Amplifier Simulator using Solderable Magnet Wire

The solid state amplifier controller has some interest and I'm back to working on the code.  The lack of a test environment lead to creating an amplifier simulator

• 6 adjustable pots (4 usable with serial LCD)
• 3 LEDs to indicate the state of the sequencer
• 1 LED to indicate the state of the meter drive
• 1 pushbutton to key the "amplifier"

The photo below shows the amplifier simulator shield.  The wires coming out the top connect to a serial LCD.

Amplifier Simulator Proto Shield

The construction technique used an experiment with solderable magnet wire.  There was a roll of #30 on the bench and a quick test showed that a soldering iron melts the insulation away and tins the copper.  

Amplifier Proto Backside Wired with #30 Solderable Magnet Wire

This approach saved a lot time on stripping and cutting to length.  Making multiple connections, like to a series of grounds, just takes tacking the end and then running the wire loosely past the other connection points and on to ground.

The insulation remains intact everywhere but under the solder joint.  A good joint shows a meniscus of solder where wire enters the solder pool.

The picture below shows the Amplifier simulator in operation with the 20x4 serial LCD.  The pots set the temperature, drain current, forward and reverse power.  Drain Voltage and Supply voltage use analog pins 4 and 5 which are shared with the I2C bus.  So, Vs doesn't get displayed and Vd is set in the code to a constant.  At this point the bar graph shows forward power, but the Pf read out is shutoff.

Amplifier Simulator With Key Button Pushed

Publish SSPA Building blocks Design and Code

The three SSPA building block projects went up to Google Drive for more general release.

• Amplifier controller, protection, and sequencer
• Directional Coupler and Power Meter
• PIN Diode SSPA input protection Switch

These projects use Eagle for schematic capture and board design.  The Amplifier Controller and Power Meter use Arduino Uno and software.