Pete, G0TLE's Modular PICASTAR

4th April, 2012

A magnicent job by Pete, blending the traditional PCB style case way to house STAR, with some metalwork to produce an outstanding PICASTAR. <vk3pe>

Hi Glenn,

Here are some photos of my almost finished STAR which you would be welcome to post on your website. The modules are constructed on VK3PE/CS individual PCBs, and control is by TrxAVR with TfTA and colour touch panel. The case is constructed mainly of PCB stock, and is split into three compartments: PA/LPF at the rear, low power RF and DSP in the middle, and controller at the front. The lid has been fabricated out of 1.2mm sheet steel by a local engineering firm. I added an inspection cover on the bottom to allow access to the DSP module from below.

The PA is the G6ALU 140W unit with G4TZR LPF. PA cooling is via a surplus heatsink (ex audio amplifier) fitted to the rear panel. At the moment it is convection cooled and gets up to 40C or so under heavy use. I will be checking the device case temperatures soon to see if some fans are needed. The observant will notice that the speakers have yet to be fitted.

It has taken 4 years to get to this point so I reckon it’s time to wander into the kitchen, crack open a cold beer and start thinking about the next project!

Many thanks to you and Chris for all your hard work in making the commercial PCBs available. This has really helped to make the design even more repeatable and reduce the construction time.

73

Pete
G0TLE

Page created on 4th April, 2012 by vk3pe