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1. 14 47K R26 R32 R35 R38 49 90 R27 R28 R30 R9 R12 R13 R17 1M R29 R33 R36 R39 10K R53 R54 100K R24 R25 220K R31 R34 R37 R40 User Manual Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual SARK100 Parts List Cantidad Descripci n 1 PCB Double sided printed circuit board including solder mask and silkscreen 1m SN Thin solder wire 1 10 cm WICK 1 5mm solder wick CASE Grey ABS Enclosure with aluminium panels SCREW CASE PCB Screws Pre programmed CY8C29466 24PXI 1 Drillin
2. 500 120 450 100 400 350 80 300 250 8 200 40 150 100 20 50 0 0 13 13 2 13 4 13 6 13 8 14 14 2 14 4 14 6 14 8 15 C Frequency MHz ANN Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 46 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 12 PSoC Development One of the advantages of SARK100 analyzer is that the software is fully upgradeable via USB the code is open and programmed in language C and also the programming tool PSoC Designer is free so you can fully customize the operation of the instrument Note that the software is available for download on SourceForge and you can participate as a developer in the project and contribute to improving the product Depending on your skills you can customize the messages from the screen e g program your callsing in the welcome screen add new features or modify existing ones always bearing in mind the limitations of the device More advanced users could add improve SARK100 functions using the Chip Editor of the PSoC tool It is not my intention to describe the functions of the PSoC and PSoC Designer tool as there are many tutorials documentation and application notes on the website of Cypress Semiconductor will give you information on the basics The basic installation consists of the following steps 1 First download and install the PSoC Designer available at the following link http www cypress com rlDz3451 7 2 D
3. eren nnne nnne 77 APPENDIX J QUICK REFERENCE SHEET 81 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 3 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 1 Introduction The SARK100 SWR Analyzer is yet another antenna analyzer but available in kit form and designed to be easy to assemble and with an affordable pricing You will enjoy of this DIY experience that it will not only help for improving your SMD soldering skills and learn about the analyzer basics but you will get a useful instrument for your shack In addition you will have the possibility of modifying and updating the analyzer software via USB at your convenience but even more part of hardware is software configurable because of the programmable features of the PSoC micro controller For instance you can change the ADC type increase or decreasing the resolution or the sample rate etc therefore it is excellent training kit for the learning of the PSoC microcontroller This kit requires some soldering skills so would not recommend it if it is your first experience with the soldering iron In this case it is better starting with a kit based on trough hole components If you have experience with the soldering iron but you are new to the SMD don t be afraid it is much easier that it seems using the correct tech
4. of the frequencies of the selected BAND Scan exits to impedance mode showing the 12 1 bandwidth and the resonant point of the antenna 1 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 30 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 USB USB Mini B connector 2 1mm jack center positive 113 8 20 SARK100 User Manual 9 Antenna Analyzer Operation Power on Power is turned on to the SARK100 by sliding the switch located on the bottom panel After power on the unit will display for half a second the following welcome message SARK100 Analyzer EA4FRB 10 V11 V11 indicates the unit firmware version This information is important to check on the website of the project if there is a newer version Then the instrument automatically switches to impedance mode that is the default mode and LCD shows frequency SWH and the magnitude of the impedance SWR 14 100 000 gt 10 727 2000 The analyzer has an automatic power save function This function detects that no button was pressed after a user programmable time and goes into a power saving state and which turns off the display In this state the press of any button will start immediately the unit returning to the same state before the suspension i e the same function and frequency selected This function can be disabled by the user It is important to note that this is an energy saving feature but not a full p
5. B138 Grey Enclosure with Aluminum Panels 1558 m inter Box Le agti pid NON FLAME RETARDANTGPAES Uist Front Rear Panel Maximum P C Board Size Dashed Line Indicates Viewing Area 15 14 amp 10 55 Back Platte Paneli 4 1598 Lus Rubber Feet Pkg 24 8190 p 503 rea For 1538 FR ABS p224 Cover Screws Pkg 100 M3 0 5 x T0mm 199105100 2650 For Bof Mods nc ie i i Screws Pkg 100 80 x t 4 64mm 1 Wa Vewhg MANUFACTURING n 1598A www hammondmfa com Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 66 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 5 2 8 5 156 50 138 25 116 36 SARK100 SWR ANALYZER EA4FRE Melchor Varela 2010 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 67 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Gas MODE i CAN 4 BAND VAL CONFIG SARK 100 SWR Analyzer SARK100 SWR ANALYZER EA4FRE Melchor varela 2010 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 68 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 813 00 156 50 138 25 116 36 SARK100 SWR ANALYZER EA4FRE Melchor Varela 2010 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 69 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual M 2 Antenna SARKLOO SWR ANALYZER EA4FRE Melchor Varela 2010 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 70 Copyright EA4FRB Me
6. 20 0 40000200022 eise erase sages 41 10 11 TRANSMISSION LINE VELOCITY 2 2 42 11 SOFIWARE a Qa ee Secu a 45 12 PSOC DEVELOPMENT oou 47 13 5 RR RR RR RAR 49 13 1 SPECIFIC PROBLEMO e C LL ___ LEE D INE smo 50 13 2 MOE TAGE dena 51 14 THEORY OF OPERATION 10 3 3 52 15 THEORY OF OPERATION 57 APPENDIX A 60 APPENDIX PATTEDT 63 APPENDIX C COMPONENT LAY OUT inicio u bU cies opo soU eai eR uu uuu suc u 64 APPENDIX D ENCLOSURE 65 2 1 1 1 66 APPENDIX E USB DRIVER INSTALLATION 71 APPENDIX F UPDATING THE ANALYZER SOFTWARE 72 APPENDIX CALIBRATING THE ANALYZER crecer eru nnn nnn nennen mara 74 APPENDIX H MAKING A DUMMY ANTENNA FOR 6 76 APPENDIX PC COMMAND INTERFACE
7. r Mg 041 SARK100 SWR Analyzer c EASFRB 01 10 varela geaai Left Right gt Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 17 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Bottom Controls Side Left Right gt 7 2 Installing the surface mount components 7 2 1 Preparation for the job The key to being successful with any construction project is selecting and using the proper tools For projects using SMT Surface Mount Technology the tools are easy to find A magnifying lamp or magnifying glasses is essential for well lighted close up work on the components Tweezers or fine tipped pliers allow you to grab the small chip components with dexterity Thinner solder 015 than you might normally use is preferred because of its being quicker to melt and smaller in solder volume on the component lead Use of a fine tipped soldering iron makes soldering the leads of these small parts straightforward and easy The solder flux and the solder wick are key for the success of the soldering of SMT components Both solder flux and the solder wick are included in the kit Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 18 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual A clean work surface is of paramount importance because SMT components often have a tendency to fly away even when held with the utmost care in tweezers you ll have the best chance of recovering your wayward
8. Output will indicate that the project has been compiled without errors 7 The downloadable file will be available the project directory ASARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL and has the following name extension SARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL hex 8 Use the procedure for updating firmware described in the Appendix F 9 Verify that the analyzer now displays your callsign in the welcome screen if so congratulations You have understood the basic steps and you re ready to embark on more advanced mods p FFf r Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 48 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 13 Troubleshooting This section is a guide to the event that the instrument does not work as expected after the assembly You will need some basic tools and the schematics and layout of the board available in the appendices of this manual In any case first of all recommend that you inspect the assembly and soldering carefully The board is relatively simple so it is easy to review thoroughly to discover any bad soldering or short circuit Equipment Needed If you have an oscilloscope you will have the ability to measure all signals of the analyzer and it will be of great help in case of problems But if you don t have the minimum required is a multimeter with the ability to measure DC voltages and resistances It will be useful to build a RF probe in case you do not have it with very easy to find materials as you can see in the f
9. The PSoC part used in the SARK100 has a total of 32KB of flash and 2KB of SRAM Part of the flash is used for the bootloader and other 384 bytes is used for the EEPROM emulation so in total there 29184 bytes available for the program logic As a referente the version 07 of the SARK100 software uses 27763 bytes of flash plus 724 bytes of RAM without the stack We must take into account this when creating future developments Program Modules Main c Almost the entire control of analyzer is done from this module Includes the initialization and the main loop control The main loop basically polls periodically the keyboard waiting for user actions monitors timings and performs the measurements In case of user action the program will react accordingly for example changing the frequency so and so Two timers are monitored basically the user idle time detection and the time between measurements DDS c This module provides the 005 driver This module expects the frequency value in Hertz and the driver programs the DDS registers accordingly The translation of frequency value to the DDS control word requires extended precision so this driver implements 64 bit multiply and divide routines Calcs c This module implements the calculation routines for SWR Z R L and C using the results of the measurements of the analog to digital converter The Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 lt 57 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SA
10. e top line indicates the mode and the frequency e The bottom line indicates the inductance in uH Inductance values must be within the measurement range of the instrument Given that the maximum impedance specification for the analyzer is 2000 O the display will show a numeric value only when the reactance is less than this value The formula to calculate the inductance is the following XL 2x pix x L Off Mode In this mode it is disabled the DDS and the impedance measuremenis It is provided RF level measurement mode where the measured signal level is displayed in the second line of the Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 93 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual display as a bar graph This will be useful to know if the antenna is receiving a near HF field which can interfere with the measurements OFF BAND The BAND button allows selecting the working frequency band within the bands available Pressing this button sequentially selects the next higher band which value is shown in the LCD and it is changed the frequency If it is the first time accessing the band the frequency will be set to the middle value Otherwise it will be set the previous frequency value since this is stored when changing the band SCAN Band Lower Middle Upper Frequency Frequency Frequency 160M 1 000 000 1 800 000 2 000 000 80M 2 000 000 3 700 000 5 000 000 40M 5 000 000 7 100 000 8 000 000 30M 8 000 000 10 100
11. progress 4 After that it will prompt to connect a 150 Q load Conn 150 Load Plug the 150 load and then press VAL The display will show In Progress indication that calibration is in progress Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 74 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual C 5 Subsequently it will prompt to connect 274 Q load Conn 274 Load Plug the 274 load and then press VAL The display will show In Progress indication that calibration is in progress 6 Once the calibration is finished it will show the text Done This means that the calibration process has been completed and stored in the EEPROM Just press VAL to continue Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 75 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix H Making a Dummy Antenna for Testing It may be desirable to have a dummy antenna for testing the SARK100 A dummy antenna is simply a three component circuit that is resonant at a specific frequency and has a purely resistive characteristic at the resonance frequency The dummy antenna can be used in place of a real antenna during initial testing of the instrument The dummy antenna consists of one resistor one inductor and a capacitor in a series circuit built at the end of a BNC connector that can be connected to the SARK100 antenna The table below shows the component values for dummy antennas to any of the specified frequencies Freq M
12. 2 9 A co gt 0 6 IN io x 5 T T1 T1 1 R14 1 470 1 1 22 2 00K 4 47K 4 4 1 R44 2 R52 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 63 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix Component Layout Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 64 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 65 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix D Enclosure Diagrams Bottom View of Assembly SECTION A A A Side View Inside Assembly Top Cow gt Frost Face Detail View of Boss 329 Boss g Locas d on Top and asc Cover WE 311 1 L TE m 2950 1 161 Irae r He gi SECTION B B End View of Assembly Inside of Bottom Cover Enclosures can be Factory Modified Milling Drilling Printing etc Solid models ofthis enclosure available in STEP or IGES Contact Factory ghammondmfg com M Top Cover 020 N End Panel PCE d thom end paie b T 15984 Instrument Case B RDANTABS 194 0 84501580 Assembly hchdes top bottom coser 70131414 erd alim h tm paies iby 5052 H32 SPV coathg o1 ore skle 2 cowerscews aid amp FLAME RETA 5 UL PC Board Alied or Bosses Gack Enclo ure with Aluminum Panels 1598
13. Once you re ready to connect the power supply to the SARK100 position the board out of the enclosure oriented with the display and controls facing up We recommend using a power supply with current limitation for the first checks For example you could limit the current to a maximum of 500mA while and be assured that a short circuit will not blast away circuit traces in the process of first applying power Another alternative is to use the batteries as they have a limited current capacity Apply power and see display on the LCD After plugging in the power supply and moving the power slide switch you will see on the LCD a welcome text for about half a second and then a warning text indicating that the instrument is not calibrated for about half a second This warning is absolutely normal and will always appear at the start up if the instrument is not calibrated Then the analyzer will enter in impedance measurement mode showing the frequency in the first line and the SWR and the impedance modulus in the second line If you don t see this on the LCD proceed to the Troubleshooting section Press MODE Pushbutton to select operating modes on the LCD Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 23 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual ouccessively pressing the MODE button you can select one of the SARK100 operating modes impedance magnitude complex impedance capacitance inductance and off If you connect a load or an antenna
14. advanced techniques for which you can use the analyzer to get intermediate measurements in order to compute the desired result 10 1 Antenna Measurements The antenna is simply connected to the analyzer RF output and the analyzer is set to the desired frequency The instrument measures the SWR impedance resistance and reactance The SCAN function will be helpful to automatically find the resonance frequency and the bandwidth of the antenna 10 2 Measure Feed Point Impedance Connecting the analyzer directly at the antenna terminals or remotely through a halfwavelength of transmission line allows direct measurement of the antenna terminal impedance This is often useful with vertical antennas A matching network can be connected to the antenna and then adjusted for best SWR on the analyzer 10 3 Measure Ground Losses With short vertical antennas measuring the impedance directly at the feedpoint allows estimation of ground loss or loading coil loss For example a 4 wave vertical will have a resistance of about 36 ohms at resonance Any higher reading indicates ground loss Similarly shorter antennas when resonated will have lower resistance values Reading a good SWR may mean excess loss and measuring the actual impedance allows gauging just how much loss 10 4 Adjust Antenna Tuners The analyzer can be used to adjust an antenna tuner for a perfect match without the need to transmit a strong signal from the station rig The ana
15. antenna system performance across the HF 6M amateur bands without the need of connecting the transmitter to the antenna It is ideal for checking the resonance bandwidth and SWR in an easy and fast way The meter also measures the resistance reactance and the magnitude of the impedance The analyzer is comprised of a single double sided printer circuit board PCB 145mm x 81mm containing all components controls and a 2x16 LCD display with backlight all inside an enclosure that allows in hand use The enclosure holds an 8 cell AAA battery pack enabling convenient field use The analyzer design is based on a DDS signal generator a PSoC microcontroller and a reflectometer for the impedance measurements The features and flexibility of the PSoC microcontroller allows for a simple hardware design The design provides an USB interface to allow FW updates and uploading of the real time measurements to the PC The development environment is the free PSoC Designer tool and the code has been programmed in C language allowing along the USB update capability the easy customization of the code without the need of acquiring any tool The figure below illustrates the block diagram of the analyzer USB BUZZER USB SERIAL FT232RL KEYPAD REFLECTOMETER BUFFER BNC JACK BAT
16. application brush FL 9582 500 ml FL 9582 15441 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 16 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 7 Assembly Guide The assembly of the kit consists of several stages The first step is assembling the components on the printer circuit board The assembly of the board is not as difficult as may seem at a first glance and can be performed without difficulty using the right tools The complete assembly of the board should not take more than four hours After this you will be ready for the power up and tests phase Then it will be necessary preparing the enclosure before the assembly of the board For that purpose it is supplied the cutting patterns printed on a sticker paper that have to be affixed to the enclosure and panels and it will greatly help to make the cuts Once the enclosure is machined you will assemble the board and the battery holders The preparation of the enclosure and the assembly operation should not take more than three hours Finally you can optionally build the instrument overlays for a better product look In this section will show you a homebrew method for building the overlays using an inkjet printer 7 1 PC Board Preparation You should become familiar with the orientation nomenclature that we ll be using throughout this manual see the following illustrations Top Components Side ix ida m m D 338007
17. data c Centralizes all global data Msg eng c Includes all texts to be displayed in this case in English language You can customize or adapt to another language Buzzer c Implements the buzzer device driver PClink c Implements the command interface when the analyzer is controlled from the PC Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 59 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix A Schematics anse Document SARK 100 m FDI 1 vas TAPK 100 ZW Analyzer ri soruary 57 2010 Mni de d DETENER Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 60 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual BATTERY HOLDER N1Mh Cells Ed eB Melchor varia 2210 PALER vigi aae som i s Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 61 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual E eB Melchor vargina zoo PALER vigi aan som Tr F Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 62 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix B Part List Quantity C1 C2 C3 C5 C6 C7 C8 C14 C15 C16 C17 C27 C28 C31 C35 19 2 C9 C10 4 1 Our 4 SMS 2805 3 340A 13 F EADER 16 NC JACK NI B USB OWERIACK LS1 UZZER 2 2N7002 SOT 1 R3 i 2 7 3 r H 71
18. determine optimum settings for tuning stubs SWR approximate Q resonant frequency bandwidth impedance o Determine characteristic impedance of transmission line o Determine length of 1 4 and 1 2 wave phasing lines o Coaxial Cable Loss Determine antenna tuner loss o Measure balun loss o Measure inductor Q o Estimate quartz crystal parameters o Measure magnetic loop resonance and SWR Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 11 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 5 Specifications Frequency Generation amp Control o 1 60Mhz o Source impedance 50 Ohms o Stability 100 ppm o Spectral Purity Harmonics down TBD dB beyond 60 MHz o Step Size User configurable increments of 100 Hz 1 kHz 10 kHz and 100 kHz gt Usable Measurement Range SWR 1 0 to 9 99 o Impedance approx 5 to 2000 ohms gt RF Output o Adjustable 2 0 Volts pp typ Power supply o External 13 8 to 19 Volts DC 500mA o Internal 8xAAA 1000mAh cells o Charging time 12 hours charge rate 0 10 Controls o Pushbuttons 5 Mode Band Config Scan Up Down o Switch Power On gt Connectors o Out USB Mini B receptacle o External power 2 1mm Power Jack center pin positive Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 12 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 6 Kit Contents The SARK100 kit consist of a double sided printed circuit board
19. do another sweep while observing the variation of R and X values At some potentiometer setting the R value will vary very little over the tuning range while the X value will remain near zero This is the estimated characteristic resistance 10 9 Transmission line losses Transmission line loss for 50 ohm feedlines can be easily measured using the analyzer The basic operating principle is that loss in transmission lines attenuates RF sent through them When the line is connected to the analyzer and the far end is short or opencircuited there is a theoretically infinite SWR If the feedline had zero loss this would be the case However since any real line has some loss both the forward and reflected power are attenuated and a finite SWR is measured For most good quality new coaxial feedlines the loss at HF frequencies will not exceed several dB per 30 meters hundred feet however as they age the dielectric becomes lossy to it is a good idea to periodically check the loss Measurement is simple All you have to do it is to remove the load short circuit the far end of the feedline and then connect the near end to the analyzer s RF output connector Measure the SWR and refer to table below for the approximate corresponding loss If the measured SWR is above 9 1 that s good news since the SWR then is less than 1 dB you vary the analyzer frequency you will see that SWR decreases with frequency indicating that loss increases at higher frequencies
20. is the frequency in MHz and C is the capacitance in picofarads 10 7 Measure Inductor Q The Q of an RF inductor can be measured with a very simple setup First measure the inductive reactance XL of the inductor and record this value Now connect it to the Analyzer as shown below in Figure 7 L Figure 7 Capacitor C must chosen to resonate with L at the frequency where you want to measure the inductors Q The Inductor and Capacitor Measurement section of this manual shows how this capacitor value can be determined Now tune the Analyzer for the lowest resistance value with a reading of zero X reactance If R is above 10 ohms you can now calculate inductor Q using the formula If R is less than 10 O a slightly different method needs to be used In this case use the test setup shown in Figure 6 Adding the noninductive carbon composition or film 1 4 or watt 51 resistor allows more accurate measurement of the series resistance of the inductor Again tune the analyzer for lowest R resistance value with a reading of zero X reactance Record this resistance value Now connect the 51 resistor directly across the analyzer s RF output connector and measure its exact value at the resonance frequency and record it Next subtract the exact 51 O resistor value from the measured H value and use this new resistance in the above formula to calculate the Q value Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 99 Copyright EA4
21. part if your table is clear When the inevitable happens despite your best efforts of holding an SMT part in your tweezers you ll have lots of trouble finding it if it falls onto a rug covered floor It s best to have your work area in a non carpeted room for this reason as well as to protect static sensitive parts 7 2 2 Attaching the SMT components to the PCB recommend starting for the surface mount integrated circuits and in the following order 011 regulator U5 operational amplifier 03 oscillator U2 amplifier U1 DDS U8 USB driver and J2 USB connecior Be first especially observant of the component orientation stenciled on the PCB Apply solder flux to the component pads then pre solder the pad in one corner of the given layout and after that carefully position the leads of the IC over its set of pads on the PCB You can use your fingers to carefully align the IC over all its pads and then reheat the corner pad to reflow the solder onto the IC pin This should leave the IC attached by that pin Again making sure the IC pins are aligned over all pads carefully solder the opposite corner lead to its pad This should leave all other pins of the IC aligned over their respective pads making it easier to solder them Then apply again the solder flux on the component pads Next solder each of the other pins to their respective pads being careful not to bridge solder across any adjacent pads or pins If this happen no problem
22. possible causes gt RFisnot generated probably because DDS or a power amplifier fault Thereflectometer can not detect the RF signal probably by a reflectometer or buffer failure To find the problem you will need an oscilloscope or RF probe and a multimeter You start following the path of the RF signal starting with L1 it is hard to probe in the DDS output following by the two output stages of U2 pins 1 and 7 C8 output and RF output connector If all goes well measures the VF signal pin 14 of U5 The level in this signal should be greater than 1 5 V The SARK100 turns off It is completely normal since the instrument is automatically put in automatically after 90 seconds a low power mode for extended battery autonomy This feature can be disabled in the CONFIG menu The instrument shows In case of powering from batteries and if they are discharged the inconsistent measurements instrument could malfunction and it could even reset Another possible cause is a failure in either branch of the reflectometer including a failure in any of the detector diodes Using the oscilloscope or a multimeter measure the values in the four branches of the bridge and compared with tables next section The PC does not recognize the First make sure you have installed the USB driver supplied In the USB device when connected to control panel of your PC access to the Device Manager and check the SARK100 the status of the device If all goes well
23. the buttons on the opposite side taking care to observe proper polarity The notch marked on the silkscreen of the plate must match the flat side of the button The last component to be mounted is the display connector JP1 The connector is a header in which the short terminals side will be soldered on the PCB side Make sure the connector is perfectly perpendicular to the board After assembly the header you can mount and solder the display The display must be perfectly aligned in parallel with the board and be sure that the bezel does not make contact to the PCB After the soldering operation you shall cut the excess of the terminals in the display side with the help of cutting pliers Congratulations once it gets to this you are finished assembling the board At this point you can optionally connect the battery holders or wait until later since you can do the power up by connecting a power source The battery holders are to be interconnected in series i e the Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 22 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual negative black of one of the supports should be soldered to the positive red from the other and then secure the connection with a piece of duct tape Finally the spare positive red should be soldered to the board in the position marked as from JP2 The spare terminal negative black shall be soldered to the GND of JP2 7 4 Power up and Tests Prepare for the tests
24. 0 is a simple command line program which scans in the selected frequency range and stores the measurement results in a file format supported by ZPlots Usage gt PCC SARK100 c com s lt start freq e end freq t step value o output file gt Where lt port name gt COM port name scstart freq otart frequency in Hertz lt freq End frequency in Hertz lt gt otep value in Hertz o output file gt Output file name without path Example gt PCC SARK100 cCOMS5 s14000000 e16000000 t10000 oDipole20m csv ZPlots ZPlots is an Excel macro developed by Dan Maguire AC6LA which provides the data analysis and display graphs of the impedance data captured by the SARK100 antenna Usage is very simple you select the file captured by PCC SARK100 and automatically displays representation of the actions of the antenna to the SWR resistance reactance etc It also represents Smith chart format In the following pages there are examples of ZPlots graphs The complete manual of the original program is available on the project website Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 45 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Right scale Data currently loaded is from sark100 csv 14 14 4 Frequency MHz Escriba una pregunta 217511 SS pe co Rs Xs vs Frequency
25. 000 11 000 000 25M 11 000 000 12 000 000 13 000 000 20M 13 000 000 14 100 000 17 000 000 17M 17 000 000 18 100 000 19 000 000 15M 19 000 000 21 000 000 23 000 000 12M 23 000 000 24 900 000 26 000 000 11M 26 000 000 27 000 000 28 000 000 10M 28 000 000 29 000 000 31 000 000 8M 31 000 000 40 000 000 49 000 000 6M 49 000 000 51 000 000 53 000 000 Pressing the SCAN pushbutton will automatically sweep the antenna analyzer test signal across the band range previously selected incrementing from the lower frequency limit to the upper Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 94 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual frequency limit in steps according the programmed step value During the scan the SWR is measured and updated on the screen as well as the current frequency value Each SWR value is compared to previous value in order to determine if a minima or a dip has occurred at this point in the scan If so that data point is stored for later display Besides the 2 1 points are stored in order to determine the bandwidth An example screen during the scan is the following frequency and SWR are updated continuously SCAN 14 100 200 1 30 Notice that when detected the 2 1 SWR points the buzzer is sounded to alert the user of the event After the scan process the instrument will show the bandwidth and after pressing any key the instrument will switch to impedance mode with the frequency set to the frequency value corresponding t
26. B interface is provided by a USB to serial converter from FTDI the FT232RL The chip requires virtually no external components so the design is extremely simple In this design has chosen not to be powered from the USB bus Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 56 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 15 Theory of Operation Software The operation of the SARK100 is completely software controlled and the software running on the PSoC micro controller The program has been fully developed in C language and it is open source so you can study it in detail and modify and evolve it at your convenience The program also includes a bootloader that allows field upgrades trough the USB connection The operation of the program is based primarily on a main loop that is responsible of polling the key buttons and make periodic measurements There is a periodic interrupt for the control of the program timings In the main loop it is used the Sleep processor mode in order to reduce the controller power consumption during the wait times All calculations are performed with integer arithmetic because floating point calculations consume more processor resources Usually a precision of 32 bits is enough for most of the calculations but for the DDS control register setting it has been necessary implementing 64 bit multiply and divide routines Memory Management In a micro controller it is very important to be aware of the device limitations
27. FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 10 8 Transmission line characteristic impedance The characteristic impedance of coaxial twisted pair open wire or ribbon type feedlines can be estimated using the SARK100 Practical measurements are best done in the mid tuning range of the instrument where accuracy is optimum and feedline lengths are reasonable so this procedure will be performed between 7 and 21 MHz The measurements need to be done with a transmission line over frequencies where the feedline is at about 1 8 wavelength at the low frequency end and something over 14 wavelength at the high frequency end so it is recommended that a length of about 4 9m 16 feet is used Connect the near end of the feedline to the SARK100 Connect a 1000 O carbon or Cermet potentiometer to the far end with leads no longer than 2 5 cm one inch or so Initially set the pot to its highest value see Figure 11 Ensure that the transmission line is supported for its entire length in a fairly straight line and kept several inches from any conductive surface or material This is important to minimize any detuning effects Ideally the line should be dressed along to top of a wooden fence or supported by fiber rope or string Now tune the SARK100 over the range of 7 to 21 MHz while noting the resistive R and reactive X values More than likely they will vary widely over the tuning range Now readjust the potentiometer to a slightly lower value and
28. Just grab some solder wick and use it to draw off the excess solder which should be fairly easy and clean because of the solder mask on the PCB Once you completed this the attaching of the following components will be a piece of cake The resistors and capacitors are provided in a comfortable 1206 size and only Q2 and Q3 and D1 D4 have a smaller but still manageable size First you must be careful with the orientation of D1 02 03 04 05 D6 07 and C38 The diodes 01 02 and 04 have pin wider than the others This should match the notch marked on the silkscreen i e facing the bottom of the board The diodes D5 D6 and D7 have a white band that points to the cathode which must be Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 19 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual mounted with the cathode pointing to the bottom of the board i e pointing to SW7 The band indicator in C38 signals the positive polarity marked with the in the silkscreen Figure 2 D1 D4 Orientation o e YYWW SIV CTS CB3 XXXMXXXXXX Figure 3 U3 Orientation Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 20 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 1 17 00 2 EL Figure 5 C38 Orientation The solder technique is similar to the used for the ICs apply solder flux to the component p
29. MODE CAN VAL BAND CONFIG SARK 100 SAN SWR Ana lyzer SARKLOO SWR Analyzer User Manual Revision 0 5 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela The project design amp technical information given here is free of any copyrights for Radio Amateur s personal use SARK100 User Manual Contents INTRODUG TION mer 4 1 1 FE QUIRED Ee u D Y DL u 5 E MEG I P pu ima 6 2 TERMS AND CONDITIONS z 2224 x verb ghe ioco u uu cde revo aie io soe ees CER eerte 7 3 OVERVIEW u u unuy u 8 BEATUHES 25525525 au y a 10 5 SPEGIPIGATIONS ui u a us uuu 12 6 uuu u un wasa kuskaqa 13 f ASSEMBLY CUIDE ioi u ce eed ee 17 7 1 PC BOARD PREPARATION Gi esatto denen 17 7 2 INSTALLING THE SURFACE MOUNT 5 pp 18 7 2 1 Preparation Tor the JOD cauce nes mb eee 18 7 2 2 Attaching the SMT components to the PCGB 19 7 3 INSTALLING THE TROUGH HOLE COMPONENTS 000 0 22 7 4 etd sine tn Ee guna 23 7797 PREPARING THE ENCLOSURE ote bate L I uQ ducas in u Da ine
30. Manual Mu Response Error response Hev 0 5 December 14 2010 Scans from specified start to end frequency and get raw bridge voltages start Start freq in Hz End freq in Hz step Step in Hz Start 2 Va VF Vr 2 Error expected freq val Error expected step val gt gt scan Start 257300 165500 31800 214500 257300 165500 31800 214500 80 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix J Quick Reference Sheet Scan of selected 66115140 Press to Change Press to Change Press to Change band with selected step size VAL Press to Enter Option SCAN Press to Exit Y 6 On scan completion the instrument is put on impedance mode at resonance point mnn Magnitude Impedance Complex Impedance i Mode Mode Press to Decrease Frequency Press to Increase Frequency Press to Decrease Frequency Press Increase Frequency ww Inductance Mode 190 Q 4 222424 Press to Decrease Frequency Press to Increase Frequency Press to Decrease Frequency Press to Increase Frequency Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 81 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010
31. RK100 User Manual Este m dulo proporciona las rutinas de c lculo de Z R X L y C utilizando los resultados de las medidas del convertidor anal gico digital The used formula are the following _ VF VR ROE x100 FAS VA 2500 27 lt 50x SWR 1 X ADT Eq _ 10 x X 2X pix F 10 2x pix F x X X 180 atan not yet implemented R pl The sign of the reactance is determined by a frequency shift technique The reactance value at the measurement frequency is compared with the value at a slightly higher frequency If the reactance value is higher the most likely is an inductive reactance j If the reactance value is lower the most likely is a capacitive reactance Calibrate reflectometer c It implements the calibration procedures The calibration is necessary to compensate the linearity of the diode detectors the offset values between the bridge legs and the frequency dependent effects of the bridge components The calibration starts by adjusting the signal power level for each band in order to compensate the roll off effect of the DDS The instrument implements a two point calibration technique for each bridge leg i e that they are used two different load values to derive the calibration factors From these values they are calculated of gain and offset which are stored in the EEPROM for each band For the impedance measurements VZ and VA it uses the 50 an
32. Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 40 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Approx Loss Measured SWR 1 dB 9 1 2 dB 4 5 1 3 dB 3 1 4 dB 2 3 1 5 dB 2 1 6 dB 1 7 1 7 dB 1 6 1 8 dB 1 5 1 9 dB 1 4 1 10 dB 13 1 10 10 Transmission line stub lengths Measurement of quarter and half wave transmission line stubs can be performed regardless of the transmission line characteristic impedance The method relies on the fact that an open circuited quarter wavelength line or a short circuited line acts like a precise short circuit at the chosen frequency of operation With either type of feedline first cut it about 10 longer than the desired length taking the appropriate velocity factor into account The velocity factor of common feedlines is available from manufacturer s literature or references such as the ARRL Antenna Book If you cannot find the value or if you are using a custom type of feedline the Velocity Factor Measurement section in this manual provides a way to determine this value The following formulas can be used to estimate the length of transmission line required For a half wavelength stub the length is _ 150000x VF F Where L is the length in cm VF is the velocity factor and F is the operating frequency in MHz for the stub oimilarly for a quarter wave stub use the formula L 7500x VF F Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 41 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual To dete
33. TERY 8xAAA 0 60 Mhz GAIN SET BATTERY CHARGER FILTER s a ANV POWER JACK NEN S SWR ANALYZER 5V CA4FREP Melchor Varela 2010 Figure 1 Block diagram Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 8 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual The DDS filter and power amplifier form a sinusoidal signal generator which frequency and amplitude is controlled by the PSoC micro controller The amplitude control allows compensating the roll off effect of the digital to analog converter in the DDS The signal generator signal is delivered to the antenna through a reflectometer consisting of an absorptive SWR bridge using matched diode detectors and compensated buffer amplifiers The data provided by the reflectometer are digitized and used by the micro controller to compute the SWR and impedance values for each sampled frequency The user iteration is provided by a 2x16 display with backlight a keypad and a buzzer In SCAN mode the micro controller sweeps the signal generator in the selected band looking for the minimum SWR point the resonant frequency and the 2 1 SWR limits in order to determine the 2 1 bandwidth At the end of the scan the resonance frequency is selected and it is shown the impedance values In manual mode the frequency and bands can be selected using the keypad and allows selecting four operating mod
34. ads pre solder one of the pads on the board where the component will go hold the component in place with tweezers on the tinned pad reheat the tinned pad and component to reflow the solder onto the component lead thus holding the component in place and lastly solder the other end of the component to its pad For efficiency organize the job by assembling the components groups with the same value at the same time for instance starting with the O 1uF capacitors bag Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 21 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 7 3 Installing the trough hole components The assembly of the trough hole components is quite easy and components can be assembled in any order except the display connector JP1 and the pushbuttons SW1 to SW6 which have to be left to the end and mounted in the opposite board side The components U6 U9 and U10 need a bit of preparation as it will be necessary bending the terminals with the aid of flat pliers Both U6 and U9 will be mounted lying on the board and need a heatsink that is screwed to the PCB using the drill provided The screw head should be in the opposite side and the supplied washer prevents the contact of the screw head with the PCB Having completed the assembly of all parts on the components side then you will proceed by mounting
35. am is ready for synchronization with the SARK100 The resulting screen in this state is as follows l Bootl oader for CY 8C 2 7xxx CY BC 29xxx BootLoader Terminal Program for PSOC microcontrollers CONNECT Not Connected Select HEX File SARK100 5 Program Device Blocks Written 000 EXIT Wall for connection with PSoC 6 Now in the SARK100 go the CONF menu and select the option Load Software and click VAL You will be prompted for confirmation and after confirm by pressing VAL the PC program should detect the synchronization and display the text Connected to the right of the button 7 Atthis point the connection was made and it is a matter of pressing the Program Device button and wait until the end of the load The progress of the load will be show in the status line and it is important not interrupting the charging process At the end of the process the SARK100 will restart and will display the new version of the software 8 The loading process erases the stored parameters including calibration data and it would be advisable to recalibrate the instrument Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 73 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix Calibrating the Analyzer To improve the accuracy of the analyzer this should be calibrated This is a simple procedure that just requires loads of known value and follows the outline
36. asure inductance with the SARK100 The simplest way is to connect the inductor across the RF output connector and select Inductance from the Mode pushbutton menu You can accurately measure inductor values as long as the reactance at the measurement frequency is within the impedance measurement specifications of the analyzer about 10 to 2000 0 Another way to measure inductance with the SARK100 is to measure it in a series resonant circuit See Figure 6 and Figure 10 You will need an capacitor of known value and a 51 O carbon composition or film resistor The capacitor should have a tolerance no wider than 10 and have a low loss dielectric composition such as NPO ceramic or mica A capacitance value of about 100 pf is appropriate for many RF measurements You can make your own precision capacitor from a piece of coaxial cable Common RG 58 type 50 ohm coax has a capacitance of about 29 to 30 pf For example RG58 U is specified at 28 8 pf per foot so a length of about 3 5 ft including a 1 pigtail for attachment will serve as a fairly accurate 100 pf capacitor Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 98 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual To measure inductance by the second method connect the components as shown in as Figure 6 Adjust the operating frequency for lowest SWR and record the frequency Now you can calculate the capacitance using the formula _ 25530 Where is the inductance in microhenries F
37. can use a file and sandpaper for a smooth finish 7 6 Installing the PCB in the enclosure If the previous step was successfully the board should fit correctly in the cover with the cutouts allowing the positioning of the buttons and display Once the board is positioned screw the four supplied screws for this purpose Then you will need to glue the two battery holders on the inside of the back cover in the positions shown in the photo on the next page Finally close the box screw the two locking screws and place the supplied rubber feet Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 26 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 User Manual SARK100 ma 272227 40 90 a OUTER OR AMT ERR PPS a sig Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 27 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 SARK100 User Manual 7 7 Manufacturing the Overlays Now it is time to improve the look of the instrument This design gives the art design to create overlays for the front cover and optionally for the panels You can either use this design as is or as a template to customize the design according to your personal taste There are many techniques available to create the overlays or direct stamping the enclosure Many of them are expensive when produced for small quantities mainly because the cost of the preparation of the tooling In this section I m going to show you a simple and affor
38. d 150 O loads For SWR adjustments it uses the 150 and 274 O loads Util c It implements some utility functions such as delays conversion functions etc Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 58 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Measure c This is the driver of the analog to digital converter and so where the legs measurements are performed For each bridge leg it is selected the right multiplexer input it is adjusted the gain of the input amplifier and then it is performed an acquisition of the analog to digital converter For the measurement it is implemented the Correlated Double Sampling technique that consists in taking a dummy measurement with the input shorted and then perform the real measurement The read value is substracted from the dummy value so compensating the offset and noise effects In addition the measurement it is performed four times and averaged in order to further minimise noise Display c Manages the presentation in the LCD display of the frequency and of the different impedance modes Keypad c Performs the scanning of the matrix of key buttons Implements debouncig routines and manages the specific operation of the frequency change keys Sleep timer c Periodic interrupt that runs 8 times per second Updates the timers for the main loop and equipad routines Storage c Manages the storage of calibration factors and the instrument configuration parameters in EEPROM Glb
39. d making sure that the switch SW7 is the OFF position check the voltage on the cathode of D5 or D6 If there is not any voltage the problem might be an incorrect position of D5 or D6 or a failure of U11 though the latter would be quite unlikely If that s OK put the switch SW7 in the ON position and measure with the multimeter U6 the regulator output i e the pin 2 In the event that the measure is not 5V most likely a short circuit at the board and also notice that the regulator gets very hot You ll have to turn off the power and seek the cause of the problem most likely a short tin in any component or connector with the terminals close together 13 1 Specific problems The LCD shows the following text This is a warning message indicating that the instrument is not after the startup calibrated It is completely normal and even the instrument will function normally but with a small loss of accuracy This message Uncalibrated will disappear once the calibration Note that the calibration will Press any key be lost after a software update which will require recalibration The LCD shows the following text In the power up the instrument checks the level of the branch of after the startup the reflectometer VF This error will occur if the level detected that does not exceed the required threshold for operation First turn Error Vf Level off and then on the instrument and if you continue having Press any key problems these are the
40. d procedures The calibration data is stored in nonvolatile memory and will remain stored during the life of the instrument Recalibration will be necessary in the case of a software update because the stored calibration data are lost during the loading process It is essential to properly implementing the loads by integrating in BNC connectors and minimizing the length of the connections Another method is to use a BNC to RCA adapter and mount the resistors in RCA connectors as they are cheap and easy mounting of resistors as shown in the following illustration The instrument normalizes the gains of the four legs of the bridge for the different bands of operation creating the correction values to be stored in nonvolatile memory These correction values are calculated for different load conditions during the calibration process and are subsequently used for measures to compensate for gain differences of the legs of the bridge Calibration Procedure 1 Select the Calibrate on the setup menu 2 The instrument will prompt the user with the LCD text Disconnect Load indicating to remove any load from the RF connector Press the button VAL after disconnecting the load and then the display will show In Progress indication that calibration is in progress 3 Then it will prompt to connect a 50 O load Conn 50 O Load Plug the 50 O load and then press VAL The display will show In Progress indication that calibration is in
41. dable homebrew technique but with a nice result The technique basically involves printing the supplied design on photographic paper A4 size using a normal inkjet printer and making sure you use photo quality Photo paper should be sticker type but normal type is fine too but requires then gluing to secure to the enclosure Once printed the art it is necessary waiting the dry time recommended by the paper manufacturer usually 24 hours After the drying time you will proceed to the coating of the paper to give greater consistency and withstand the conditions of use You will use a transparent acrylic lacquer in spray form which is normally used for modelism decoration or crafts You will have to apply several layers following strictly the lacquer manufacturer s instructions Then you will have to allow the necessary time to dry normally 24 hours After the drying time and with the help of a cutter and a rigid rule you will have to perform the cutouts with great care and precision You will start with the display rectangle the buttons and the cutouts for the panels Finally you will proceed with the cutouts of the overlays outline It is important following this order because it is easier to perform the delicate cuts of the holes with all of the paper support structure Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 28 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual ES Finally carefully paste the overlays to the fron enclosu
42. dance An example screen is the following IMP 14 100 000 1 02 45 j 50 e The top line indicates the mode and the frequency e first number on the second line is the SWR in this case 1 02 1 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 82 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual e The middle value is the resistance i e the real part of the impedance in this case 45 e hen it is shown the reactance sign for inductive reactance and for capacitive reactance If it is not shown i e it means that it cannot be determined e astterm is the reactance in this case it is 50 inductive reactance This mode can not be used as a VFO because the frequency is continuously dizzling in order to determine the reactance sign Capacitance Mode This mode allows the measurement of the capacitance An example screen is the following CAP 14 100 000 C 112 4 pF e top line indicates the mode and the frequency The bottom line indicates the capacitance in pF Capacity values must be within the measurement range of the instrument Given that the maximum impedance specification for the analyzer is 2000 O the display will show a numeric value only when the reactance is less than this value The formula to calculate the capacity is the following 1 2x pix F x C Inductance Mode This mode allows the measurement of the inductance An example screen is the following IND 14 100 000 L 7 8 uH
43. e or half wave length can be used but using the shorter length consumes less feedline if it will be discarded after the measurement Begin by cutting a quarter wavelength of feedline using the formula fe 7500x VF F For a frequency of 10 MHz and assuming a VF Velocity Factor of 1 Now connect the near end of the feedline to a 51 resistor as shown in Figure 12 then to the analyzers RF output connector The far end must be open circuited Ensure that the transmission line is supported for its entire length in a fairly straight line and kept several inches from any conductive surface or material This is important to minimize any detuning effects Ideally the line should be dressed along to top of a wooden fence or supported by fiber rope or string Now tune the SARK100 for lowest SWR and note the frequency VF can now be calculated using the formula _10 VF Where F is the measured frequency in MHz Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 42 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Antenna Tuner To antenna Use the SWR mode to dial in the desired operating frequency Then ajust the tunner disconnect the SARK100 connect the Xcvr and operate Figure 8 Adjust antenna tuners L is length in cm VF is Velocity Factor F in Mhz 150000 x VF L F A x Short inner N LZ lead to shield e Tune for minimum SWR Freq where SWR is min is wavelength Figure 9 Determining
44. erdt 25 7 6 INSTALLING THE IN THE 5 7 26 7 7 MANUFACTURING THE OVERLAYS rr er sa e sese sare 28 8 CONNECTIONS AND 6 4 1 2 2 30 9 ANTENNA ANALYZER 31 10 USES FOR AN ANTENNA ANALYZER 1 urea 37 10 1 ANTENNA MEASUREMENTS 4 000000000000 sage r Ia sessi 37 10 2 MEASURE FEED POINT IMPEDANCE a remise sese e sa RDR RAR sarei iran 37 10 3 96 37 10 4 ADJUST ANTENNA TUNERS 37 10 5 CAPACITOR MEASUREMENT o 37 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 2 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 10 6 INDUC TOR MEASUREMENT Ne 38 10 7 MEASURE INDUCTOR cers 39 10 8 TRANSMISSION LINE CHARACTERISTIC IMPEDANCE 40 10 9 TRANSMISSION UINE LOSSES c ducet e 40 10 10 TRANSMISSION LINE STUB LENGTHS
45. es SWH complex impedance capacitance and inductance The analyzer is able to determine the sign of the impedance by a frequency shifting technique It takes the measure of the reactance at the selected frequency and compared with the value of the reactance at a frequency slightly higher In the case that the value of the reactance is greater it is likely that the reactance be inductive j If the case that value of the reactance is less it is likely that the reactance be capacitive j The analyzer is designed to be field usable and operating friendly It has a convenient form factor for hand operation and the push button controls are positioned along the left top side of the unit The RF connector is located at the top of the unit to provide a convenient connection to the antenna being measured The external power jack the USB connector and the power switch are located in the bottom side of the instrument The unit provides both operation from the internal batteries or from an external power adapter The analyzer software implements some power saving features in order to extend the battery autonomy The internal batteries are charged automatically by a constant current battery charger when the external power adapter is connected Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 9 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 4 Features Automated antenna SWR analyzer gt Supplied as an easy to assemble kit at an affordable co
46. g guide self adhesive paper 1 Display 2x16 with backlight 1 RT 50 Calibrating resistor 49 9 0 1 150 Calibrating resistor 1500 1 RT 274 Calibrating resistor 2740 U6 Heatsink TO220 Heatsink including screw washer and bolt U9 Heatsink TO220 Heatsink including screw washer and bolt 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O 1uF 8 14 15 16 17 FLUX Solder flux pen 1 4 1 E C27 C28 C31 C35 C37 C40 Isp 7 C12 C30 100pF ww 11282 v on 7 V 5 522805 x DONTASEMBE 0 MINI B USB V 7 9 12 13 27 28 49 9 4 SL R30 R17 X 24 470 680 x 2 7 2 X lt 20 lt S Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 15 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual ______ 1 3 024 __ ln 7 0 o 22 _____ 10 lt 1168 OAR L9 NES F _ a R48 R49 R50 R51 DON T ASSEMBLE SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW PUSHBUTTON Fusus 02 OSC3MH 2 jus Tcz7e soorlMc6484M _____ UB __ IFP3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A Note following components are not supplied and it is not necessary assembling them R42 R48 R49 R50 R51 Solder Flux can be supplied in a pen form or a bottle 15ml with an
47. he HyperTerminal program on the PC and configure the port with settings 57 600 8 n 1 and no hardware flow control Once done you can start the connection on the PC side and in the analyzer side select the PC Link option in the configuration menu If all goes well it should appear in the HyperTerminal window a welcome text and a command prompt At this point you can enter any of the commands described in Appendix H If it not were possible to establish the USB connection proceed to the Troubleshooting section 7 5 Preparing the Enclosure The SARK100 is supplied with a suitable case for the instrument but this comes without the cutouts For this purpose it is supplied the cut patterns printed on a paper sticker that has to be glued to the box and the panels In addition you can find the detailed plans in electronic format at the project website You can use different techniques to make the cutouts for the presented here you need a hand drill a thin cutting fretsaw file and sandpaper for a proper finish You can start the job by the plastic enclosure and then with the aluminium panels The enclosure consists of two plastic covers which one of them has two holes for the locking screws The cutouts will be done in the cover with no holes and that will be the front of the instrument The first operation will be to paste the provided sticker pattern on the cover It is very important align correctly the pattern to ensure that the pushbuttons and t
48. he display fit perfectly The tolerances are small so it is important to make sure to avoid problems The reference points are the four turrets located in the inner side of the cover that need to match with the corresponding marks printed in the pattern Please check the dimensions with the drawings before starting the cutting job as a final verification Et 1 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 25 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual FE You can start the job by drilling the holes for the pushbuttons using the handdrill and a 13mm spade drill bit You should mark the center point of each of the drills for example by using the hot tip of the solder with the objective of directing the drill bit and holding it in place The next step will be the cutout of the display rectangle You will need drilling a hole to permit the passage of the blade of the fretsaw and then perform the cuts with precision following the pattern 22 77 The panels will be prepared in a similar way first applying the sticker patterns on the two panels and then perform the cutouts For the the BNC connector hole you will need the handadrill and a 13mm drilling bit for metal For the other cutouts you will need the hanadrill with a small drilling bit to just permit the passage of the blade of the fretsaw and then perform the cut with precision Once you have finished the drills you
49. he integrated circuit AD9851 from Analog Devices that includes the DDS synthesis and a 10 bit digital analog converter The reference clock is supplied externally by a 30 Mhz oscillator which is multiplied by six internally by the DDS for a 180 Mhz working frequency This allows a resolution of about 0 04 Hz as the tuning record is 32 bits and a maximum usable frequency of 60 MHz Vs GND AD9851 DAC ner d CLOCK IN MULTIPLIER dn 10 ANALOG MASTER ind 6 OUT RESET 32 BIT ND MORD ON ANALOG IN FREQUENCY UPDATE DATA REGISTER CLOCK OUT DATA INPUT REGISTER CLOCK OUT SERIAL COMPARATOR PARALLEL 1 LOAD S x 1 BIT x 8 BIT 40 LOADS 5 LOADS FREQUENCY PHASE AND CONTROL DATA INPUT Figure 14 AD9851 The DDS is programmed from the microcontroller using a serial control through signals DDS DATA DDS LOAD and DDS CLK The control is done by loading a 40 bit control register which controls the phase the selection of the multiplier the control of low power mode and the 32 bit frequency control register The resetting of the DDS is controlled by the microcontroller through signal XO EN This signal in addition to the reset function allows you to disable the oscillator and control the backlight of the display In low power mode this signal switches to low level so that the DDS will be in a state of reset the oscillator disabled and the display off hence it will reduce the consump
50. hown on screen in addition to frequency and also store the 2 1 SWR points and minimum SWR value Notice that when it is detected the 2 1 SWR points the buzzer is sounded to alert the user of the event When the scan process is finished the analyzer will show the bandwidth and then pressing any key the instrument will impedance mode with the frequency of minimum SWR selected In the case of not finding a resonance point will show error message on screen Connect an antenna with a resonance frequency of a known value or a dummy antenna to verify the operation of this function The instrument should detect the resonance point correctly otherwise proceed to the Troubleshooting section Press the CONFIG button to enter the setup menus The CONFIG button allows access to the configuration menus and extended functions You can see the available options by pressing the button successively To select either option press the button VAL and the button CAN to exit Select the PC Link function of the setup menu To check the USB connection to the PC you must first have installed the USB driver FTDI and need a USB cable not included in the kit Once you ve connected the USB cable and power analyzer you can check in the device manager of the PC which COM port number is assigned Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 24 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual to the analyzer If your PC has correctly identified the port you can run t
51. hz C pF Lom _ e mea s _ 33 3 Lu 2 _ 3 22 30 470 F1 C L C L F2 Single Resonance C1 L1 Double Resonance Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 76 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix I PC Command Interface Description Enables DDS signal generation Requires setting correct DDS frequency Example gt gt s j _ _ Example OK frequency Frequency in Hertz Error response Error invalid freq Example gt gt freq 14070000 OK Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 77 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual eS Get impedance values uo Example gt gt imp 1 05 52 10 51 Mer wu M Get raw bridge voltages Mw xu Example gt gt raw 257300 165500 31800 214500 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 78 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Mu Description Scans from specified start to end frequency and get impedance values Arguments freq start Start freq in Hz freq End freq in Hz step Step in Hz Response Start SWR R 1X 4Z SWR R 1X 4Z Error response Error expected freq val Error expected step val Example gt gt scan Start 1 05 52 10 51 1 05 52 10 51 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 79 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User
52. lchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix E USB Driver Installation The SARK100 incorporates a USB interface for PC connection This interface is implemented by the FTDI Chip FT232R chip which requires prior installation of a driver Virtual COM Port VCP available at the following link http www ftdichip com Drivers VCP htm This driver is available for multiple operating systems on which you access the manufacturer s website and select the appropriate driver always bearing in mind that the chip is the FT232R Preferably you install by using the setup executable and following the manufacturer s instructions Once installed and connected the SARK100 you can verify proper installation by entering in the Device Manager of the Windows Control Panel By connecting the SARK100 you should see a new COM port with the FTDI driver reference Please note the COM port name as it will be necessary to know to use the SARK100 from your PC eg for software updates or to control the instrument from HyperTerminal Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 71 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Appendix F Updating the Analyzer Software The analyzer software is upgradeable via USB so the analyzer can be updated with the latest software available on the website of the product or you can even customize the code by using the free PSoC Designer tool For the software update will need a PC running Windows and a USB cable
53. length of a halfwave stub 5 25330 7 gt 211 5 F2x L lt Cin pF 22 25330 Lin uH L in Mhz R 5 Adjust freq lowest SWR Figure 10 Capacitor or inductor measurement Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 43 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Set Pot to max 1 Y Adjust Pot slightly lower lt 1K Pot Tune the SARK 100 from 7 to 21Mhz Y Note variations in X and Z Feedline with unknown characteristic impedance Relatively constant No Pot setting is cable s characteristic impedance Figure 11 Determining feedline characteristic impedance Sweep SARK100 to find minimum SWR at some frequency Open f 21 Figure 12 Determining velocity factor Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 44 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 11 PC Software The SARK100 is controllable from the PC and allows the collection of measurements to be processed by an analysis program In the project website you can find a simple command line program PCC SARK100 which performs control and data capture from the SARK100 and generates a data file compatible with Excel macro ZPlots from Dan Maguire AC6LA This macro performs the analysis of the measures and displays them in different graphs PCC SARK100 The PCC SARK10
54. litates development The PSoC used in this project belongs to the family PSoC1 i e using the M8C CPU CPU CORES PSOCT 5 805 P5OCS ARM Certex M3 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 53 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual The operating voltage of the micro controller is 5V and the clock frequency of the CPU is programmed to the maximum frequency i e at 24 Mhz In the SARK100 project it have been implemented the following programmable functions Function Typ pescription ADCINC12 12 bits Incremental ADC This is the basic component for measurement of the branches of the reflectometer Converts the voltage level of the selected branch of the bridge and converted to a digital value Operates at a 6MHz clock so the sampling time is 360 samples per second The input range is O to 5 V AMUX4 ADC 4 1 Analog Multiplexer This feature allows you to select under program control the branch of the bridge to measure VF VR VA or VZ E2PROM EEPROM Emulation This is a function provided by the PSoC Designer that lets you emulate the operation of a flash EEPROM memory using the PSoC program flash memory It is used for storing the calibration data and user settings LCD LCD Control Library This is a function provided by the PSoC Designer that provides a driver and an API for controlling a character display PGA ADC Programmable Gain This amplifier is placed between the anal
55. lows you to change the value of the frequency step for the SCAN and for the increase decrease frequency buttons for the impedance measurement modes Successively pressing the CONFIG button you can select one of the step values To select either value you need to press the button VAL and for exit you need pressing the button CAN The following values are available 10Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz and 100kHz Suspend Timeout This feature allows you to program the user idle time for the automatic power save feature Successively pressing the CONFIG button you can select one of the idle time values To select either value you need to press the button VAL and for exit you need pressing the button CAN The following values are available Off disabled 30 seconds 60 seconds and 90 seconds Calibrate This function allows calibrating the instrument in order to get better accuracy By entering this function the user is instructed to follow a series of steps which are described in detail in the Appendix G Software Load This feature allows the software update of the instrument using the USB interface The update procedure is described in detail in the Appendix F Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 96 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 10 Uses for an Antenna Analyzer The SARK100 antenna analyzer is a useful tool for the amateur radio station or the homebrewer s workbench This section will describe the basic uses as well some
56. lyzer Clock VC1 Clock Input ACBOO 4 User Modules ClockPhase Norm HE Amplifiers y 89 28 Analog Comm Name 3 Counters Indicates the name used to identify this i DACS User Module instance 8 Digital Comm HIE E Filters Pinout sarct0D swranalyzer v X lt B EJ SPK GlobalQutE ven T renen ES s GH Protocols E Analoglnput AMT 1 27 gt 2 PSOC GENERIC El 005 RSET Analogt Ode Odes Ste 5 PwMs 0 3 Analoglnput CES Random Seq El TX USB GlobalQutE EE i RF Bl VZ Temperi El COL2 StdCPU Stron Timers P0 7 Analoglnput E 1 0 StdCPLI El 1 1 ROWO StdCPLI 4 d nns 1n n Starp Y SR gt MA V Output Espa ol alfabetizaci n internaciona Ready Figure 13 PSoC Designer 5 n the Build menu select the option Build SARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL Project You can also invoke this function by pressing F7 6 If all went well in the window
57. lyzer uses only milliwatts of power lessening the possibility of causing interference see Figure 8 10 5 Capacitor Measurement There are several ways to measure capacitance with the SARK100 The simplest is to connect the capacitor across the RF output connector and select Capacitance from the Mode pushbutton menu You can accurately measure capacitance values as long as the reactance at the measurement frequency is within the impedance measurement specifications of the analyzer about 10 to 2000 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 187 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Another way to measure capacitance with the SARK100 is to measure it in a series resonant circuit See Figure 6 and Figure 10 You will need an inductor of known value and a 51 O carbon composition or film resistor It is recommended that a small 5 tolerance choke with an inductance of between 1 and 10 uH be used Common chokes are fine and can be obtained from most full service mail order component suppliers 510 C L Figure 6 To measure capacitance by the second method connect the components as shown in Figure 6 Then adjust the operating frequency for lowest SWR and record the frequency Now you can calculate the capacitance using the formula _ 25530 FxFxL Where C is the capacitance in picofarads F is the frequency in MHz and L is the inductance in microhenries 10 6 Inductor Measurement There are several ways to me
58. nique and basic tools It is a kit with a moderate component count so once you have completed I m sure that you will be more confident to embrace the building of more complex SMD kits This manual includes everything you need to know about the SARK100 including the assembly guide technical descriptions operating guide and detailed technical information including schematics and diagrams Please visit the project website http www ea4ftrb eu sark100 html to access the updates and latest versions of software This kit is an amateur project developed in my spare time and so no commercial backing possible You should be aware of this and accept as is otherwise you will find in the market a variety of finished products or similar kits In any case have made every reasonable effort to allow you having success with the assembly Please do not hesitate to contact me to give me opinions about the kit or have questions I thank you for buying the kit and I wish you luck in the construction and use Sincerely Melchor Varela EA4FRB melchor varela gmail com Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 4 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 1 1 Required Tools PCB Assembly You will need the following tools to assemble the components to the board Solder iron 25W better if it has temperature control and a moistened sponge Tweezers recommended Magnifying lamp or magnifying glasses or loupe Flat pliers and
59. nknown impedance of the bridge When the antenna is in resonance i e a resistive impedance of 50 Q and no reactance the bridge is balanced and AC voltages on each side of the bridge are identical That is no AC current flows through the legs However when the antenna is not resonant the complex impedance is not 50 Q which create a bridge imbalance The analyzer measures four voltages of the bridge for impedance calculations The incident voltage VF the reflected voltage VR the voltage at the antenna VZ and the voltage across the known resistance of the leg of the load VA The measurement is performed with envelope detectors implemented in this case with Schottky diodes and a compensation buffer This buffer Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 55 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual stage compensates the nonlinearity of the transfer curve of the diode thus improving the accuracy of measurements Furthermore this design uses paired diodes which improves accuracy The diodes 5 5 2805 Avago Technologies has been selected with a breakdown voltage of 70 to provide better reliability It has a slightly lower performance than the 5 5 2825 which is ideal for RF detection function but the latter has a low breakdown voltage 15V and it will be more sensitive to disturbances The design incorporates a gas discharger low voltage to prevent equipment damage in case of static USB Serial Converter The US
60. not included The loading program TerminalProgram v2 zip is available on the project website Unzip the zip file in a directory of your convenience and create a shortcut on the desktop to have it available for use Procedure 1 Download from the project website the firmware file to a known directory e g the Windows Desktop If you have created the software with PSoC Designer you will find it in the project root directory 2 Connect your PC to the SARK100 using the USB cable It is highly recommended power the SARK100 by an external power supply to make sure you don t run out of power during the update process 3 Checkin the PC Device Manager that the PC has correctly recognized the port and note the COM port number This example uses the COM6 4 Run program on the PC You should see a screen like the following BootLoader for CY 8C27 00 CY 8C29xxx oader Terminal Program for PSOC microcontrollers Not Connected Select HEX File Not selected Program Device Blocks Written 000 we EXIT Wait for connection with PSoC Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 72 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 5 Select the communication port in this example COM6 from the drop down list on the right Pressing the button Select HEX File and select the file to load in this example SARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL hex Finally check the tab Wait for connection with PSoC At this time the progr
61. o the minimum SWR point BW 35 000 Press any key In the case of not finding a resonance point the unit will display the following error message on the screen Err No Matching Press any key CONFIG Successively pressing the CONFIG button you can select one of the SARK100 configuration modes and extended funtions To select either option you need to press the button VAL and for exit you need pressing the button CAN PC Link The PC Link function lets you control the SARK100 from your PC using the USB connection The PC USB driver provides an emulation of a COM port and the SARK100 provides a command interface so you can be control the instrument from a terminal program such as HyperTerminal or any other program designed for this purpose e g PCC SARK100 To use this feature you must have installed the USB driver see Appendix E and connect the USB cable The COM port setting is 57600 8 n 1 with no hardware flow control By entering this function the analyzer will send the following text to the terminal and will display the command prompt SARK SWR Analyzer V05 gt gt Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 35 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual The available commands are described in Appendix H These can be typed from the HyperTerminal window and the results will be returned to the terminal The SARK100 will show the last processed command in the bottom line of the LCD Step Size This function al
62. og Amplifier multiplexer and the ADC and allows the signal level conditioning of the reflectometer to the full scale of the ADC The branches VF VZ and VA are amplified with a level of 2 67 and the VR branch with a level of 5 33 double as other branch PGA DDS 1 Programmable Gain These amplifiers are used to simulate a DAC function PGA DDS 2 Amplifier and control the output level of the DDS These amplifiers are continuous type of PSoC blocks so they are less noisy than an actual DAC which is switched and generates noise that modulates the signal Modulator The clock source is the 32Khz internal clock Timer16 Delay It is used to implement delays of short duration The clock source is the 32Khz internal clock UART UART It is used for communication with the PC via the USB serial converter The clock source is directly the system clock 24 MHz and a divider 52 to generate the speed of 57600 The board provides the connector JP3 to allow in circuit programming This functionality will not normally be used by end users as the PSoC kit comes pre programmed and can update the software via USB The keypad is a 2x3 matrix and is controlled by input output ports of the PSoC The DDS the display and backlight control are controlled in the same way with input output ports Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 54 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Power Supply The design integrates a sort of regulators to all
63. ollowing illustration To RF Test CCT 0 01uF 4 7M To VM To VM To CCT GND 4N24A Classic RF Probe Reads RMS equivalent voltage in test circuit if voltmeter input impedance is 10 11MQ Reads 4X RMS equivalent voltage if voltimeter input impedance is Set VM to measure DCV Basic Tests We ll assume you haven t seen any smoke coming from the circuit board or components That s always a good starting point for a successful repair of a unit Otherwise you ll obviously need to look in the area when the smoke came from or where the board and components look charred for that is the place where a component was mis installed or the place where the problem surfaced from something else Power Supply In the case of powering the SARK100 unit with batteries make sure you have a voltage of 8 5 V If the voltage is lower than the RF signal will not be generated properly and incorrect readings may be shown on the screen In the case of using an external power supply make sure it is in the range of 13 8 to 20V Make sure that the battery polarity is correct and that the external power connector is positive in the center If any of these connections is reversed it could damage any of the regulators of entry U9 and U11 but not the rest of the unit since there are diodes that serve as protection for these events Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 49 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Using the multimeter an
64. ow operation from both battery and external power supply and also implements a battery charger The battery consists of 8 cell AAA format NiMH 1000 mAh capacity in series for which the nominal voltage is 9 6 V The battery charger is constant current type and has no control of end of charge so it has been designed to load below 0 1 C 100mA to avoid the damaging the battery This greatly simplifies the circuit charger but the charging time will be longer The charger circuit requires a minimum input voltage of about 13 5 V to allow the full charge The 12V regulator U11 works as a preregulator when using the external power supply The power amplifier has a maximum supply rating of 12 6V so this regulator is strictly needed to allow the charge of the batteries while not damaging the amplifier Besides this reduces the temperature of the 5V regulator U6 Reflectometer The reflectometer is basically an absortive SWR bridge fed by the DDS signal which in turn is driven to the antenna The voltages provided by the reflectometer are digitized and used by the microcontroller to calculate the SWR and impedance values at the selected frequency REFLECTOMETER BUFFER VA VF A PGA gt ADCINC12 X 2 4 DDS 0 60Mhz The reflectometer is a Wheatstone bridge consisting of 50 Q resistors being the antenna the u
65. ower off i e the instrument continues to have a significant consumption so it is recommended shutting down completely in the case it s not going to be used User Interface The user interface consists of six buttons four aimed at selecting the functions available and two are used primarily to select the frequency but have the dual function of canceling and validate respectively All functions are summarized in the Appendix J Adjusting the Frequency Frequency is changed by adjusting a single digit indicated at the point in the display where the cursor is by pressing either frequency change button Upon power up of the instrument the 10 kHz digit is the adjustment point as shown by the digit with the cursor in the display below SWR 14 100 000 1 02 2 400 To move the cursor to a different digit to be adjusted press simultaneously the frequency change buttons The cursor will move to any of the seven available digits allowing subsequent up down adjustment of that digit after pressing again the frequency change buttons A blinking cursor will be display during the digit adjustment mode Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual SWR 14 180 000 1 02 Z 400 Pressing the left button will increase the digit value and correspondingly the signal generated by the unit Pressing the right button will decrease the digit and the generated signal When the digit is incremented
66. ownload source analyzer available the following link http sark100swranaly sourceforge net 3 The source code is zipped unzip it into a working directory on your PC 4 Make sure you have prepared the necessary environment to perform software updates as described in Appendix F At this point you can launch the PSoC Designer From the File menu you can open the project using the Open Project Workspace Select the directory where the project is and open the project file SARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL app You can also launch the PSoC Designer and open while the project by double clicking the file 100 SwrAnalyzer in the Windows file manager Once the project will open up a window such as that shown in the Figure 9 As a basic tutorial we will modify the software analyzer to show your callsign in the initial screen of the analyzer Based on the previous screen these are the steps to perform 1 In the window Workspace Explorer top right displays the tab Source Files from the SARK100 SwrAnalyzer BL folder You should see all the source files belonging to the project 2 Double click on the msg_eng c file which is the module containing all display texts of the analyzer Look for the gWelcome2Str declaration BYTE const gWelcome2Str 4 10 VERSION STR Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 47 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 4 Modify the text
67. past 9 or when it is decremented past 0 the digits above the selected adjustment point are rolled up or down respectively Using this frequency adjustment scheme the user can conveniently pick an increment digit and manually scan frequencies with the desired granularity Rough scans can manually be done by positioning the cursor under the 100 kHz digit or the 1 MHz digit giving a wide and course scan of the frequencies with a quick twist of the dial The signal frequency can then be set to the area of interest and the cursor set to a lower granular digit e g 10 kHz or 1 kHz in order to manually perform a detailed scan while watching displayed results for SWR impedance and reactance MODE Successively pressing the MODE button you can select one of the SARK100 operating modes impedance magnitude complex impedance capacitance inductance and off Impedance Mode magnitude This is the main mode of the instrument and measures the SWR and the magnitude of the impedance An example screen is the following SWR 14 100 000 102 2 400 e The top line indicates the mode and the frequency e The first number on the second line is the SWR in this case 1 02 1 e he second number is the impedance magnitude modulus in this case 40 In this mode the instrument can be used as a VFO as it keeps the signal in the selected frequency continuously Complex Impedance Mode In this mode it is measured the SWR and the complex impe
68. re and the panels The result must be like the following illustrations with one sample with the box in gray and another in black A good recommendation before making the whole process is to do a test print on plain paper apply the cuts and see how it looks on the box This will also serve as training and will make you sure that you are using the correct print settings and measures are being properly observed p Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 29 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 8 Connections and Controls Jack provides connection emma Selects operating mode impedance default complex impedance capacitance and ww IBuzzer Audible tones BAND xc LE Selects band from any of the available bands 160M 6M 6 DOWN RE enis i Decreases frequency and used 22 v m ito validate operation for 2 CONFIG menu configurations and extended _________ 2 51221 functions PC link step size setting suspend timeout setting calibration and software update SARK 100 UP 01 SAN S SWERE Analyzer Increases frequency and used to i cancel operation for CONFIG menu Pressing this control initiates a
69. rmine the length of a half wave stub connect the near end of the transmission line through a 51 O resistor as shown in Figure 9 to the analyzer s RF output connector Short circuit the two leads at the far end of the half wave stub Ensure that the transmission line is supported for its entire length in a fairly straight line and kept several inches from any conductive surface or material This is important to minimize any detuning effects Ideally the line should be dressed along to top of a wooden fence or supported by fiber rope or string Now tune the SARK100 for minimum SWR and note the frequency This is the frequencywhere the transmission line is exactly a half wavelength long If the initial length was chosen properly it should be below the desired frequency If so cut off a short length making sure the far end is still short circuited and repeat until resonance is achieved at the desired frequency For a quarter wave stub the above procedure can be used except of course that the length is different and that the far end needs to be opencircuited 10 11 Transmission line velocity factor Velocity factor of a transmission line can be measured using techniques similar to the ones used for measuring quarter and half wave stubs The procedure can be performed at any frequency that the SARK100 tunes but it is most practical in the vicinity of 10 MHz where line lengths are reasonable and instrument accuracy is optimum Either a quarter wav
70. st Hardware Powerful and flexible PSoC microcontroller to control instrument operation Precise and self calibrating reflectometer design measures forward and reflected signals and impedance data Display 2x16 with optional backlight Precision DDS signal generator AD9851 used as signal source USB port connects to PC for field upgradeable software and uploading of real time measurement data Buzzer Software Microcontroller software programmed in C language Open source GPL license Free PSoC Designer tool and field upgradeable capabilities allow user customization of the analyzer operation Operation Manual control option displays SWR and complex impedance at selected frequencies Automatic scanning results displayed as frequencies of lowest SWR and complex impedance Battery operated for field use or use external 13 8V wall adaptor Power saving modes Multi point calibration for better accuracy Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 10 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual gt Instrument Capabilities o Measure antenna electrical parameters SWH impedance resistance reactance capacitance inductance o Measure feedpoint impedance o Measure ground loss o Adjust antenna tuners and determine loss o Measure inductors and capacitors o Measure coax transmission line SWR length velocity factor approximate and loss resonant frequency and impedance o Measure and
71. the PC should recognize the device as a COM port with the FTDI driver Notice that the SARK100 is not USB bus powered so you need external power or batteries even when connected to USB Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 50 Copyright 4 Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual If the PC does not detect the device it may be an assembly error of the USB chip U8 Check the solders because it is a fine pitch component and could have been a bad soldier terminal or shorted The display shows no message First check that all board supplies are correct including the display supply One possible cause is that the PSoC microcontroller is not programmed correctly or lost the programming for example after an interrupted software update In this case you should try the software update see Appendix F If this is not possible it would be needed reprogramming the PSoC using the provided ISP connection in the board You will need a PSoC programmer for that purpose If you don t have it you can ask me for a preprogrammed PSoC 13 2 Voltage Charts 18 908 18 _ Shaw 312 0 06 32 Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 14 Theory of Operation Hardware Referring to the schematics Appendix A a block by block description is presented in this section DDS Signal Generation The sinusoidal signal generation is done by means of t
72. tion significantly This signal is shared for all these functions due to the limited number of ports of the micro controller The output current amplitude of the DDS is controlled by the RSET pin This is fixed by the formula IOUT 39 93 RSET Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 502 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual EE This is connected to an analog output of the PSoC microcontroller so that you can perform DDS amplitude under software control This is used in this project to compensate for amplitude roll off with frequency DDS Also thanks to the programmable features of the PSoC it would be possible implementing amplitude modulation with low frequency signals but this quality will not be used for this project The DDS output is connected to a fifth order elliptic filter to reduce unwanted high frequency components and therefore improve signal purity Since the signal generated by the DDS has small amplitude it is amplified using a high speed amplifier AD8008 to a level of about 2 Volts peak to peak This amplified signal is delivered to the reflectometer and the antenna system PSoC Microcontroller The PSoC microcontroller forms the SARK100 analyzer control core The PSoC is a true system on a programmable chip that integrates digital and analog functions memory and the controller on the chip It is therefore a very flexible and also has a free development environment PSoC Designer which greatly faci
73. umentary Dan Maguire AC6LA by Excel sheet ZPlots Andrew Smetana by the application note Bootloader PSoC Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 6 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 2 10 11 12 13 Terms and Conditions The supply of the SARK100 is subject to the following Ordering Terms and Conditions This kit is an amateur project developed in my spare time and so with no commercial support You should be aware of this and accept as is otherwise you will find in the market a variety of finished products or similar kits You should satisfy yourself whether the product meets your specific requirements prior to placing an order You must also ascertain whether you have the appropriate skills to assemble and operate the product Orders and Payment submitted by email and or Paypal should include a confirmation of your acceptance of these Ordering Terms and Conditions Payment shall be made via Paypal or via another agreed method will respond within 3 working days with an email with information on acceptance of your order and expected shipping date It is reserved the right to modify or withdraw any product including pricing without giving prior notice It is warranted that unless stated otherwise all products are new and sourced from reputable suppliers Any missing parts should be notified within 90 days from date of shipment It is not accepted any responsibility for kit assembl
74. wire cutters Test equipment You will need the following equipment for the power up and tests DC Power source 13 8 19 V Multimeter Oscilloscope helpful but not essential or a RF probe Tools for the enclosure preparation You will need the following tools for the enclosure cutouts omall slot screwdriver Hand drill Thin cutting fretsaw file and sandpaper 3 or 4mm drill bit for metal 13mm spade drill bit 13mm drill bit for metal Contact glue Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 5 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual Tools for building the overlay If you decide making the covers using the procedures described in this manual you will need the following Other Inkjet printer Photo paper A4 size preferably sticker type Transparent glue in case of not using sticker paper Cutter Rule spray lacquer used for modeling or decoration The following components are not supplied with the kit but will be required for its operation gt 8 Batteries 1000mAh capacity and AAA size gt USB Mini B Cable 1 2 Credits gt Special thanks to Antonio EA1CDV for his great help and collaboration in the project development and diffusion Cypress Semiconductor for providing a development kit for PSoC Many ideas for this project are based on Micro908 project of AmQRP Club which has been an excellent design reference as well as doc
75. with silkscreen and solder mask the components including the pre programmed PSoC microcontroller soldering supplies and a suitable instrument box in grey colour supplied without machining Carefully review the contents of each parts bag and component supplied in the kit to ensure that you have everything needed at the start of the project If a part is missing please contact me by email and we ll get it out to you right away The components are provided in individual bags including the label with their complete identification including the reference that is used for identifying the component on the printed circuit board silk screen The passive components resistors capacitors and inductors are supplied attached to cards as shown on the next page Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 13 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 0 1uF 1 2 3 4 5 6 07 C8 C14 C15 C16 C17 C 27 28 31 35 37 40 100 C12 C30 C19 C21 C22 C25 1uF C18 C29 C36 C39 0 01uF C20 C23 C24 C26 2000 R10 R11 R18 Hev 0 5 December 14 2010
76. with your callsign and click the save button for example BYTE const gWelcome2Str c XYabc 10 VERSION SIR lt SARK100 SwrAnalyzer PSoC Designer 5 0 File Edit View Project Interconnect Build Debug Program Tools Window SEL POR 03 09 05 000 210 n Global Resources sark100_s v 8 X Start gt sark100 sw er bl Chip alb data h storage c main c keypad c sleep timer c glb data c msg msg generich v 4 b X Workspace Explorer s x Power Settir 5 04 24MHz SES CPU Clock SysClk 1 E Il 32K_Select Internal B SARK100 SwrAnalyzer PLL Mode Disable pde 551 Hu 29 Loadable Configurati Sleep Timer 8 Hz ES 5 100 VC1 SysClk 4 3 E ADCINC12 VC2 16 E AMUX4 VC3 Source SysCIK 1 E E2PROM VC3Divider 52 E H E LCD SysClk Sourn Internal sz HIR B PGA ADC p y Bl _005_ Power Setting 7 5 _005 4 Selects the nominal operation voltage 48 BUZ and System Clock 5 source fro 1 mol TIT GE SARK100 Swr nalyzer Name ADCINC12 i SARK100 Swr na
77. y errors for repairs due to non operation misuse inadequate kit building skills unauthorised product modification or lack of performance It will be made all reasonable efforts to investigate and resolve systematic products issues reported by multiple users Software or firmware is provided as is and no warranties or indemnities are made Reasonable endeavours shall be made to fix reported systematic product issues Liability of shall be limited to the amount paid for the product No liability is accepted for either indirect or consequential damages which may be attributed to the supplied product The supplied kit is designed and made available primarily to Educational Amateur Radio and Hobbyist use No warranties are made whatsoever as to the stability and suitability of the design in extended periods continuous operation or operation outside components specifications No liability is accepted for accuracy of measurements or performance either short term or long term The intellectual property including printed circuit boards software or firmware product and kit assembly manuals remains property of the author and does not transfer the buyer through the sale of the product Commercial reproduction and reverse engineering is strictly prohibited Rev 0 5 December 14 2010 7 Copyright EA4FRB Melchor Varela 2010 SARK100 User Manual 3 Overview The SARK100 SWR Analyzer Kit is a measurement instrument which determines
78. you will see the measurement results in the different ways Leave impedance mode selected for the following tests Press the arrow buttons to change the frequency Pressing the up or down frequency pushbuttons the frequency will rise or fall according to the programmed value of frequency step If left down either button for more than five seconds you will automatically increase the frequency step for a greater search speed In the case of exceeding the limit of frequency band the analyzer will switch to the new band where it is displayed on screen for half a second to inform the user of the new band Press the button BAND to change the band Successively pressing the BAND button you can select one of the SARK100 bands Pressing this button selects the next higher band except the last one which should start with the lowest The display shows the new band for about half a second If this is the first time you access the band it will select the centre frequency In the event that has already been worked previously in this band will return to the last frequency selected since it is stored when changing band Press the button SCAN to scan the band When you press the SCAN pushbutton you initiate an automatic scan of the selected band The scan starts at the initial frequency of the band and it is progressively increased using the programmed step value and ends at the end of the band During the scan the analyzer will calculate the SWR that will be s

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