

MySQL Installation

Install MySQL

Linux: sudo apt-get install mysql-server Windows: You can download MySQL here: http://www.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/ Please refer to documentation from the web site for installation instructions.

Gnuplot Installation

Install Gnuplot

Linux sudo apt-get install gnuplot msttcorefonts Windows: You can download MySQL http://www.gnuplot.info/download.html Please refer to documentation from the web site for installation instructions.

SID Monitor Scripts Installation

The following scripts are available: sidRxTest: a simple command line application that performs data acquisition from the SID Receiver and that displays the values. Useful for debugging, performing calibration, etc. without storing the data in a database. max187acq : this is the script that performs data acquisition from the SID Receiver and that 33

SID Receiver Assembly Manual stores the values in a MySQL database sidPlot: a script that generates graph images of the signal level variation. download-goes: a script that retrieves GOES X-ray flux measurement from the SWPC website. This script is optional.

The gnuplot templates signal-level.plt and goes.plt must also be downloaded. Download these scripts from the author's website: http://anonsvn.loudet.org/sidstation-scripts/tags Under Linux, do not forget to make those scripts executable: chmod +x sidRxTest max187acq sidPlot download-goes

MySQL Databases Initialisation

This section assumes basic knowledge of MySQL database manipulation. Please refer to MySQL documentation.

Create MySQL VLF database and table

The MySQL VLF database and table must be created as indicated below. Example is given here for "vlf" "signal_level" "DHO38" "date" as database name as table name as channel name as column name of date values

CREATE DATABASE vlf; USE vlf; CREATE TABLE signal_level ( date DATETIME, DHO38 float,

PRIMARY KEY (date));

Description of the VLF signal_level table: +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+ | date | datetime | NO | PRI | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | | | 23400Hz | float | YES | | NULL | | +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+

Create dedicated login for accessing the database from the scripts

The script tools need a login to connect to the MySQL database. This login must be granted SELECT, UPDATE and INSERT. Example is given here for "vlf" as database name "signal_level" as table name "sidmonitor" as login "sidmonitor" as password "192.168.%.%" as acceptable IP address range for this connection. GRANT SELECT,UPDATE,INSERT ON vlf.signal_level TO 'sidmonitor'@'192.168.%.%' IDENTIFIED BY 'sidmonitor';

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Optionally, create MySQL GOES database and table, and grant access to dedicated script login

SID Receiver Assembly Manual The MySQL GOES database and table must be created as indicated below. Example is given here for "spaceweather "goes" "goes15" "date" as database name as table name as primary GOES channel name as column name of date values

CREATE DATABASE spaceweather; USE spaceweather; CREATE TABLE goes ( date DATETIME, goes15 float, PRIMARY KEY (date)); GRANT SELECT,UPDATE,INSERT ON spaceweather.goes TO 'sidmonitor'@'192.168.%.%' IDENTIFIED BY 'sidmonitor'; Description of the GOES table: +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+ | date | datetime | NO | PRI | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | | | goes15 | float | YES | | NULL | | +---------+----------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+

SID Station Scripts Configuration

sidRxTest does not need any configuration. max187acq , download-goes and sidPlot need to be configured to ensure proper connection with the MySQL database server. Information such as MySQL IP address, login/password, database and table names are to be correctly set. The configuration is done by editing the max187acq, download-goes and sidPlot files with a text editor. Please read carefully the comments. The configurable section is at the beginning of each file.

Configure max187acq Configure sidPlot Configure download-goes (if used)

A few miscellaneous but important considerations

There is absolutely no need to have an acquisition period lower than 20 seconds. The ionospheric disturbances dynamics is slow enough to support low acquisition rates. The SID receiver USB interface is seen as a virtual serial port. Under Linux, a new device (for instance /dev/ttyUSB0 is created). To avoid conflicts, it may be necessary to remove brltty package (sudo apt-get purge brltty) Under Windows, a virtual COM port is created. Driver is automatically installed if necessary. Under Windows, the serial port interface must be in the range COM1 to COM9 when using the SID station scripts. A perl limitation prevents using COM ports above 9. The number affected by the system can be modified in the Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. Ensure that the computer clock is set to UTC so that the graph times are correctly displayed. Use a good clock synchronization mechanism based on NTP protocol. 35

SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Alternate Software Installation : SIDmonitor program

This software has the advantage of having in a single program all the functionality for measurement storage and display.

It is applicable only to Windows platforms. It was tested on Windows XP. You will find this software at the following address: http://sidstation.loudet.org/sidmonitor-en.xhtml Please read carefully the installation instructions and the help file.

A few miscellaneous but important considerations

There is absolutely no need to have an acquisition period lower than 20 seconds. The ionospheric disturbances dynamics is slow enough to support low acquisition rates. The SID receiver USB interface is seen as a virtual serial port, a virtual COM port is created. Driver is automatically installed if necessary. When using SIDmonitor software, a computer dedicated to SID monitoring is adviced. This helps maintaining the real-time constraints related to periodic data acquisition. Avoid using network drives for the location of the database. Extra delays could affect performances and possibly lead to timeouts during database updates operations. Unsufficient computer performances couls lead to lockouts that can be cleared only by disconnecting/reconnecting the USB interface. Ensure that the computer clock is set to UTC so that the graph times are correctly displayed. Use a good clock synchronization mechanism based on NTP protocol. SIDmonitor requires RRDTool program (database). To generate graphs, RRDTool need the font file DejaVuSansMono-Roman.ttf in the Windows/Font folder. Error may be raised if this file is not present, even if the DejaVu Sans Mono font is already installed. Take care to install this font file from the RRDTool distribution.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

A PPENDIX

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A. Bill Of Material

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B. Illustrated Parts List

Identifying resistors
Power dissipation rating of all resistors used in this project can be 1/4 or 1/8 watt. The resistance value is indicated by the color bands. Refer to If you are in doubt about a resistors value, use a DMM. Expect minor deviations from the value indicated by the color bands.

Figure 1: Resistor's color code

Source: http://www.educypedia.be/electronics/electroniccalculatorsresistor.htm

Note: resistors R503 and R505 must be matched. It is recommended to order 10 47K 1% resistors, use a DMM to determine the exact value of each of them, and choose those that have the closest value.

Identifying Capacitors
Capacitors are identified by their value (in pF, nF or F), their voltage rating and and the spacing of their leads. The value is usually indicated by two digits (for small values capacitors e.g. 22 for 22pF) or three digits, the third digit being the multiplier (e.g. 121 = 12*10 1=120pF). For most electrolytic capacitors, the value is indicated in clear and usually expressed in F. Electrolytic and tantalum capacitor are polarized. Observe carefully the polarity before soldering.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

Supply part
Parts C3, C4, C7, C8 C5, C6 C1, C2 Illustration Qty 4 2 2 Value 0.1 4.7 35V 2200 16V Description LCC capacitor 5.08mm pol. Capacitor E2.5-6 pol. Capacitor E5-13

D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6

1N4001

diode

IC1 IC2

1 1

78L05 79L05

positive voltage regulator negative voltage regulator

TR1

220V/9V 1.5VA

Transformer EI30

Receiver part
Parts Illustration Qty 5 JP1, JP2, JP3, JP4, JP5 5 Jumper 2.54mm Value Description Pin headers 2.54mm

C401

470 6.3V

Electrolytic Capacitor E3.5-8

C103, C104, C701, C703 C101, C102, C704 C702 C301 C002 C802 C001 C003, C005, C006, C101B, C201, C202, C501, C601, C602, C803 C801 R804 R802 R001, R002, R801, R803 R304 R005, R009, R202 R004, R008, R011, R201, R301, R302, R303, R305, R306, R601, R604, R701

4 3 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 1 1 4 1 3 12

0.1 4.7 10V 10 22p 68p 1n 47n 0.1 0.1 51 470 1k 3.3k 4.7k 10k

LCC capacitor 5.08mm-spacing tantalum capacitor 2.5mm diam. 6 tantalum capacitor 2.5mm diam. 6 Ceramic cap 2.5mm 025X050 Ceramic cap 2.5mm 025X050 Ceramic cap 2.5mm 025X050 Ceramic cap 2.5mm 025X050 Ceramic cap 2.5mm 025X050 Ceramic cap. 5.08mm 024X044 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

R003, R401 R603 R402 R503, R505 R602 R501, R502, R506, R507 R101A, R101B, R102A1, R102A2, R102B1, R102B2, R103A, R103B, R104A, R104B R504 R203 R007, R010 R102A3, R102B3 D301, D302 2 1 1 2 1 4 10 1 1 2 2 2 20k 30.1k 39k 47k matched 90.9k 1M see frequency table 1k 100k 250k see frequency table 1N4148 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 Resistor Metal Film 1/4W 1% 0207 trimmer S64W/3266W/T63YB trimmer S64W/3266W/T63YB trimmer S64W/3266W/T63YB trimmer 67W/3296W/T93YA diode DO-35

T1, T2

BC237B

transistor TO92

GL1 X2 X3 (optional)

1 1 1

NE2-NEON-BULB ANTENNA INPUT CARRIER OUTPUT

NE2-NEON-BULB PCB right angle BNC connector PCB right angle BNC connector

X4

UM232R

UM232R

IC7 IC1, IC2, IC3, IC4, IC5 IC6

1 5 1

MAX187 TLE2082CP MAX275ACP

DIP8 DIP8 DIP20

1 1 6 IN, MID, OUT PAD1, PAD2 3 2 2

24-pin 0.6in wide DIP socket 20-pin 0.3in wide DIP socket 8-pin 0.3in wide DIP socket 1mm-diameter test pin 2.8mm male spade connector for PCB 2.8mm female spade connector

1 1 optional

metal box (e.g. Hammond 1590D) line socket. Optional. Mains cable can be routed though a grommet alternately.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

1 optional 1 Grommet for mains cable. Only if line socket is not used. power switch with light, 250VAC Panel-mount fuse holder 5x20mm (inline fuse holder can also be used) Fuse, 100mA 5x20mm Standoff male-female M3 10mm-long (or #4-40 3/8-long) Screw M3 x 8 to 10mm (or #4-40 x 3/8) Flat washer, M3 (or #4-40) Lock washer, M3 (or #4-40) lock washer Hex nut, M3 (or #4-40) Self-adhesive rubber pads

1 1 8 8 8 8 8 4

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

C. Specific parts
Frequency-setting resistors

Averaging Filter Integration time setting

C401 is used to set the integration time of the averaging filter. A default value of 470F gives time constant of about 1 minute. Should you need a different time constant value, please refer to the following table:
C401 10F 22F 47F Time constant 1.3" 2.8" 5.9" C401 100F 220F 470F Time constant 13" 28" 59" C401 1000F 2200F Time constant 2' 6'' 4' 36"

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

D. SID Receiver Synoptic

This section describes the high level principle of the SID receiver.

The basic principle of the SID receiver is to measure the amplitude of a VLF station and to convert it to digital data. The signal from the antenna (usually a loop antenna) is filtered out to limit the signals to the frequencies of interest in the VLF and lower-LF frequency range. The RF pre-amplifier section is built around one non-inverting amplifier with a gain of 21 and two inverting amplifier stages with gains adjustable between 0 and 25. The signal is then filtered in the tuning section. The MAX275 is a continuous-time 4 th-order active filter. The MAC275 is configured as a bandpass filter; center frequency, gain and Q are adjusted by resistors. Appendix C gives the resistor values to use for each VLF station, and the resulting filter characteristics. The following section is the RF post amplifier. It has a gain adjustable between 0 and 10. A buffer provides an optional carrier output with a 50 impedance. Then, a full-wave rectifier and peak detector is used as a linear detector converting the RMS value of the VLF station to a DC voltage level. This level is averaged (default time constant around 1 minute) to produce a signal strength value. DC offset can be applied to the signal strength value, before further amplification in the output amplifier section (selectable gains of x3.25, x4 and x10). Finally, the analog to digital conversion is performed by the 12-bits ADC MAX187. The interface between the MAX187 and the computer is done though an USB port.

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

E. Schematics

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

F.

Layout SID Receiver Synoptic

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SID Receiver Assembly Manual

G. Protocol of the MAX187 USB/Serial Interface

This section describes the protocol used to read measurement values from the MAX187 Analog-Digital converter through the USB/Serial UM232R FTDI interface. This description is included for anyone willing to write its own piece of code for acquiring ADC measurements. The protocol show here follows the MAX187 datasheet as well as the Maxim code example described in the Maxim application note 827: http://datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/MAX187-MAX189.pdf http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/en/an/AN827.pdf The MAX187 signals are connected to the following RS-232 pins: /CS RTS SCLK DTR DSR DOUT The RS-232 standard defines the positive voltage levels for logic one and negative voltage level for logic zero.

The overall sequence is described below: Unset RTS (RTS=-5V; /CS='1') to deselect MAX187 Set DTR (DTR=+5V; SCLK='0') Set RTS (RTS=+5V; /CS='0') to select MAX187. This starts the conversion. Wait till the conversion is done (DOUT must be '1'; DSR=-5V) Clock in 12 bits. MSB are first: Unset DTR (DTR=-5V; SCLK='1') Set DTR (DTR=+5V; SCLK='0') Read a bit (signal DOUT, DSR) Add a 13th falling edge: Unset DTR (DTR=-5V; SCLK='1') Set DTR (DTR=+5V; SCLK='0') Unset RTS (RTS=-5V; /CS='1') to deselect MAX187 Unset DTR (DTR=-5V; SCLK='1')

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