[aprssig] Re: Mic encoders

[scott at opentrac.org]

> the mindin-6 connector on your radio.).  Just turn off power 
> to the the Opentrac when you aren't doing APRS.

I hadn't actually decided if I was going to include a power switch - I guess
that's an argument for one.  I need to find something a little more secure
than the typical pushbutton like the KPC-3 has.  It's too easy to bump.

> 2)  The round 8-pin connectors are a lot easier to wire than 
> RJ-45s , especially if you are using round shielded 
> multi-conductor mic cable instead of the usual unshielded 
> CAT5 LAN cable.  [ Have you ever tried to corral the multiple 

You can always tin the wires to make them easier to insert.  As you pointed
out, it's easier (and cheaper) to build the unit with the RJ45 jacks.  Not
that it's a huge difference in this case, since it's still a kit and the
extra labor just falls to the end user.

I can see that it would be nice to have the 8-pin jack, but I'm tempted to
leave that for a later version.  Adding too many new things stretches out
the development cycle and makes it less likely that I'll ever get it
finished, and increases the cost.  The initial intent of this project was to
produce a nice box that'd be easy to build a weather station around, to
install in your trunk, or to build into an ammo can tracker.  Making
something that works well with a dash installation and connects to all the
common radios and mics easily could be a lot more work.

> 4)  If the TX audio (tone) level is controlled by hardware 
> rather than software, place the trimpot on the PCB in a way 
> that it can easily be turned through a hole in the case 
> without having to open up the box.  (I suspect that a lot of 

I should be able to provide access to the pot through a hole in the back
panel - I'll see.

Scott, N1VG
http://n1vg.net/opentracker