Progress Direct Systems Volt Tattler 2 Owner's Manual

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Progress Direct Systems LLC

Volt Tattler 2

Owner's Manual

Version 2.0 Revision 4.0

Disclaimer

Volt Tattler 2 is a device intended to enhance DC power systems that have already been properly

designed. Progress Direct Systems LLC, its employees and its representatives are not responsible for any

damage to any system or systems either directly or indirectly caused by any Volt Tattler device.

Introduction

Radio Amateurs, audio enthusiasts, alarm technicians and others commonly use some sort of D.C.

voltage supply to power equipment. Often they will connect an expensive piece of electronic

equipment to a much less expensive DC power supply. Field and temporary setups are particularly

prone to questionable power connections, draining batteries and power supply failures. When power

supplies fail the voltage can go up or down depending on the failure mode of the power supply.

Equipment can be damaged by high and even by low voltage operation.

"But my power supply has meters? If the voltage goes high or low I can simply switch off the

power supply to avoid damaging my equipment."

During operations, especially contests, concerts, professional photo sessions etc., we are busy doing

what needs to be done. Even if you have a meter, how often do you look at your power supply voltage?

I believe that a failure is most often noticed because equipment has stopped working or the smell of

burning electronics signals that the magic smoke has escaped. If you are not looking at your meter

when the problem occurs your equipment can malfunction and even be badly damaged.

VoltTattler monitors your system DC voltage approximately 20 times each second. If your voltage

should, for example, rise above a high voltage threshold, VoltTattler will audibly announce the

transgression sounding out Morse "H" (. . . .) repeatedly until the condition is fixed. It also will sound a

Morse "L" (. - . .) if the voltage should drift low.

Page 1

Table of Contents

Summary of Contents for Progress Direct Systems Volt Tattler 2

Page 1 Version 2.0 Revision 4.0 Disclaimer Volt Tattler 2 is a device intended to enhance DC power systems that have already been properly designed. Progress Direct Systems LLC, its employees and its representatives are not responsible for any damage to any system or systems either directly or indirectly caused by any Volt Tattler device.
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Parts Placement...........................9 ................................10 Construction Phase 1...........................10 Testing Phase 1..........................13 Construction Phase 2...........................14 Preparing the Microcontroller for Installation..............14 Soldering the Microcontroller..................17 Soldering the IC.......................18 Seating the Microcontroller into a Socket...............20 © Progress Direct Systems LLC All Rights Reserved – www.progressdirectsystemsllc.com Page 2...
Page 3 At the Source..........................29 At the Equipment..........................30 Another Example........................30 Calibration ..................................Calibration Steps..........................31 Calibration Notes..........................34 Skipping Calibrations...........................34 Losing Power During Programming.....................34 Morse Code Sounds and their Meanings ..................................Maximums ..................................© Progress Direct Systems LLC All Rights Reserved – www.progressdirectsystemsllc.com Page 3...
Page 4 Sound Level ..................................Volt Tattler 2 Cannot/Should not ..................................Schematic ..................................Troubleshooting ..................................It’s Alive.............................40 It’s Whining..........................40 It’s Whining Inappropriately......................40 Operation Flowchart ..................................Calibration Flowchart ..................................© Progress Direct Systems LLC All Rights Reserved – www.progressdirectsystemsllc.com Page 4...
Page 5: Power Input
The red LED applies if Volt Tattler 2 supply voltage rises to or above the high threshold. The red LED will continue to flash even if the voltage returns below the high threshold. This indicates a high voltage condition has been detected since power on or the last board reset.
Page 6: Program Button
Program Button In normal (silent) operation, a quick press and release of this button will cause the Volt Tattler 2 to reset. This clears any indications of previous high or low voltage transgressions (yellow and red LEDs). A longer press on this button (> 3 seconds) provides the capability of programming the Volt Tattler 2 thresholds within its operational range.
Page 7: Building
Use provided tables in Appendix B to help identify resistors. It is strongly recommended that You obtain an inexpensive DVM and measure each resistor before placing it into the board. © Progress Direct Systems LLC All Rights Reserved – www.progressdirectsystemsllc.com Page 7...
Page 8: Parts Placement
Parts Placement...
Page 9: Construction Phase 1
Construction Phase 1 1. SAVE THE SPEAKER INSTALL FOR NEXT TO LAST (before the microcontroller). It is tall and can make other part installations difficult. 2. If you are using the provided 20-pin socket for the microcontroller install it now. A socket will usually have a pin-1 end.
Page 10 back onto the board. Use the jewelers screwdriver if necessary. Once the pin is soldered and the socket is seated remove the heat immediately. Allow the joint to cool. 5. Finally carefully solder the remaining pins avoiding solder bridges between the pins and adjacent traces.
Page 11 At this point everything but the microcontroller should be installed.
Page 12: Testing Phase 1
Testing Phase 1 1. Apply around 12V D.C. to the board. Watch the polarity. Protection should be in place but we don’t know if everything has been properly constructed yet. 2. If popping, smoke, burning or smell occurs immediately disconnect the voltage and look for a problem in the assembly.
Page 13: Construction Phase 2
Construction Phase 2 Preparing the Microcontroller for Installation Here we must install the microcontroller. Whether or not we are using a socket, handling 20 pins takes patience. Carefully straighten the pins so that on each side of the chip the pins are perpendicular to the body of the chip.
Page 14 Use your work surface to bend all of the pins at the same time while keeping them in line.
Page 16: Soldering The Microcontroller
Soldering the Microcontroller When you insert the chip into the PC board make sure that the pin-1 end is at the proper end of the board, away from the piezoelectric speaker. The pin-1 end of the chip will have a small notch in the chip.
Page 17: Soldering The Ic
The following picture is NOT of the pin 1 end of the microcontroller. There is a small circle which is NOT the pin-1 end of the chip. But the notch marks the end of pin 1. Carefully aligning the pins can prevent bending a pin off to the side or underneath the chip. If you are using a socket be sure that all of the pins are inserted into the pin sockets and not on the side of the socket or underneath the chip.
Page 18 Solder one corner pin of the chip (or socket) to its pad. Check the alignment of the chip to see that all of the other pins are still in place and that the chip is seated flat against the PC board. If there are pins out of place or the chip has moved up on one end, briefly heat the one soldered pin while guiding the chip back onto the board.
Page 19: Seating The Microcontroller Into A Socket
Seating the Microcontroller into a Socket If you are using a socket perform the pin straightening exercise previously discussed. Rest the controller in the socket in the proper orientation. Check that all of the pins are properly resting in each of their receptacles in the socket.
Page 20: Testing Phase 2
(but below 30 V). The Volt Tattler should begin to repeatedly sound Morse ‘H’ (….) indicating that the voltage is above the high threshold (around 15 volts for a new Volt Tattler 2). Also notice that the Red LED has begun to flash along with the Green LED.
Page 21 A short press on the Programming Button will reset the Volt Tattler 2. Once reset only the Green LED should then be flashing. IMPORTANT: These thresholds (10V and 15V) are only valid on a Volt Tattler 2 that has not been reprogrammed.
Page 22 Using the variable voltage setup test each of the output signals as described in the following table. V Between V Above High V Below Low Thresholds Threshold Threshold L (LE) High GE (HE) High O (OOR) High High Keying Morse ‘L’ M (Morse) Keying Morse ‘H’...
Page 23 T (Tone) is being generated if the speaker is sounding. • Morse may show up on an analog voltmeter as the needle moving up and down when tones • sound. OK_Pulse indicates that the unit is operating and taking samples. •...
Page 24: If You Do Not Have A Variable Dc Power Supply
If you do not have a variable DC power supply A better and more thorough testing of the Volt Tattler can be accomplished with a variable supply and meter. However if you don’t have a variable DC supply you can still test the functionality of a new Volt Tattler using 2, 9-volt batteries.
Page 25: High Voltage Tattling
Next use both 9 volt batteries together in series to create 18 volts. In this connection, at power up, a new Volt Tattler 2 should announce the Morse ‘R’(.-.) then repeat Morse ‘H’ (….). The Green and Red LEDs should also be flashing.
Page 26: Function
This means that you can adjust Volt Tattler to accommodate your anticipated operating conditions. Volt Tattler 2 can provide practical protection for any piece of equipment powered by DC voltage from 4 volts up to around 28 volts. It draws less than 1 milliamp of current in normal operating mode making it practical even for Portable and QRP operation.
Page 27: Operation
Calibration section later discusses how to adjust Volt Tattler 2 to your desired alarm thresholds. When Volt Tattler 2 powers up it acknowledges the power up by sounding a Morse ‘R’ (.-.). This is a kind of “roger” letting you know that it has activated. In normal operation Volt Tattler 2 is silent with only the green “heartbeat”...
Page 28: Wiring Volt Tattler Into The System
VoltTattler 2 can tell you if the source of voltage goes higher or lower than you like. Adding equipment in a field day situation, for example, can cause voltage drops as the load current increases. Volt Tattler 2 may indicate that another supply or a larger supply is needed.
Page 29: At The Equipment
At the Equipment Setting up VoltTattler 2 at the equipment can alert an operator to voltage drops between the power source and your equipment. In addition hearing the “roger” beep (Morse ‘R’, .-.) can audibly alert you if the power dropped out completely and then came back again (intermittent connection). This can be very useful in troubleshooting a system.
Page 30: Calibration
Calibration Calibration requires 3 pieces of equipment commonly available to most hams and electronics technicians:  the VoltTattler 2 module  a variable DC power supply capable of being adjusted from above the desired high threshold down below the low threshold to be programmed ...
Page 31 1. Connect the variable power supply and the voltmeter to the VoltTattler 2 in parallel as in the accompanying diagram. VoltTattler 2 will begin blinking the Green LED and send a Morse “R” (.-.). That “R” may be followed by other LEDs flashing and continuous “H”s (…. …. ….) or “L”s (.-..
Page 32 your specifications. Note the behavior of the LEDs. If it does not function properly simply go back to step 1 and adjust the offending calibrations. If you hear Morse question marks (..--..--..--..) or the thresholds do not seem right, simply begin the calibration again.
Page 33: Calibration Notes
Calibration Notes Interrupting the power to the Volt Tattler 2 at any time will cause it to restart, sound a Morse ‘R’ (.-.) and enter the normal operation mode. Thresholds are saved only during calibration when you hear the Morse “R” beep upon releasing the Programming Button. Each threshold is saved only when the particular calibration (High or Low) is done and the ‘R’...
Page 34: Morse Code Sounds And Their Meanings
Morse Code Sounds and their Meanings Morse Audible Pattern Meaning Character “Roger” indicates that the system is active after power up. It also is used to indicate that a calibration change has been accepted. High indicates that the supply voltage is greater than or equal to the high threshold.
Page 35 (3v, 0v) from 30V down to about 3.9 volts. Volt Tattler 2 Cannot/Should not This is a discussion of some of the things that Volt Tattler 2 cannot or should not do. There are many others yet to be found.
Page 36 Schematic Note that C10 and C7 and C10-alt1 and C7-alt1 are not all installed. They represent either radial lead or axial lead capacitors. Only the alt1 or the not alt1 will be installed in either or both cases.
Page 37: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Most Likely Problems By far most problems will boil down to one of three things, bad (cold) solder connections, bridged (shorted) solder connections or improperly oriented components. Additionally there may be one or more pins improperly inserted in the socket for the microcontroller. Check these things where a problem is suspected.
Page 38 Regulator Issues Test the voltage on the positive lead of C7. It should be 3.3V. Next check the non-ground lead of C8. It should be close to the input voltage. Check the Gnd lead of the regulator (LP2950, KY5033). Any voltage here contributes to the power to the microcontroller.
Page 39: It's Alive
It’s Whining Inappropriately If the Volt Tattler 2 is announcing a bad voltage level, yet we measure one that is fine, there may be a problem with resistors R1 and R2. If either resistor is incorrect the voltage that the microcontroller sees will not be the correct ratio of the power supply voltage.
Page 40 Appendix A Operation Flowchart...
Page 41 Calibration Flowchart...
Page 42 Appendix B 4-Band Resistors Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Tolerance X100 X10K X100K 0.50% 0.25% X10M 0.10% X100M 0.05% 20%No Band /100...
Page 43 5-Band Resistors Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Multiplier Tolerance X100 X10K X100K 0.50% 0.25% X10M 0.10% X100M 0.05% 20%No Band /100...
Page 44 6-Band Resistors Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Multiplier Tolerance Tempco X100 X10K X100K 0.50% 0.25% X10M 0.10% X100M 0.05% 20%No Band /100...