Elecraft KNB1 User Manual

E L E C R A F T K N B 1 N O I S E B L A N K E R

Assembly and Operating Instructions

Introduction

The KNB1 noise blanker can be used to suppress most pulse-type noise, including that generated by automobile ignition systems, power lines, and appliances. In many cases, signals that were completely "buried" in noise will become easy to copy with the blanker turned on.

The noise blanker mode ( The two blanking thresholds provide more versatility in dealing with band and noise conditions. Refer to Using the Noise Blanker for details.

The KNB1 plugs directly into the K1's RF board with no additional wiring. It is controlled by the main processor on the control board via the K1's "AuxBus" network. Full circuit details can be found at the end of this manual.

Specifications

Blanker Type I.F. pulse detector with wide-range AGC; two threshold levels

Current Drain Approx. 8 mA when turned on, < 1 mA off

Size 2.0 x 1.4 inches (51 x 36 mm)

Caution: Some components in this kit can be damaged by static discharge. Before handling any transistors or integrated circuits, always put on an anti-static wrist strap or touch any grounded, unpainted metal surface.

O F F , H I , L O ) is selected using the K1 transceiver’s N B menu entry.

Parts Inventory

Qty

)

Q3, Q

)

The table below lists all parts in the kit. If you have trouble identifying any of these items,

consult the K1 Owner's manual, which has photographs of similar parts.

Ref. Description

C3, C12 Capacitor, disc, 10 pF, 5% 2 E530006 C1 Capacitor, disc, 180 pF, 5% ("181" C9, C13 Capacitor, mono, .001 µF (“102” C4-7 Capacitor, mono, .01 µF (“103” C11 Capacitor, mono, 0.1 µF (“104” C2 Capacitor, ceramic trimmer, 8-50 pF 1 E540000 C10 Capacitor, electrolytic, 2.2 µF 1 E530023 C8 Not used -- -D1, D2 Diode, 1N4148 2 E560002 D2 Alt. Diode, Green LED (alternate for D2; see text L1 Inductor, 25 µH, 22 T #26 on FT37-61 core (gra L2 Inductor, 75 µH, 20 T #26 on FT37-43 core (gray w/orange dot P1 Conn., 8-pin male, 0.1" spcg., gold, Samtec TSW-108-07-G-S 1 E620004

1-2, Q4, Q7 Transistor, NPN, 2N4124 4 E580006

8 Transistor, PNP, 2N3906 2 E580000

5-6 Transistor, MOSFET, 2N7000 2 E580002 R1 Resistor, 180 ohms, 1/4 W, 5% (brown-gray-brown R2 Resistor, 3.9 k, 1/4 W, 5% (orange-white-red RP1 Resistor network, 470 ohms, 5 resistors (isolated), 10 pins 1 E510015 RP2 Resistor network, 27 K, 4 resistors (isolated), 8 pins 1 E510019 U1 IC, Microcontroller, 12C509A 1 E610008 RF-J1 Conn., 8 pin female, 0.1" spcg., gold, Samtec SSW-108-01-G-S 1 E620005 HDWR Lock washer, #4, internal tooth (1 spare) 3 E700010

HDWR Machine screw, 4-40 x 3/16", pan-head phillips 1 E700015 HDWR Hex nut, 4-40 1 E700011 HDWR Standoff, 3/16" dia. x 7/16" long, hex M-F, 4-40 threaded 1 E700017 MISC Wire, #26 enamel 4 ft. E760002 MISC KNB1 PC board 1 E100106

Part No.

1 E530075 2 E530074 4 E530019 1 E530020

1 E570006 1 E680002 1 E680003

1 E500014 1 E500009

Assembly

A fine-point, temperature-controlled soldering iron is required to assemble this kit.

Excessive heat and/or large iron tips may damage pads and traces on the PC board.

During assembly, we’ll refer to the top and bottom sides of the PC board. The top side has most of the components. The bottom side has the model number and PC board revision. (Note: The model number is KNB1. The revision C board is incorrectly labeled KBN1.)

Install resistors R1 (180 ohms, brown-gray-brown) and R2 (3.9k, orange-white-red) on the

bottom of the board. Solder them on the top side.

Install Diode D1 on the top side of the board. Orient the banded end of the diode as indicated

by its PC board outline. (D2 will be installed in a later step.)

Install resistor networks RP1 (470 ohms, 10 pins) and RP2 (27 k, 8 pins). (Be careful not to confuse RP2 with connector P1, which also has 8 pins.) These networks are symmetrical and can be installed in either of two orientations.

Locate the outline for transistor Q5. Adjacent to Q5 is a capacitor that may be labeled “C6” (rev. C PC board) or “C9” (rev. D and later). Install C9 at this location (.001 µF, “102”). Note: Do not pull on the leads of small capacitors, which can be fragile.

Install the following capacitors:

__ C3 (10 pf) __ C1 (180 pF, “181”) __ C11 (0.1 µF, “104”) __ C4 (.01 µF, “103”) __ C5 (.01 µF, “103”) __ C6 (.01 µF, “103”) __ C7 (.01 µF, “103”)

Note: The revision C PC board has a location for C8. This capacitor is not used.

If your PC board is revision D or later, install: __ C12 (10 pF) and __ C13 (.001 µF, “102”).

Install trimmer capacitor C2, with its flat side oriented as indicated by its PC board outline.

Install the 2N3906 transistors, Q3 and Q8. Orient the flat side of each transistor as shown by its PC board outline. Keep lead length above the board no longer than about 1/8” (3 mm).

Install the 2N4124 transistors, Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q7.

Install the 2N7000 transistors, Q5 and Q6.

Install electrolytic capacitor C10 (2.2 µF), noting the orientation of the [+] lead. (Note: The rev. C board has a disc capacitor outline at this location, with no [+] mark. Pre-form the leads of C10 to fit the wider pad spacing. Orient the [-] lead toward Q8 and the [+] lead toward RP1.)

The toroid core for inductor L2 is marked with an orange dot to differentiate it

from L1. Be sure to use the correct cores in the following steps.

Inductor L1 is wound on the FT37-61 core (gray, with NO orange dot) using 16 inches (40 cm) of #26 enamel wire. To wind the inductor, “sew” the long end of the wire through the core exactly 22 times. Each pass through the core counts as one turn. The winding should look like the illustration below, except it will have 22 turns (the drawing shows only 14 turns).

Remove insulation

Spread out the turns of L1 so they occupy about 80-90% of the core’s circumference.

Cut L1's leads to about 1/2" (12 mm) long. Completely remove the enamel insulation from the leads to within 1/8” (3 mm) of the core. The enamel wire provided can be easily heat-stripped using a small amount of solder on the tip of your iron. Stripping using this method takes 4-6 sec.

Install L1 vertically on the PC board as shown by its component outline, then pull the leads

taut on the bottom of the board.

Trim and solder the leads of L1. When soldering, make sure that the solder binds well to the leads. If the lead appears to be an “island” in a small pool of solder, chances are it is not making good contact. Measure from pad to pad using an ohmmeter to verify the connection.

Inductor L2 is wound on the FT37-43 core (gray, with orange dot) using 15 inches (38 cm) of #26 enamel wire. To wind the inductor, sew the long end of the wire through the core exactly 20 times. The winding should look like the illustration above, except with 20 turns.

In the following step, you’ll install a 1N4148 diode at D2, even thought the PC board has

an outline for an LED at this location. The LED (D2A) may be substituted later (see page 7).

Install a 1N4148 diode vertically at D2. The anode lead (non-banded end) should be inserted into the hole nearest Q6 (round pad). The cathode lead (banded end) should be folded down and inserted into the hole nearest Q7 (square pad). Bend the leads to hold D2 in place, then solder.

If your PC board is revision C, solder C12 (10 pF) and C13 (.001 µF, “102”) on the bottom of the board as shown below, between the two resistor networks. Use short leads. Trim the leads of the components in this area so the capacitors can be installed close to the bottom of the board.

C12

C13

Install 8-pin male connector P1 on the bottom of the PC board in the position indicated by its component outline. Do not solder yet. Refer to the drawing below.

6 7

Components on top

1 (on bottom)

Solder only pin 4 or 5 of P1. Verify that P1 is now perpendicular to the PC board and is seated completely flat. If not, re-heat the soldered pin and press down on all of P1's pins until the connector drops into place. Once the connector is seated correctly, solder the remaining pins.

U1 is static-sensitive. Before handling it, touch an unpainted, grounded surface.

Install 8-pin IC U1. Be sure to align the notched or dotted end of the IC with the notched end of its PC board outline. Note: A socket is not supplied and is not needed for U1.

Installation

Turn the K1 off and disconnect the power source.

Remove the top and bottom covers.

Remove C22 on the K1 RF board (at the right edge, near J1, the noise blanker connector).

Install the 8-pin female connector on the RF board at J1 as shown by its outline. Do not solder yet. The side view of J1, below, shows how it should appear once properly seated.

Solder just pin 4 or 5 of J1, on the bottom of the RF board. Then, if the connector is not sitting completely flat against the RF board (or is not vertical), reheat this pin and carefully press the connector down. You may hear it snap into place. Then solder the remaining pins of J1.

Install the 7/16" male-female standoff on the top of the RF board as shown below, using a #4 internal-tooth lock washer and 4-40 nut.

Plug the noise blanker module into J1 on the RF board, being careful to line up all pins of the connectors. Secure the module to the standoff using a 3/16" (4.7 mm) screw and one internaltooth lock washer.

Re-install the bottom cover.

Initial Test

Turn on the K1 and verify that you see the usual frequency display. If you see E 2 7 or no display, you may have the noise blanker plugged into J1 incorrectly (offset by one or more pins). If it appears to be installed correctly, check for shorts to ground on P1 pins 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8.

Tap the M E N U button on the front panel and scroll to the N B entry. To see the noise blanker mode, hold Leave the noise blanker in the

E D I T . Tap W P M + or W P M - to select the H I and L O modes, then return to O F F .

O F F position for now. If you see three dashes (- - - ), the K1

firmware has not detected the noise blanker. You may have U3 soldered in backwards.

Connect an antenna and switch to the lowest-frequency band. While listening to band noise or a weak station, peak trimmer C2 on the noise blanker for maximum signal strength.

Using the Noise Blanker

The KNB1 works best on wide-band pulse noise, such as that created by power lines, auto ignition, and some appliances. Like other pulse-type noise blankers, it will not suppress atmospheric (random) noise, or noise that occurs only at specific frequencies in the band.

The

N B menu entry controls the noise blanker mode, which will be O F F on power-up. With H I

threshold selected, only strong noise pulses will activate the blanker, which minimizes possible received-signal degradation. However, in many cases the

L O setting will be more effective.

Assigning the Noise Blanker to the Programmable Function Switch

If you use the noise blanker frequently, you can assign (XIT/PFn). To do this, select the parameter to

N B . Exit the menu. Holding the XIT/PFn switch will now activate the noise blanker

P F n entry in the menu, then hold E D I T and change the

mode display, and you can change the mode using

N B to the programmable function switch

W P M + / W P M - as explained earlier. Tap any

other switch to return to normal operation. Note: If you want to use XIT, you’ll need to reprogram

Increasing the

P F n as n o r (normal).

H I Threshold Level (using an LED at D2)

If you have extremely high noise levels, or if nearby broadcast stations cause received-signal degradation even at the

H I setting, you can raise the H I threshold by replacing D2 (1N4148) with

D2A (the green LED). The longer of the two leads on the LED is the anode, which should be inserted into the round pad (near Q6). To verify that the LED is installed correctly, try transmitting into a dummy load with the NB set for

H I threshold: the LED should illuminate

(dimly) during key-down periods because the transmitted signal activates the noise detector.

Circuit Details

Q1 buffers the output of the K1’s receive mixer. Q2 amplifies the I.F. signal, then Q3 amplifies negative-going pulses. The resulting positive-going pulses from Q3 drive the AGC amplifier, Q4/Q5, which holds Q2’s gain constant over a wide range of I.F. levels. Pulses that exceed the forward bias voltage of D1, or D1+D2 (in the Q7 into saturation, effectively shorting out the I.F. path at the output of the band-pass filter (C1, L1, C2). The bandpass filter delays the I.F. signal to allow the blanking signal to arrive at Q7 at about the same time as the noise pulse. MCU U1 is controlled via the 6R/Aux data line. It turns the KNB1’s power on/off and selects

H I threshold case) drive

H I or L O threshold.

.01

RF SAMPLE

4 RP2 27K

RP2 27K

RP1

470

BBBBuuuuffffffffeeeerr

.01

RF IN

123456 78

To RF-J1

C11

0.1

2N4124

RRRRFFFF AAAAmmmmpp

BBBBaaaannnndddd----PPPPaaaassssssss FFFFiiiilllltttteeeerr

22 µH

180

6R/AUX

6NB

RP2 27K

C10

2.2 µF

NNNNooooiiiisssseeee AAAAmmmmpp

NNNNooooiiiisssseeee GGGGaaaattttee

75 µH

RP1

470

2N4124

.001

2N7000

RP1

470

AAAAGGGGCC

.01

RF OUT

180

C12

2N4124

CCCCoooonnnnttttrrrroooolllllllleeeerr

2N3906

VDD

GP5

GP4

GP3

12C509A

** C8 is on the rev. C PC board only, and is not used.

* C12 and C13 are on the rev. D (or later) PC board.

They must be soldered on the bottom on earlier boards.

C13

RP1 470

1N4148

.001

2N4124

470

RP1

TTTThhhhrrrreeeesssshhhhoooolllldddd

(Green)

or 1N4148

RP2 27K

2N7000

VSS

GP0

GP1

GP2

0V = ON 6V = OFF

CCCCoooonnnnttttrrrrooooll

0V = HIGH THRESHOLD 6V = LOW THRESHOLD

6666VVVV SSSSwwwwiiiittttcccchh

3.9K

2N3906

LED (D2)

BOTTOM VIEW

CATHODE

ANODE

NOTCH

1N4148

2N3906, 2N4124 2N7000

1 2 3 45

12C509A

8 7 6

Elecraft • www.elecraft.com • 831-662-8345

= On bottom of PC board.

Elecraft

KKKKNNNNBBBB1111 NNNNooooiiiisssseeee BBBBllllaaaannnnkkkkeeeerr

Rev. Sht. DateBy

W. Burdick E. Swartz

12-20-00

1 of 1

Elecraft KNB1 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual