Re: BandPass Filter Relay Contacts
That is a common problem with relays.? The only two answers are somehow clean the contacts or replace the relay.? Cleaning is a temporary solution; they will cause trouble again.? And it isn't dirt; it's corrosion and/or carbon buildup.? The limiting cause is the spring tension that holds the NC contacts closed.? And the relay design, which is probably not self wiping.
You are probably going to have to bite the bullet and remove the relay.? Squirting contact cleaning isn't likely to do much good.? Since the problem is more severe with low current, that implies oxidation which breaks down due to the heat of high current.
Bob
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On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 01:53:14 PM PDT, Michael Foerster <mcfroston@...> wrote:
I wasn't sure where to ask this question, but since I found the problem using my NanoVNA, I thought I'd ask here.
Our club has a multi-band Bandpass filter from ICE, Model 419 that we want to use on Field Day.? This unit covers 160, 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters.
Complete Unit:? ?
Internals:? ? ? ? ? !Ats-2fm84F1OgaUfhmHlYIjlktAx5g?e=JcS9i3
I tested the unit with my NanoVNA and found that the loss varies greatly by simply tapping the unit.? Through DC testing, I have determined that the unit has a bad 15m relay where it should be passing the signal directly through (bypass the 15m coils) through the Common to NC contacts.?
It¡¯s the relay in the upper left corner, next to the small green cap.? I¡¯m seeing anywhere from 3 or 4 dB loss at BEST and up to 30 dB loss through the NanoVNA.? The loss varies as you tap the unit.
When I measure the loss using my transmitter (tune position, 10 watts, into a dummy load with a wattmeter) I¡¯m seeing:
? 160m ??? -.432 dB loss..
? 80m??? -.414 dB
? 40m??? -.914 dB
? 20m??? -.801 dB
? 15m??? -.964 dB
? 10m??? -1.10 dB
The faulty contact is only a problem at lower signals, such as the NanoVNA and receive signals.
The way the circuit works is that the signal comes in on the input coax connector, and when all relays are disabled (NC position) the signal goes through the NC connections of each relay.? When you switch in any one band, that relay is pulled in (NO Contacts) and the signal goes through the Band Pass coil/capacitor network.
So, it appears that the 15m relay is intermittent.? I tested across each relay in the NC position with an digital multi-meter, looking at the voltage drop across the contacts.?
Because of the construction practices used, it¡¯s impossible to remove the relays to clean the contacts.
My ideas are:
1.??? Drill a hole in the plastic and spray (lightly) some contact cleaner
2.??? Remove the coil/capacitors on that relay and try to get the relay out, clean the contacts and replace everything, hoping that the band pass tuning doesn¡¯t change.
I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to clean the contacts by passing current through them, but I haven¡¯t come up with much.
I tried to contact the manufacturer, but they haven¡¯t built this unit for over 12 years and they have no idea what to do.
Anyone have any ideas?
--
Mike, W0IH
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BandPass Filter Relay Contacts
I wasn't sure where to ask this question, but since I found the problem using my NanoVNA, I thought I'd ask here.
Our club has a multi-band Bandpass filter from ICE, Model 419 that we want to use on Field Day. This unit covers 160, 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters.
Complete Unit:
Internals: !Ats-2fm84F1OgaUfhmHlYIjlktAx5g?e=JcS9i3
I tested the unit with my NanoVNA and found that the loss varies greatly by simply tapping the unit. Through DC testing, I have determined that the unit has a bad 15m relay where it should be passing the signal directly through (bypass the 15m coils) through the Common to NC contacts.
It¡¯s the relay in the upper left corner, next to the small green cap. I¡¯m seeing anywhere from 3 or 4 dB loss at BEST and up to 30 dB loss through the NanoVNA. The loss varies as you tap the unit.
When I measure the loss using my transmitter (tune position, 10 watts, into a dummy load with a wattmeter) I¡¯m seeing:
160m -.432 dB loss..
80m -.414 dB
40m -.914 dB
20m -.801 dB
15m -.964 dB
10m -1.10 dB
The faulty contact is only a problem at lower signals, such as the NanoVNA and receive signals.
The way the circuit works is that the signal comes in on the input coax connector, and when all relays are disabled (NC position) the signal goes through the NC connections of each relay. When you switch in any one band, that relay is pulled in (NO Contacts) and the signal goes through the Band Pass coil/capacitor network.
So, it appears that the 15m relay is intermittent. I tested across each relay in the NC position with an digital multi-meter, looking at the voltage drop across the contacts.
Because of the construction practices used, it¡¯s impossible to remove the relays to clean the contacts.
My ideas are:
1. Drill a hole in the plastic and spray (lightly) some contact cleaner
2. Remove the coil/capacitors on that relay and try to get the relay out, clean the contacts and replace everything, hoping that the band pass tuning doesn¡¯t change.
I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to clean the contacts by passing current through them, but I haven¡¯t come up with much.
I tried to contact the manufacturer, but they haven¡¯t built this unit for over 12 years and they have no idea what to do.
Anyone have any ideas?
--
Mike, W0IH
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Re: NanoVNASaver 0.4.0 crashes on start
Roger -- thank you for the hint on where to find it. I had tried searching my whole hard disk, but it didn't seem to pop up. The software NOW WORKS!!!! 73's de K7ZOO
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Re: NanoVNASaver 0.4.0 crashes on start
Stan ... YAY!!!!!! I know that was probably an easy answer for you, but seriously THANKS A LOT !!!! I have a few antenna analyzers, but the NanoVNA is my only VNA and I need to make measurements of choking impedance this week. Thanks for helping me keep ON schedule! de K7ZOO
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
Solved....
I may have had multiple issues, but this is what I did.
there were two versions of python on my machine, so I uninstalled both and reinstalled.
I have a Macbook Pro with a M1 chip. I had to install PyQt5 using a Rosetta terminal:
I was then able to install NanoVNA Saver and it ran.
Lynn, K0CLM
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
I guess I missed that message, but it appears from your build logs that that requirement does not exist in your build, since early in the log (sorry, don't have that message . . . ) it clearly shows that it is looking for a version above a certain level, and not 5.11.2 specifically . . .
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On May 23, 2022 7:39:13 PM CDT, "Lynn Mears via groups.io" <K0CLM@...> wrote: The install instructions said
¡° Change PyQt restriction in setup.py PyQt5==5.11.2 to PyQt5¡±
That was my original questions as to how to do that.
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
The install instructions said
¡° Change PyQt restriction in setup.py PyQt5==5.11.2 to PyQt5¡±
That was my original questions as to how to do that.
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
It looked like it was having a problem building related to sip, so was hoping that wou,d help.
I'm not honestly clear what you are calling a "PyQt restriction" . . . Building PyQt is often a part of the install (if not already present) and absence of subcomponents can affect it as well.
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On May 23, 2022 6:50:46 PM CDT, "Lynn Mears via groups.io" <K0CLM@...> wrote: I installed sip. We¡¯re you thinking that would solve the error (it did not) or is that what I use to change the PyQT restriction?
Thanks!
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Re: NanoVNASaver 0.4.0 crashes on start
On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 04:09 PM, Stan Dye wrote:
Try deleting the saver.ini file and starting it up again. It is unhappy
with the blank initialization of some parameter.
The file is called NanoVNASaver.ini. It is located at C:\Users\Your-User-Name\AppData\Roaming\NanoVNASaver\NanoVNASaver.ini Roger
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
I installed sip. We¡¯re you thinking that would solve the error (it did not) or is that what I use to change the PyQT restriction?
Thanks!
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Re: NanoVNASaver 0.4.0 crashes on start
Try deleting the saver.ini file and starting it up again. It is unhappy
with the blank initialization of some parameter.
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On Mon, May 23, 2022, 2:54 PM Curt K7ZOO <curt.laumann@...> wrote: Hi All, This afternoon I was succesfully using my NanoVNA H4 with NanoVNA
Saver -- no problems. After working over dinner in PowerPoint on some
documentation I came back home, tried to fire up NanaVNA Saver -- and it
immediately crashed. Please see attached PNG file to see details. Any
constructive advice is welcome! Thank you, Curt
EMPIRICAL DATA
a) I've run NanoVNA Saver as Admin and non-Admin; same crash
b) Crash occurs with NanoVNA disconnected and connected
c) I can see the NanoVNA in the Device Manager on COM port 8
COMPUTER CONFIGURATION DATA
Device name K7ZOO-Laptop
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3437U CPU @ 1.90GHz 2.40 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.87 GB usable)
Device ID D7CB3BD7-FF60-4AF6-A8E9-09C85638DFDC
Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA471
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display
Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 21H1
Installed on ?1/?23/?2021
OS build 19043.1645
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4170.0
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Yes, that should work. Note that to get uncalibrated data from the nano,
you need to reset the calibration, since it always powers on with whatever
state is in save slot 0. That is why many find it easier to save a wide
calibration in slot 0, e.g. 50kHz to 900M or whatever your nominal total
range, and just use that with Saver. I think that is the idea behind the
Saver author's statement of calibrating the nano first.
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On Mon, May 23, 2022, 2:55 PM bruce blosser <bruce2@...> wrote: so then, try calibrating from the saver program... and if it crashes, try
first to calibrate from the device itself? :)
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Re: Replacement of damaged NanoVNA circuit board
#hardware
On 5/20/22 11:35 PM, mbwilliams@... wrote: I accidently transmitted 12w into my connected nanovna and caused some damage to the software or components, not sure but it cannot read SWR any longer. It still uploads firmware etc but does not function as it did in the past.
Is it possible to replace the entire main board with a new board?
where can I get that replacement pls There *is* only one board, so you're probably looking at just buying a nanoVNA, and having a spare battery and LCD display.? You might ask whoever you bought yours from if they'll sell you just the board, without the "case" or LCD. You probably cooked the bridge (CH0) or the 20dB pad (CH1), and maybe some downstream components (the mixers). They're readily available, but they *are* SMT devices and a bit tedious to replace. It would be interesting to know what actually cooked.? For instance did the SA612 mixer perform as a sacrificial fuse, or did the analog inputs on the audio chip also get fried. If you're interested, you can probably try to diagnose it if you have an ohmmeter, and an oscilloscope.? For instance, assuming you can "talk" to it, you can set a frequency and see if the synthesizer is putting out the two signals 5 kHz apart.? You can look and see if the output of the mixer changes when you change the termination on CH0.
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
Doesn't look like it. Will work on that
thanks!
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
Do you have sip installed in Python?
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On May 23, 2022 4:46:21 PM CDT, "Lynn Mears via groups.io" <K0CLM@...> wrote: How exactly do I change the PyQT restriction? I'm computer literate, but not familiar with Python at all.
The original install instructions I found didn't have that step, so I'm wondering if that isn't my problem. Here's the error:
Processing /Users/lynn/nanovna-saver
Preparing metadata (setup.py) ... done
Collecting pyserial>=3.5
Using cached pyserial-3.5-py2.py3-none-any.whl (90 kB)
Collecting PyQt5>=5.15.0
Using cached PyQt5-5.15.6.tar.gz (3.2 MB)
Installing build dependencies ... done
Getting requirements to build wheel ... done
Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml) ... error
error: subprocess-exited-with-error
¡Á Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml) did not run successfully.
©¦ exit code: 1
¨t©¤> [29 lines of output]
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 156, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
hook = backend.prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
AttributeError: module 'sipbuild.api' has no attribute 'prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'
During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 363, in <module>
main()
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 345, in main
json_out['return_val'] = hook(**hook_input['kwargs'])
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 160, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
whl_basename = backend.build_wheel(metadata_directory, config_settings)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/api.py", line 51, in build_wheel
project = AbstractProject.bootstrap('pep517')
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/abstract_project.py", line 83, in bootstrap
project.setup(pyproject, tool, tool_description)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/project.py", line 594, in setup
self.apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "project.py", line 63, in apply_user_defaults
super().apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pyqtbuild/project.py", line 70, in apply_user_defaults
super().apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/project.py", line 241, in apply_user_defaults
self.builder.apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pyqtbuild/builder.py", line 67, in apply_user_defaults
raise PyProjectOptionException('qmake',
sipbuild.pyproject.PyProjectOptionException
[end of output]
note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: metadata-generation-failed
¡Á Encountered error while generating package metadata.
¨t©¤> See above for output.
note: This is an issue with the package mentioned above, not pip.
hint: See above for details.
WARNING: There was an error checking the latest version of pip.
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Re: NanoVNA-Saver 0.1.3 MAC
How exactly do I change the PyQT restriction? I'm computer literate, but not familiar with Python at all.
The original install instructions I found didn't have that step, so I'm wondering if that isn't my problem. Here's the error:
Processing /Users/lynn/nanovna-saver
Preparing metadata (setup.py) ... done
Collecting pyserial>=3.5
Using cached pyserial-3.5-py2.py3-none-any.whl (90 kB)
Collecting PyQt5>=5.15.0
Using cached PyQt5-5.15.6.tar.gz (3.2 MB)
Installing build dependencies ... done
Getting requirements to build wheel ... done
Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml) ... error
error: subprocess-exited-with-error
¡Á Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml) did not run successfully.
©¦ exit code: 1
¨t©¤> [29 lines of output]
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 156, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
hook = backend.prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
AttributeError: module 'sipbuild.api' has no attribute 'prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'
During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 363, in <module>
main()
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 345, in main
json_out['return_val'] = hook(**hook_input['kwargs'])
File "/opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 160, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
whl_basename = backend.build_wheel(metadata_directory, config_settings)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/api.py", line 51, in build_wheel
project = AbstractProject.bootstrap('pep517')
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/abstract_project.py", line 83, in bootstrap
project.setup(pyproject, tool, tool_description)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/project.py", line 594, in setup
self.apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "project.py", line 63, in apply_user_defaults
super().apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pyqtbuild/project.py", line 70, in apply_user_defaults
super().apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sipbuild/project.py", line 241, in apply_user_defaults
self.builder.apply_user_defaults(tool)
File "/private/var/folders/5c/_kgrrymn4hx0glzk2g84ysrh0000gn/T/pip-build-env-jodshyjo/overlay/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pyqtbuild/builder.py", line 67, in apply_user_defaults
raise PyProjectOptionException('qmake',
sipbuild.pyproject.PyProjectOptionException
[end of output]
note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: metadata-generation-failed
¡Á Encountered error while generating package metadata.
¨t©¤> See above for output.
note: This is an issue with the package mentioned above, not pip.
hint: See above for details.
WARNING: There was an error checking the latest version of pip.
|
so then, try calibrating from the saver program... and if it crashes, try first to calibrate from the device itself? :)
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#crash NanoVNASaver crashes on startup
#crash
Hello, I was using NanoVNASaver yesterday afternoon, successfully without any problems. I went to have dinner, using my laptop to document my work in PowerPoint. I came back home in the evening, fired up NanoVNASaver and the attached PNG file shows how NanoVNASaver crashed. I've tried:
1. rebooting my computer
2. reinstalling the software (multiple times, including both x86 and x64 versions
3. running Glary Utilities to "clean" up my computer (see attached JPG)
Below is some configuration information that may be of help to diagnose the problem. Any help is welcome; thank you.
Curt / K7ZOO
Device name K7ZOO-Laptop
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3437U CPU @ 1.90GHz 2.40 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.87 GB usable)
Device ID D7CB3BD7-FF60-4AF6-A8E9-09C85638DFDC
Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA471
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display
Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 21H2
Installed on ?1/?23/?2021
OS build 19044.1706
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4170.0
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NanoVNASaver 0.4.0 crashes on start
Hi All, This afternoon I was succesfully using my NanoVNA H4 with NanoVNA Saver -- no problems. After working over dinner in PowerPoint on some documentation I came back home, tried to fire up NanaVNA Saver -- and it immediately crashed. Please see attached PNG file to see details. Any constructive advice is welcome! Thank you, Curt
EMPIRICAL DATA
a) I've run NanoVNA Saver as Admin and non-Admin; same crash
b) Crash occurs with NanoVNA disconnected and connected
c) I can see the NanoVNA in the Device Manager on COM port 8
COMPUTER CONFIGURATION DATA
Device name K7ZOO-Laptop
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3437U CPU @ 1.90GHz 2.40 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.87 GB usable)
Device ID D7CB3BD7-FF60-4AF6-A8E9-09C85638DFDC
Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA471
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display
Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 21H1
Installed on ?1/?23/?2021
OS build 19043.1645
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4170.0
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Roger Need
