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HobbyPCB Hardrock-50 Assembly Instructions Manual

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Hardrock-500 Assembly Instructions
500 Assembly Instructions
500 Assembly Instructions
Run 1 - 2020
Jim Veatch
WA2EUJ
30 August 2020

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Summary of Contents for HobbyPCB Hardrock-50

  • Page 1 Hardrock-500 Assembly Instructions 500 Assembly Instructions 500 Assembly Instructions Run 1 - 2020 Jim Veatch WA2EUJ 30 August 2020...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION................................ 1 ADVISORY AND WARNINGS ............................. 2 AC V .................................... 2 OLTAGE ................................... 2 ATER OISTURE RF ..................................2 EVEL ................................ 2 HYSICAL ONSIDERATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS ........................3 AC L ..................................3 LOW-PASS ASSEMBLY INVENTORY ........................... 4 POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY INVENTORY ........................

  • Page 3: Introduction

    1.8 – 30 MHz band at power levels up to 500W. To create a complete amplifier using the Hardrock-500, the builder must supply a suitable amplifier deck. HobbyPCB engineers have extensively tested the Hardrock-500 with the RF Power Tools, AN-1819 amplifier board that uses a pair of Microsemi VRF2933 LDMOS FETs and is capable of 400-500W output with 5 watts of drive.

  • Page 4: Advisory And Warnings

    2. Advisory and Warnings There are several risks associated with assembling, testing and operating high power RF equipment. At HobbyPCB, LLC. safety is our highest priority and we have taken every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of our builders when assembling and operating our products.

  • Page 5: General Assembly Instructions

    Contact Support@HobbyPCB.com if you need any help.

  • Page 6: Low-Pass Assembly Inventory

    4. LOW-PASS ASSEMBLY PASS ASSEMBLY INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY QUANTITY #6-32X1.75" F-F STAND-OFF #6-32X3/8" PAN HEAD SCREW #4-40x1/4"M-F THREADED SPACER #4-40X1/4" PAN HEAD SCREW #4-40 HEX NUT WITH LOCK WASHER #4-40X1/4" FLAT HEAD SCREW T80-6 CORE YELLOW T80-2 CORE #20 ENAMELED WIRE #28 ENAMELED WIRE #18 TEFLON WIRE 6”...

  • Page 7: Power Supply Assembly Inventory

    5. POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY INVENTORY POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY #4-40x1/4"M-F THREADED SPACER #4-40 HEX NUT WITH LOCK WASHER #4-40X1/4" PAN HEAD SCREW #4-40 3/6" JACK MAYBE SCREW W/ NUT INSTALLED IN & WSR ACC JACK #4-40X1/4" FLAT HEAD SCREW CAP ALUM 10000UF 20%...
  • Page 8 AC LINE CABLE AC SWITCH WIRE #14 WIRE 19” #14 RED-BLACK ZIP WIRE WITH SPADE TERMINALS 4”, 6”, 9” #14 RED-BLACK ZIP WIRE 6”...

  • Page 9: Rear Panel Assembly Inventory

    6. REAR PANEL ASSEMBLY INVENTORY REAR PANEL ASSEMBLY INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY #4-40 3/16" JACK SCREW W/ NUT & WSR #4-40 1/4" STEEL PAN HEAD SCREW #4-40 1/4" M-F THREADED ALUMIN SPACER #4-40 HEX NUT WITH LOCK WASHER #6-32 HEX NUT NYLON BLACK #6-32 1"...
  • Page 10 POWER ENTRY MODULE (AC INLET) 80MM X 25MM 12VDC FAN W/ 2-PIN CONN CONN UHF CHASSIS MOUNT FAN AXIAL 40X20MM 12VDC...

  • Page 11: Front Panel Assembly Inventory

    7. FRONT PANEL ASSEMBLY INVENTORY FRONT PANEL ASSEMBLY INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY QUANTITY #4-40 3/4" M-F THREADED STAND-OFF #4-40 1/4" STEEL PAN HEAD SCREW BLACK OXIDE #4-40 HEX NUT WITH LOCK WASHER CONN HEADER VERT 36POS 2.54MM CONN HEADER VERT 40POS 2.54MM ARDUINO STACKING HEADERS 6 PIN AND 8 PIN, 2 EA.

  • Page 12: Chassis Pack Inventory

    8. CHASSIS PACK INVENTORY CHASSIS PACK INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY QUANTITY #6-32X3/8" PAN HEAD SCREW (BLACK) #4-40X1/4" FLAT HEAD SCREW (BLACK) #4-40 X 0.75” Threaded Rod #4 NYLON WASHER #4-40 HEX NUT WITH LOCK WASHER #4-40 1/2" STEEL PAN HEAD SCREW (MOSFET MOUNTING) #6-32X1/2"...
  • Page 13 12V Power Cables 2 PIN Polarized 35CM (13.8) 12V Power Cables 2 PIN Polarized 50CM (19.7”) AMP CONTROL CABLE 4 PIN Polarized 25CM RG-316 COAX CABLE 18” RG-58 COAX CABLE 24” THERMAL COMPOUND PACKET [11]...

  • Page 14: Large Item Inventory

    9. LARGE ITEM INVENTORY EM INVENTORY DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY MEANWELL EPP- 400-18 18V, 22A DC Supply SIDE PANELS FRONT PANEL REAR PANEL TOP/BOTTOM PANEL PANEL - RF DECK [12]...
  • Page 15 PANEL – POWER SUPPLY HEATSINK COPPER HEAT SPREADER 200mm X 200mm THERMAL PAD PCB Set Power PCB, LPF PCB, Rear Panel PCB and Front Panel PCB [13]...

  • Page 16: Lpf Assembly

    LPF ASSEMBLY This section covers the steps required to construct the Low-Pass Filter Assembly. The LPF PCB is supplied without the toroidal inductors installed. These must be wound and installed on the LPF board. Here are photos of the LPF board as supplied in the kit. Notice that several of the components are not installed. Check the photos against the PCB supplied with your kit for verification.

  • Page 17: Build Options

    Build Options T303 and T304 form a directional coupler used to determine the Hardrock-500’s forward and reflected power. The coupler can also be used to provide an RF tap or sample of the RF power used by some SDR transmitters to further linearize the amplifier.
  • Page 18 5. Since many of the toroids vary in turns count by one or two turns, insert the toroid into the PCB as soon as you finish tinning the leads. This will prevent mixing up the toroids which will prevent the low-pass filter from operating correctly.
  • Page 19 □ Step 4: L17A – 9 turns (10 in/25.4cm) of #20 enameled wire on a T80-6 (yellow) toroid core. Wind the inductor, scrape and tin the leads then insert to inductor into the PCB at the marked location, solder and trim excess leads.
  • Page 20 □ Step 6: L30A – 11 turns (12 in/30.5cm) of #20 enameled wire on a T80-2 (red) toroid core. Wind the inductor, scrape and tin the leads then insert to inductor into the PCB at the marked location, solder and trim excess leads.
  • Page 21 □ Step 8: L60A & L80B – 16 turns (17 in/43.2cm) of #20 enameled wire on a T80-2 (red) toroid core. Wind the inductor, scrape and tin the leads then insert to inductor into the PCB at the marked location, solder and trim excess leads.
  • Page 22 □ Step 10: L80A – 17 turns (18 in/45.7cm) of #20 enameled wire on a T80-2 (red) toroid core. Wind the inductor, scrape and tin the leads then insert to inductor into the PCB at the marked location, solder and trim excess leads.
  • Page 23 □ Step 12: L16B – 25 turns (25 in/63.5cm) of #20 enameled wire on a T80-2 (red) toroid core. Wind the inductor, scrape and tin the leads then insert to inductor into the PCB at the marked location, solder and trim excess leads.
  • Page 24 □ Step 14: T303/T304 – cut two 1” (2.5cm) pieces of #18 Teflon wire. Strip the insulation so that it is 0.6” (1.5cm) in lengths and bend the wires into a ‘U’ shape. Save the excess wire for the rear panel board. □...
  • Page 25 □ Step 16: LPF Mounting – Locate the RF De Locate the RF Deck Panel and orient it so that the large cutout is to the right and ck Panel and orient it so that the large cutout is to the right and the rectangular cutout in towards the bottom as shown the rectangular cutout in towards the bottom as shown □...
  • Page 26 □ Step 20: Side Panels – Get two of the extruded side panels and use 6 #4-40 X ¼” flat head screws to attach the side panels to the top of the RF Deck Panel, use thread-locker if available. In run 1 of the amp the counter sink is on the wrong side of the panel.

  • Page 27: Power Supply Assembly

    POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY This section covers the steps requires to construct the Power Supply Assembly. The Power PCB is supplied without the large electrolytic installed. These must be installed on the Power board. Here are photos of the Power board as supplied in the kit. [25]...

  • Page 28: Assembly Instructions

    Notice, the capacitors you are about to install are polarized meaning that they have positive and negative terminals. Unfortunately the capacitors can be inserted into the PCB in either direction potentially creating the situation where one or both capacitors are installed backwards. This would be bad; please observe the capacitor polarity when inserting the capacitors into the PCB and recheck that they are correct before soldering.
  • Page 29 □ Step 3: Check Capacitor Polarity – –Review the pictures and your PCB one more time to make 100% Review the pictures and your PCB one more time to make 100% certain that C201 and C206 are oriented correctly. Solder them to the PCB and certain that C201 and C206 are oriented correctly.
  • Page 30 □ Step 6: Meanwell Power Supplies – Locate the three Meanwell power supplies (EPP400-18). Adjust SVR1 (close to the output screw terminals) for maximum (fully CW rotation). Place the supplies in the upper left, upper right and lower left positions on the power supply plate, the AC input plug goes to the left and the DC screw terminals go to the right.
  • Page 31 This is a drawing of the Meanwell EPP400-18 power supply we are now going to make connections to: CN1 Pin 1 – AC Neutral and CN1 Pin 3 – AC Line. Use needle nose pliers to insert the pins. The locking tab faces away from the edge of the power supply, towards the heatsink.
  • Page 32 □ Step 10: AC Line Wiring – The AC Line Cable has three black wires with JST pins. The common end has a yellow crimp terminal, place this terminal at the left edge of the power supply plate. 1. Put the JST pin on the shortest wire in CN1 Pin 3 – AC Line of the power supply in the lower left of the power supply plate.
  • Page 33 □ Step 12: Secure AC Wiring – secure the wire bundle to the power supply plate with four cable ties. Make sure that the locking clip is on the wire side on the plate NOT below the plate or the two plates will not fit together.
  • Page 34 Install the three wires carefully observing the polarity with the red wire being ‘+’ or positive and the black wire being ‘-‘ or negative. The power board is marked ‘POS’ for positive and ‘NEG’ for negative. 1. Connect the 4” DC power cable from the lower left power supply to PS3 on the power board 2.
  • Page 35 □ Step 15: – Side Panels – Get the two remaining extruded side panels and use 6 #4-40 X ¼” flat head screws to attach the side panels to the top of the Power supply panel, use thread-locker if available. The assembly is now complete;...

  • Page 36: Rear Panel Assembly

    REAR PANEL ASSEMBLY This section covers the steps required to construct the Rear Panel Assembly. To complete the Rear Panel PCB we must add the fans and the SO239 connectors. Here are photos of the Rear Panel PCB as supplied in the kit. [34]...

  • Page 37: Assembly Instructions

    Assembly Instructions □ Step 1: Trim Fan Wires – For each of the 40mm fans, trim the leads to approximately 1.5” (38mm) from the body of the fan to the end of the wires. Strip off 0.25” (6mm) of the insulation. □...
  • Page 38 □ Step 4: ATU Jumper – Cut a 1.25” (32mm) section of #18 Teflon wire (from LPF board Step #14) strip the ends and create a jumper from the RF pin of ATU-IN to the RF pin of ATU-OUT. Tighten the screws in the terminal blocks.
  • Page 39 □ Step 6: SO239 Mounting – Place the three SO239 jacks over the jack screws with the center pins projecting through the PCB then place the rear panel over the SO239 jacks. □ Step 7: SO239 screws – Use the thirteen #4-40 X ¼” screws to fasten the SO239 jacks and the ¼” spacer to the rear panel.
  • Page 40 □ Step 9: Ground Stud – Use a #6-32 X ½” screw, #6-32 hex nut with integral lock washer and the and #6-32 wing nut to secure one end of the green ground wire to the reap panel. Attach to other end of the green ground wire to the ground terminal of the power inlet.

  • Page 41: Front Panel Assembly

    FRONT PANEL ASSEMBLY This section covers the steps required to construct the Front Panel Assembly. To complete the Front Panel PCB we must add the LCD displays and the Arduino Mega processor. All of these components are socketed for easy replacement. Pay careful attention to which side of the PCB the LCDs and the Arduino are mounted.
  • Page 42 Use a component lead or small piece of wire to solder across the space between the pads of SB1, SB2 and SB3 as shown. For those not intimidated by SMT components, low value resistors will work fine and are easier (I think) to deal with than the jumper wires.
  • Page 43 □ Step 5: Solder the remaining LCD pins – When you are absolutely certain that the alignment is correct, solder the remaining pins using as little solder as possible, just fill the plated through holes with solder, there’s no need for a large amount of solder to accumulate on top of the board. When you are finished soldering, trim the header leads close to the PCB.
  • Page 44 □ Step 8: Mount Mega on PCB – Insert the short pins into the front panel PCB on the opposite side from the LCDs, it’s labeled “INSTALL ARDUINO MEGA ON THIS SIDE”. □ Step 9: Solder Mega Pins – Carefully solder the pins on the opposite side of the PCB from the Arduino Mega.
  • Page 45 □ Step 12: Front Panel – Remove the protective film from the front of the LCDs (it’s not possible to do it after you mount the front panel PCB). There are two possible ways to mount the front panel PCB to the back of the front panel, only one of these causes the LCDs to align correctly with the openings.

  • Page 46: Final Assembly

    Final Assembly This section covers the steps requires for final assembly of the Hardrock-500 amplifier support package. □ Step 1: Power Supply Assembly – Set the power supply assembly with the mounting plate on the top as shown. □ Step 2: Front Panel– Attach the front panel to the power supply assembly using four #6-32 3/8” black, pan head screws.
  • Page 47 □ Step 3: 30cm Ribbon Cable – Plug one end of the 30cm (12”) ribbon cable into the 10-pin header labeled ‘POWER BOARD’. Make sure that the pins align correctly and ribbon cable exits the cable from the top as shown.
  • Page 48 □ Step 4: LPF Assembly – Place the LPF assembly on top of the power supply assembly with its mounting plate down as shown. The LPF assembly has to slide under the front panel board. □ Step 5: Front Panel – Attach the front panel to the LPF assembly using four #6-32 3/8” black, pan head screws.
  • Page 49 □ Step 6: Power Switch – The wires that connect to the power switch MUST be connected in the correct positions. Place the amplifier on its side so that the power switch connections are easily accessible. The QC or Faston connections should be tight and may require pliers to get the connecter properly seated. Make the following connections: 1.
  • Page 50 □ Step 8: AC Inlet Wires – For safety be s For safety be sure to make the correct AC line, neutral and ground connection to ure to make the correct AC line, neutral and ground connection to the AC power inlet. Looking into the connector side of the AC inlet from the rear panel here is the locations of the AC power inlet.
  • Page 51 □ Step 10: Amp Power Wire – Insert the remaining #14 red/black zip wire (6” long with no terminals) into the AMP terminal block on the power board and tighten the screws. Route the free end of the wire through the rectangular hole adjacent to the power board.
  • Page 52 □ Step 12: Route 12V cables – Route the other ends of the 12V cables in a bundle, under the #14 red/black wires through the rectangular opening adjacent to the power board. At this point the power supply section of the amplifier support kit is complete. Please compare your unit to the picture below to ensure that everything in this section is connected properly.
  • Page 53 □ Step 13: Bottom Cover and Feet – Once you are certain that the power supply section is wired correctly install the bottom cover (both covers are identical so use either) fasten using #4-40 X ¼” black flat head screws (red) and install the press-on rubber feet (blue).
  • Page 54 □ Step 15: Short Ribbon Cable – Connect the short ribbon cable (3” or 8cm) to the front panel board and the LPF board. Make sure that the alignment is correct and the cable has no twists. □ Step 16: Long Ribbon Cable – Connect the long ribbon cable (14” or 35cm) to the front panel board and the rear panel board.
  • Page 55 □ Step 18: Amp In RF Jumper – Cut a 5” (13cm) piece of RG-316 coax and prepare the ends in the same manner. □ Step 19: Input RF Jumper – Cut a 11” (28cm) piece of RG-58 (large, black) coaxial cable. Strip ¾” (18mm) of the outer jacket from both ends.
  • Page 56 The edges of the heatsink and heat spreader may be sharp use care in handling these parts and consider wearing gloves during the next few steps. □ Step 22: Thermal Pad – Remove the plastic backing from one side of the thermal pad. [54]...
  • Page 57 Line up one corner of the thermal pad with one corner of the heatsink and remove the other plastic sheet from the thermal pad. The pad is 8” X 8” and the heatsink is only 4.6” X 6” so you will have some leftover thermal pad, save it, it may be useful in other projects.
  • Page 58 □ Step 24: Copper Heat Spreader – The copper heat spreader is not symmetrical and needs to line up with the holes in the heatsink. Unfortunately, with the thermal pad covering the heatsink, you cannot determine where the holes in the heatsink are. Make sure that you have the right side up: You can see the holes in the heatsink from the fin side and align the heat spreader correctly on the heatsink.
  • Page 59 □ Step 25: Nylon Washers – Place two #4 nylon washers on each of the threaded rods, (the washer in the kits may be black). Put a small amount of heatsink compound in the large hole in the center of the heat spreader. If you haven’t assembled the AN1819 board, now would be a good time to do so.
  • Page 60 □ Step 26: VRF2933 – Bend the ends of the tabs of the VRF2933 MOSFETs upwards at a 90 degree angle. This makes replacing the VRF2933’s much easier. Put a thin coat of heatsink compound on the back of each VRF2933.
  • Page 61 Turn the BIAS1 and BIAS2 potentiometers fully counter-clockwise (CCW). Look between the AN1819 board to make sure that none of the component leads are contacting the copper heat spreader. Adjust if necessary. Check the resistance to ground of the VRF2933 drain tabs (‘D’ on the PCB) it should be VERY high but you are measuring C3 and meters react differently to large caps.
  • Page 62 □ Step 30: Amplifier Control Cable – Connect four pin amplifier control cable between the front panel board and the AN1819 board. Congratulations, you made it to the end. Your amp is complete except for the top cover. All we need to do is set the bias and you are ready to go.

  • Page 63: Setting The Bias

    Setting the Bias This chapter covers setting the bias on the AN1819 evaluation board when installed in the Hardrock-500 amplifier support package. If you are using some other amplifier board these instructions are not applicable. Prerequisites You should have successfully completed all sections of amplifier assembly. The bottom cover should be installed and the top cover removed.
  • Page 64 □ Step 3: Select ‘Set Bias’ – Touch the left or right arrow button on the menu until ‘Set Bias’ appears in the upper window. Check to make sure that both BIAS pots on the AN-1819 board are fully counter-clockwise (CCW). Turning the bias on in the next step can damage the VRF2933 MOSFETs if the BIAS pots are not fully CCW.
  • Page 65 □ Step 5: Adjust BIAS 1 – Slowly turn the BIAS1 pot on the AN1819 board until the current reaches 250 mA. Anywhere from 235 – 250 mA is acceptable. If it goes above 260 mA, turn it down. Pro-Tip: Nothing happens for a long time then the bias rises quickly, turn slowly, be patient. □...

  • Page 66: Appendix A - An-1819 Inventory

    Appendix A – AN-1819 Inventory DESCRIPTION PICTURE QUANTITY C3 – 680uF 80V LM35 TEMPERATURE SENSOR NTC THERMISTOR – 100 OHMS T1 - RF400 CORE T2 - FT61 TOROID 0.63” (19mm) DIAMETER T3 - TYPE 61 BINOCULAR CORE #22 TEFLON WIRE 18”...

  • Page 67: Appendix B - An-1819 Assembly Instructions

    Appendix B – AN-1819 Assembly Instructions The RF Power Tools AN-1819 evaluation board for the VRF2933 MOSFET can be installed in the Hardrock- 500 amplifier to create a complete HF amplifier. We are including this section on assembling the AN-1819 with permission from RF Power Tools.
  • Page 68 □ Step 3: T1 Wind – Cut an 8” (20cm) piece of #22 Teflon wire and strip ½” (1cm) of the insulation from one end of the wire. Insert the wire into the hole near C23 and R11 and solder the wire to the board and trim any excess wire flush with the PCB.
  • Page 69 Remember all of the DC current for the amplifier passes through these windings on T2, make sure to remove all of the enamel and tin the wire completely. □ Step 5: T2 Lead forming – Form the leads on T2 so that diagonal pairs of leads conduct with each other. This requires a single twist in one of the pairs of wire.
  • Page 70 □ Step 7: T2 Teflon Wire – Strip ½” (1cm) insulation from one end of the 5” piece of Teflon wire, and insert the end into one of the smaller holes in T2’s footprint. Solder the wire to the PCB and trim any excess flush with the PCB.
  • Page 71 □ Step 8: T3 Coax Prep – Cut the white, 25 ohm coax into 2 equal length pieces. Strip off 0.4” (1 cm), of the outer jacket from one end of each of the pieces. Cut the shield so about 0.1” (3mm) of the braid remains exposed. Strip 0.2”...
  • Page 72 □ Step 9: T3 Coax to PCB – Solder the shield of one of the pieces of coax and the center conductor of the other to one of the pads of T3 on the PCB, repeat the process for the other shield and center conductor. The pad is split with wider side for the shield and the narrow side for the center conductor.
  • Page 73 Strip the outer jacket of the protruding coax to approximately ¼” (6mm) from the core. Carefully unbraid the shield wires and gather then towards the center of the three pads on the edge of the circuit board. Strip the dielectric from the center conductors. □...
  • Page 74 □ Step 12: Install C3 – Insert it into the PCB, carefully observing the polarity, solder the leads and closely trim the excess leads. □ Step 13: Install U1 and R13 – U1 and R13 are mounted on the back side of the PCB. Insert U1 aligning the flat side of the component with the flat side indicated on the silkscreen.

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