rvs 8manual

RVS-8 Eight Channel Repeater Voting System

Manual Version 1.0

LDG Electronics 1445 Parran Road, PO Box 48

St. Leonard MD 20685-2903 USA Phone: 410-586-2177

Fax: 410-586-8475 [email protected] www.ldgelectronics.com

Copyright © LDG Electronics 2006. All rights reserved.

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RVS-8 Eight Channel Repeater Voting System

Introduction 3 Specifications 3 Overview 4 Installation 6 Setup 7 Operation 9 Application Notes 11 Care and Maintenance 13 Technical Support 14 Warranty and Service 14 Firmware Upgrades 14 Feedback 14

3

Introduction Congratulations on selecting the RVS-8 voter. This system allows you to add up to eight satellite receivers to your repeater system. It selects the one with the best signal-to-noise ratio and channels the audio and Carrier Operated Relay (COR) output to your repeater input. A wide variety of options is available via the front-panel controls and display. You can even "cascade" up to eight of these units for a system of 64 satellite receivers. LDG pioneered the automatic, wide-range switched-L tuner in 1995. From its laboratories near the nation’s capitol, LDG continues to define the state of the art in this field with innovative automatic tuners and related products for every amateur need. Specifications

• 8 Channels (expandable) • True Signal-to-Noise Voting • Microprocessor Controlled • Software Upgradable • Menu Driven, 10 Menus • Programmable COR and Disable Inputs • Programmable Hysterisis • Digital S/N Meter • Frequency response 30 to 20,000 Hz • Crosstalk > 60db • Distortion < 1 db • Power requirement: 12 Volts DC @ 500 ma • Board Size: 6 x 9 inches • Rack Size: 1 Rack unit, 7 inch depth • Enclosure size: 19 x 7.0 x 1.25 (measured in inches)

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING Never install antennas or transmission lines over or nearpower lines. You can be seriously injured or killed if any partof the antenna, support or transmission line touches a powerline. Always follow this antenna safety rule: the distance tothe nearest power line should be at least twice the length ofthe longest antenna, transmission line or support dimension.

4

Overview Your RVS-8 repeater system is a quality, precision instrument that will give you many years of service; take a few minutes to get to know it. Your RVS-8 is designed to be mounted in a standard 19" rack. The front panel is integrated with the rack mount. Your RVS-8 comes fully assembled, tested and aligned, and is ready to install and use.

Front panel controls include:

• Power On/Off • Power indicator LED • COR operation LED • Menu button • Parameter selection button • Data input button

5

The LDC display shows current system status information, and menu options when selected.

On the rear panel are connections for audio and COR inputs from up to eight receivers, COR switching output, voted audio output, and DC power input. Other useful outputs are also provided; see Installation.

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Installation Your RVS-8 is intended for indoor use only; it is not water resistant. If you install it in a remote location, you must insure that it is protected from moisture and temperature extremes. 1. Connect the audio output from each of your receivers to the screw connections on the header

labeled "Audio In J5". Each audio input is relative to the ground connection on that header. 2. Connect the corresponding COR output from each receiver to the respective screw

connections on the header labeled "COR In J4". Be sure to correctly match the COR inputs to the audio inputs on J5; that is, COR 1 matches audio 1, etc.

3. If you wish, you can remotely disable receivers via the inputs on the header labeled "Disable

In J3". To remotely disable a receiver, set the corresponding contact on J3 to either a high or low voltage state, depending on how you set up that channel in the menu; see Setup. You can disable as many receivers in this manner as you wish.

4. The header labeled "Select Out" provides an output indicating which of the eight receivers is

voted. One of the eight pins on this header will be at +12vdc indicating the voted receiver. The other pins will be at zero volts. +12vdc at 10ma is also provided on this header. All voltages are relative to the ground connection on this header. You might use this output to drive an array of LEDs so you could see which receiver is voted from a distance. Use of these outputs is optional; you may simply leave them disconnected if you wish.

5. The main voter outputs are on the header labeled "Output". Audio output and its dedicated

ground are the rightmost two connectors on this header. COR output is the leftmost three, providing normally closed, normally open and common connections. The COR outputs are "dry" contact closures; no voltages are output on these connectors.

6. DC power input is via the coaxial connector labeled "Power". Connect this to a source of 12

volts DC capable of providing at least 500 ma, using the provided 2.5 by 5.5 mm coaxial plug. Best practice is a regulated DC power supply connected to the AC line through a high-quality surge protector.

7

Setup Setup your RVS-8 via the front panel buttons and LDC display. Setup data is stored in non- volatile EEPROM, and remains intact when power is removed. Hysteresis The hysteresis level is the amount of signal-to-noise ratio improvement needed over the currently voted site for a new site to be voted. Press the Menu button until the present hysteresis value is displayed. Press the Data button to select the desired value. Available values are 0 - 8. You should adjust this to a higher value if you experience excessive switching between receivers. A higher value requires more improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio for switching to occur. The normal value should be 3 or 4.

Disabled Channels Press the Menu button until the presently disabled channels are displayed. To disable or enable a channel, press the Selection button to scroll across to the desired channel. Press the Data button to toggle between enabled and disabled. The channel is disabled when the channel number appears in the Disabled Channels display. This display also reflects channels disabled via hardware connected to J3. Channels disabled in software via this menu cannot be enabled via hardware, and vice versa. Be sure not to disable all channels. This would effectively turn off the repeater as no inputs would be passed through.

8

Disable Active State You can choose whether a receiver is disabled by means of a high or low voltage state input to J3. This selection can be made for each channel; that is, you can set each channel to either high or low separately. Press the Menu button until the "Dis Active State" menu is displayed. Press the Selection button until the desired channel is displayed, then press the Data button to select high (HI) or low (LO). Active HI means your controller or other external device must produce a positive-going voltage (6.5 to 20 volts) when the channel is to be disabled, and a low-going voltage (0.0 to 4.5 volts) when the channel is to be enabled. Active LO means that your controller or other external device must provide a low-going voltage (0.0 to 4.5 volts) when the channel is to be disabled, and a high going voltage (6.5 to 20 volts) when the channel is to be enabled.

COR Active State You can choose whether a high or low voltage state indicates an active COR input on J4. This selection can be made for each channel; that is, you can set each to channel to either high or low separately. Press the Menu button until the "COR Active State" menu is displayed. Press the Selection button until the desired channel is displayed, then press the Data button to select high (HI) or low (LO). Active HI means that your receiver COR must produce a positive-going voltage (6.5 to 20 volts) when the squelch is open (receiving a signal) and a low-going voltage (0.0 to 4.5 volts) when the squelch is closed (no signal). Active LO means that your receiver COR must provide a low-going voltage (0.0 to 4.5 volts) when the squelch is open and a high-going voltage (6.5 to 20 volts) when the squelch is closed.

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Operation On power-up, the display shows a title screen and current firmware version for a few seconds, then the default screen: "Current Voted". The currently voted receiver is displayed. As the repeater operates, the red COR LED on the front panel will light when the repeater is activated. The Current Voted display continuously updates as the system switches from receiver to receiver.

Several other useful items of information are available on the LCD display. Press the Menu button to display the following: Current CORs: displays the CORs that are presently active, showing a received signal on that receiver.

Signal / Noise: displays the signal to noise ratio of each channel. Press the Selection button to view this information for each channel (receiver). The value displayed is between 0 and 255, with 255 representing the highest ratio (also the best signal).

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Most Voted: Displays the channel most often voted, out of the last 100 COR cycles. This count is reset when DC power is cycled.

Least Voted: Displays the channel least often voted, out of the last 100 COR cycles. This count is reset when DC power is cycled.

Hits per Chan: Displays the number of times each channel was activated out of the last 100 COR cycles. The value will be between 0 and 100. This count is reset when DC power is cycled. Press the Select button the view data for each channel.

11

Application Notes The following diagram shows a basic setup with eight satellite receivers. Typically, one of the receivers is the "main" receiver, co-located with the transmitter. The other receivers are usually "link" receivers bringing audio from remote satellite receivers.

RVS-8

Receiver 1

Receiver 8

Audio

Audio

COR

CORJ5

J4

RepeaterTransmitter

Audio

COROutput

12

Should the need arise, you can use up to 64 satellite receivers by "cascading" eight RVS-8 voters. Each of the eight voters can input eight receivers, for a total of 64. The outputs of these eight RVS-8 voters are then input to a ninth RVS-8 unit which provides final selection of audio and COR outputs to the repeater transmitter. Frankly, if you're using 64 satellite receivers, you've got our respect.

RepeaterTransmitter

RVS-8#1

Receiver 1

Receiver 8

RVS-8#1

RVS-8#1

Receiver 1

Receiver 8

RVS-8#8

Receiver 63

Receiver 64

RVS-8#8

RVS-8#8

Receiver 63

Receiver 64

RVS-8RVS-8

13

Alignment The first step in alignment is to make sure that each channel is matched to the proper COR and Disable Active State. Test each input to make sure that when the COR becomes active on your receiver, the voter responds properly and shows that channel as having an active COR. The calibration process is fairly simple. Start with the eight audio pots and eight noise pots centered. Each channel will be calibrated in the same manner, so only the first channel will be discussed and the user can then calibrate the other channels as needed. An RF signal generator and oscilliscope will be useful in the alignment process, but you can be creative with other test equipment and achieve proper calibration. Start by transmitting an on-frequency signal of 1000 Hz at 3.0 KHz deviation to your first remote receiver. Be sure that the signal is full quieting. Place the scope on test point AUD1 and adjust the AUD1 pot for 1.0 volts peak to peak. Remove the test signal and open the squelch of the first remote receiver. Place the scope on test point Noise1 and adjust the Noise1 pot to read 3.5 volts. Repeat for channels 2 through 8, or for the number of channels used. The Audio Out pot is used to set the overall output level of the voter. Tips If you don’t have a signal generator, you can use a transceiver and press the touch tone pad to generate a tone signal. This can be used to get the voter adjustments close. If you have a difficult time getting the Noise adjustment down to 3.5, lower the AUD adjustment to 0.5 volts peak to peak. If you do this, make sure that all receivers are set to 0.5 volts. As long as all inputs are set to the same voltage level, you can lower the signal down to 0.2 volts peak to peak if needed. They type of audio used from the receivers can be just about any type as long as all of the receivers use the same audio. Audio types that are acceptable are line level and speaker audio. Also, it does not matter if the audio is de-emphasized or not as long as all of the receivers are the same. The biggest problem seen in getting the voter to work properly is a mis-match in the audio characteristics between the receivers. Many times, doing a frequency sweep with expose differences in the audio response. Since there are literally dozens of different receivers that you could use, there could be dozens of different audio responses possible. Usually the best way to get near identical audio responses is to use the same brand and model of the remote and link receiver. Care and Maintenance Your RVS-8 voter is maintenance-free. As with any modern electronic device, your RVS-8 can be damaged by water, temperature extremes, impact or static discharge.

14

Technical Support We are happy to help you with your RVS-8. Telephone technical support is available at 410-586-2177 weekdays from 9 am to 5pm Eastern Time. Inquiries by Fax at 410-586-8475 are welcome, and prompt e-mail support is available at [email protected]. Warranty and Service Your RVS-8 is warranted against defects in parts or workmanship for two years from purchase. The warranty does not cover damage due to abuse or exceeding specifications. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only; it is not transferable. A copy of the receipt showing the purchaser’s name and the date of purchase must accompany units returned for warranty service. All returns must be shipped to us pre-paid; we will not accept units with postage due. A return form is provided on our web site for your convenience. If you need to return your RVS-8 to us for service, package it carefully, keeping in mind that we will re-use your packaging to return the unit to you. Download the return form from our web site ([email protected]), fill it out and return it with your voter. A self-addressed return-shipping label, while not required, will help insure speedy and accurate delivery of your repaired unit. Include a full description of the problem, along with your name, address and a phone number or e-mail address where we can reach you with any questions. Repairs average about 3 to 6 weeks. We will be glad to service your RVS-8 after the warranty period has ended. We will notify you of repair charges by phone or e-mail, and bill you after repairs are completed. Firmware Upgrades From time to time LDG may release upgraded firmware for the RVS-8, refining operation and adding features. Your RVS-8 is not field programmable; you will have to remove the present chip and replace it with the upgrade chip. Upgrades are expected to cost about $10-$20, and will be announced on our web site when available. Feedback If you have an idea to improve our software or hardware, please send us a description. If we incorporate your idea in the RVS-8, we'll send you a free upgrade as a “thank you”. We encourage everyone who uses the RVS-8 to contact us (card, letter or e-mail preferred) telling us how well it works for you. We are also always looking for photographs of our products in use; we frequently place such pictures on our web site (www.ldgelectronics.com).

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Date: 17-Oct-2005 Sheet of File: C:\Contracting\LDG\RVS-8\Voter.DDB Drawn By:

C61.01uf

+6+12+6

C600.1uf

C590.1uf

+12

K1

123456789

J4COR

123456789

J3DIS

X013X114

X215X312X41X55

X62X74

INH6A11B10C9

VEE7

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X41X55X62X74

INH6A11B10C9

VEE7

X 3

VSS8+12 16

U74051

10123456789

J6

123

JPR1

+12

C540.1uf

C500.1uf

+5

Q13 D1 2Q25 D2 4

Q37 D3 6Q49 D4 10Q511 D5 12Q613 D6 14

DA1DB15 +12 16

GND 8

U114503

Q13 D1 2Q25 D2 4Q37 D3 6Q49 D4 10Q511 D5 12Q613 D6 14

DA1DB15 +12 16

GND 8

U104503

Q13 D1 2Q25 D2 4Q37 D3 6Q49 D4 10Q511 D5 12Q613 D6 14

DA1DB15 +12 16

GND 8

U9

4503

569

11

478

10

211413

+12 3GND 12

U2LM339

579

11

468

10

211413

+12 3GND 12

U6LM339

SO2SI5SCK6CS1

VCC 8VSS 4WP 3

HOLD 7

U3X250XX

AS 4R/W 6

E 5

B0 42B1 41B2 40B3 39B4 38

B5 37B6 36B7 35

C0 9C1 10C2 11C3 12C4 13C5 14C6 15C7 16

A0

34A

133

A2

32

A3 31

A4 30A5 29A6 28A7 27

D2 22D3 23D4 24D5 25

E0 43E1 45E2 47E3 49E4 44E5 46E6 48

E7 50

VDD26

VSS1

EXTAL8

XTAL7

RESET17

D121 D020 VRL51

MODB2 MODA3 VRH52 IRQ19 XIRQ18

U1

68HC11D411D512D613D714ENAB6R/W5RS4+52CONT3

GND1

J8

+5

+5

X18mhz

C5110pf

+5

C530.1uf

+5

D11N4001

C570.1uf

C580.1uf

+12

+6

+5

+12

+12

+12

+5

12345

J2AUDIO/COR

+12

+12+5

C491.0UF

C5547uf

C5647uf

OUTSELCOUTSELBOUTSELA

2

COMMONN/ON/C

COROUT

RAWCOR1RAWCOR2RAWCOR3RAWCOR4RAWCOR5RAWCOR6RAWCOR7RAWCOR8

RAWDIS1RAWDIS2RAWDIS3RAWDIS4RAWDIS5RAWDIS6RAWDIS7RAWDIS8

OUTAUD1OUTAUD2OUTAUD3OUTAUD4OUTAUD5OUTAUD6OUTAUD7OUTAUD8

DATALCDWR

ENABLED7D6D5D4

RVS-8 Voter3.2

4AA3AV

SELASELBSELC

SOSISCKCS

CDSCOR

A/D0A/D1A/D2A/D3A/D4A/D5A/D6A/D7

OUTSELAOUTSELBOUTSELC

CONTRAST

RAWCOR1RAWCOR2RAWCOR3RAWCOR4RAWCOR5RAWCOR6

RAWCOR7RAWCOR8

RAWDIS1RAWDIS2RAWDIS3RAWDIS4

RAWDIS5RAWDIS6

RAWDIS7RAWDIS8

AUDOUT

COROUT

AUDOUT

MENUDATASELECT

C52 10pf

IRQS

MODB

MODB

IRQS

SELECT

MENU

DATA

1 23 45 67 89 10

J7

Front Panel

POWERIN

PWRGND 0

J1POWEROUT

POWERIN POWEROUT

OnOffLEDMenuSelect

CORLED

Data

Return

Return

Select

Data

Menu

CORLED

OnOffLED

Vin1

GN

D2

Vout 3

PAD

0

U5VoltReg

R1

470

R51M

R41K

R12470

R6

10K

R71k

R910K

R810K

VR17100K

VR18

100K

R41 10kR42 10kR43 10kR44 10kR45 10kR46 10kR47 10kR48 10k

R56

100k

R55

100k

R54

100k

R53

100k

R52

100k

R51

100k

R50

100k

R49

100k


R10

510

0kR

104

100k

R10

310

0kR

102

100k

R10

110

0kR

100

100k

R99

100k

R98

100k


R58

10k

R59

10k

R61

10k

R63

10k

R65

10k

R67

10k

R69

10k

R71

10k

R73

10k

R62

10kR

6410k

R66

10kR

6810k

R70

10kR

7210k

R74

10kR

7510k

R84

10kR85

10kR86

10kR87

10kR88

10kR89

10k

R11510k

R116

10k

BE

CQ1

2N3904-SOT23

D2 DIODE_1N4148

C200.01uf

+12 +5

GND+6

POWERIN

POWEROUT

RLY

TP19COROUT

TP1+12

TP2+6

TP20+5

+12

+6 +5

TP21

Audio Out

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108

U13CTL084

2

31

411

U13ATL084

9

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U12CTL084

2

31

411

U12ATL084

12

1314

U13DTL084

+6+6

VR12100K

VR4100k

R2110k

R21.0M

R284.7k

C36.0047

C20.0047

C28.0047

C40.47uf

+12

C30.47uf

C27.0047

C19.0047 C35

.0047

R274.7k

R31.0M

R2210k

VR3100k

VR11100K

+6 +6 +12

5

67

U12BTL084

C10.47uf

C25.0047

C17.0047 C33

.0047

R254.7k

R111.0M

R2410k

VR1100k

VR9100K

+6 +6 +12

+12

C20.47uf

C26.0047

C18.0047 C34

.0047

R264.7k

R101.0M

R2310k

VR2100k

VR10100K

+6 +6

12

1314

U12DTL084

5

67

U13BTL084

3

21

84

U16A

3240

6

57

U16B

3240

3

21

84

U17A

3240

6

57

U17B3240

C91.0UF

C101.0UF

C111.0UF

C121.0UF

C4110UF

C4210UF

C4310UF

C4410UF

OUTAUD4

A/D3

AUDIN4

S/N Gate 4

AUDIN3

A/D2

OUTAUD3

S/N Gate 3

RVS-8 Voter3.2

3 4AA3AV

S/N Gate 1

AUDIN1

A/D0

OUTAUD1

S/N Gate 2

AUDIN2

A/D1

OUTAUD2

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J5

Audio

AUDIN1AUDIN2AUDIN3AUDIN4AUDIN5AUDIN6AUDIN7AUDIN8

AUDIN1

AUDIN2

AUDIN3

AUDIN4

R93

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R92

10k

R91

10k

R90

10k

R1071k

R108

1k

R109

1k

R110

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R117

10k

R118

10k

R119

10k

R120

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R128100k

R127100k

R126100k

R125100k

1MH1

CON1

1MH2

CON1

1

MH3

CON1

1MH4

CON1

1MH5

CON1

1MH6

CON1

TP3Noise1

TP4Noise2

TP5Noise3

TP6Noise4

TP11AUD1

TP12AUD2

TP13AUD3

TP14AUD4

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U19B

3240

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84

U19A3240

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U18B

3240

2

31

84

U18A3240

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108

U15C

TL084

2

31

411

U15ATL084

9

108

U14CTL084

2

31

411

U14ATL084

C80.47uf

C32.0047

C24.0047 C40

.0047

R324.7k

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VR8100k

VR16100K

+6 +6

12

1314

U15DTL084

+12

+6+6

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C21.0047

C29.0047

C50.47uf

+12

12

1314

U14DTL084

+6+6

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VR6100k

R1910k

R151.0M

R304.7k

C38.0047

C22.0047

C30.0047

C60.47uf

+12

5

67

U15BTL084

C70.47uf

C31.0047

C23.0047 C39

.0047

R314.7k

R141.0M

R1810k

VR7100k

VR15100K

+6 +6

+12

5

67

U14BTL084

C131.0UF

C141.0UF

C151.0UF

C161.0UF

C4510UF

C4610UF

C4710UF

C4810UF

S/N Gate 8

AUDIN8

A/D7

OUTAUD8

RVS-8 Voter3.3

4 4AA3AV

S/N Gate 5OUTAUD5

A/D4

AUDIN5

S/N Gate 6OUTAUD6

A/D5

AUDIN6

S/N Gate 7

AUDIN7

A/D6

OUTAUD7

AUDIN5

AUDIN6

AUDIN7

AUDIN8

R97

10k

R96

10k

R95

10k

R94

10k

R114

1k

R1131k

R1121k

R1111k

R124

10k

R123

10k

R122

10k

R121

10k

R132100k

R131100k

R130100k

R129100k

TP7Noise5

TP8Noise6

TP9Noise7

TP10Noise8

TP15AUD5

TP16AUD6

TP17AUD7

TP18AUD8

rvs 8manual

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