STL's need a bit of clearance built in

[VE7OES]

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

[AD0MZ]

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser.
I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

— You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/AD0MZ/All-Band-Adjustable-Dipole/issues/1, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AS25NSDQYE5J5BZ4KILFF7DTMX4BJANCNFSM44OLUCVA.

[VE7OES]

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[AD0MZ]

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered.
Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage.
I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[VE7OES]

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

— You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub < https://github.com/AD0MZ/All-Band-Adjustable-Dipole/issues/1>, or unsubscribe <

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[AD0MZ]

Dear Hans: VE7OES

You are making a lot faster progress learning things than I did !!

Good job on getting node red up and running so quickly.

You can page down to “CONTEXT DATA” if you wish. Figuring out “context” took me a month!

OTHER INFO: (TLDR?)

Throw a few DEBUG NODES into your flow at the right, especially after the motor control stuff. Motor control is standalone. (“ Send to motor” reads the position you computed earlier (from a global variable ), constructs the URL, and sends the HTTP request to the motor - all while checking controller status a lot.)

BTW... I spent a month just using the built-in “Quick Start “ page on the WIFI-Stepper Controller to learn about stepper control. I spent another month just trying to characterize the Nema 17 motor I had for torque and other parameters using “quick start”.

(I had never tried running a stepper before and didn’t really understand the nuances of using one - acceleration, drive current, acceleration current, micro stepping, etc… Once reason I chose to stick with that board (given the companies shortcomings) was that it takes care of the math to do acceleration and the other stuff, where with most controllers (I learned) you need to do all that yourself.

The most important thing I discovered was that the default configuration would continue to supply current to the stepper motor in order to help it hold position.
    (My motor got really hot after I let things sit for a few days.)
Hold is not needed .  (Hi-Z has enough holding force for me.)

Do this to turn it off.  

STOP_HIZ="true"; STOP_SOFT="true";

Once I learned enough to prove that I could run a stepper motor, and build some type of app to control it - I built the wooden prototype and started testing. I have a couple K$ invested in learning and testing (belts, pulleys, control boards, wood (costs WAY more than plastic filament), etc).

The wooden prototype worked really well, but was too big to put on a tower or pole. (My intention was for field days). The RF testing showed promise - so I purchased the 3D printer and build two plastic prototypes.

On the rather large wooden prototype, I found a few things.

1. A nema 17 was barely powerful enough to do the job with default settings.
2. The unit was really noisy.
3. (I also noted that a speed of 3000 was WAY too fast for my motor, and it would buzz without moving. 1400 was max according to the data sheet.)
4. Current mode provided more power, and heat was not a problem due to short duty cycles.

After experimenting a LOT (including designing and testing a belt reduction drive)… I accidentally determined that using 16 micro steps gave a LOT more torque, and made things quiet. That parameter (16x) in included in the math of the function that generates the position to go to.

As you have found, the Stepper controller allows you to run continuously, or go to an absolute position. (The software uses the latter.) Like a 3D printer, once you home everything - you just make sure that you never stall or miss a step, and zero is always zero (Fully retracted).

Here are the parameters that I set the controller for.

These are things you can set on the “Quick Start” page on the controller.

var HOST="172.16.0.230”; (It is my intent to use this rather than hard-coding… Not shown on “Quck Start")

var MODE="current"; var STEPSIZE="16"; var OCD="500"; var OCDSHUTDOWN="true"; var MAXSPEED="1200"; var MINSPEED="0"; var ACCEL="50"; var DECEL="50"; var FSSPEED="1300"; var FSBOOST="false"; var REVERSE="false"; var SAVE_EEPROM="false"; var STOP_HIZ="true"; var STOP_SOFT="true";

var CM_KTHOLD="0"; var CM_KTRUN="1.5"; var CM_KTACCEL="2.3"; var CM_KTDECEL="2.3"; var CM_SWITCHPERIOD="44"; var CM_PREDICT="TRUE"; var CM_MINON="21"; var CM_MINOFF="21"; var CM_FASTOFF="4"; var CM_FASTSTEP="20";

var VM_KTHOLD="15"; var VM_KTRUN="15"; var VM_KTACCEL="15"; var VM_KTDECEL="15"; var VM_PWMFREQ="23.4"; var VM_STALL="750"; var VM_VOLT_COMP="false"; var VM_BEMF_SLOPEL="0.0375"; var VM_BEMF_SPEEDCO="61.5"; var VM_BEMF_SLOPEHACC="0.0615"; var VM_BEMF_SLOPEHDEC="0.0615”;

They are stored in the "global context” which for node red is just a name for a database - available to all flows - on the hard drive of your node red server.

(You will find utilities.json in the GitHub repostory. It contains the beginnings of an app set automatically set all the needed variables up. — Partial Screenshot below.)

The TOP item in the flow below stores the best combination of variables I have tested so far (as listed above). The second one does not do micro stepping.
Remember to include micro stepping in your math.

You will find all the math at the far right in "Comp, set motor_position".

CONTEXT DATA:

I struggled a LONG time with the concept of “CONTEXT” within node red. (I wish they would have just said "data variable store location” or used the term scope instead. It turns out that you must choose either the message context, or the flow, or global.
Since I wanted to use a separate flow for utilities and CAT - and wanted to use the same numbers - global was the answer. Note the context is selected in the dropdown below. But wait, that’s not enough.. You also need to choose “Disk or memory” - See the second screen shot.
I chose disk that it would survive a reboot without reloading (A built-in cache saves your SSD). (The utilities page was started before I figured out how to store things on disk, so I never improved it over just good enough.)

[AD0MZ]

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is properly stored. Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…) and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows) You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[VE7OES]

Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt to sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of attack. Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is properly stored. Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…) and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows) You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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Dear Hans:I forgot to mention that writing the controller parameters to on board memory is a good idea.  There is a checkbox on the quick start page. That forces the parks to nctam when you save Good luck EticOn May 24, 2021 7:40 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt to

sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with

the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of attack.

Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is

properly stored.

Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and

dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…)

and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows)

You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the

hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board

default

when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it,

and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with

not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load

Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section

where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui

but

when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor

and

stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a

complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if

the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what

to

do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do

~/compass $ curl -sS "

http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100"

The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this.

I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand

what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some

wire

on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more

enquiries on where to find info.

Hans

VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered.

Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very

stale.

While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m

nervous

about the company.

These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of

Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage.

I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding

buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work.

If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it

would

take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied

steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools.

I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global

variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that

commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string

through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes:

Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time

with

a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so

you're

aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email

that

the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited

some

more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was

sitting

in

a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag

on for

a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone

number

for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send

it

back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact

CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got

was

another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that

was

willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to

a 3rd

Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able

to

say

that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the

gal

agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had

tried

to

contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got

nothing.

Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the

customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What

an

ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to

assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these

issues

already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like

that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both

Node Red

and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials

and

see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something

that

works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and

add

50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths

of

wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times

that

length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend

that's

very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the

lengths

would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip.

I'm

thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to

add

an

SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30

years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and

fishing

line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some

small

holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all

the

rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It

might

be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to

take

some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these

four

bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts

with

4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or

3.8

mm.

Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and

then

heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big.

If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other

part),

using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be

116 mm

in

diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside.

(The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The

.2

mm

difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.)

The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller.

The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of

the

flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I

can see

what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text

and

full

of sometimes-useful comments.

I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive

“programs”

to

describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a

mouse.

OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial

and

error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files

natively.

(Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the

actual

parts! )

BTW.

BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests…

If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also

simply

code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you

want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use

the

default access point and open with any browser.

I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if

that

would help as well.)

I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti

to

work

just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.)

You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your

commands

via

a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that

the

hardware is simpler and cheaper.

Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all

the

work

out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection

for

example)

It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI,

a web

server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to

learn

it.

Sincerely:

Eric

AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances

to be

extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of

millimetres

added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about

2mms

around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get

the

3mm

capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those

nuts

definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper

is

so

tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess.

You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note

that

button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the

stepper

and the stepper platform.

I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the

wire

and

fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit

multiple

times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the

spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from

England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to

setup

a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've

shared

this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an

interest

in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[VE7OES]

Hi Eric, So I've found a couple of things. 1a) I'm running this in Windows to because I have dual screens. I do have a raspberry pi 4 but I don't have two monitors that I can hook up to it. 1b) I have to run "Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" in Powershell as admin to be able to get node-red to run properly. Don't know if this is optimal but it works.

2) Secondly, I had to alter my settings.js and add the following. contextStorage: { default: { module: 'memory' }, file: { module: 'localfilesystem' } }, now 'context 'file'' issue has gone away. (Note that I had to add the same thing to my android app to get this to work)

3) in the 'Utilities-and-Test.json' file VELOCITY_FACTOR and FUDGE_FACTOR will only store as NULL values only no-matter what I do. What's odd is that ANTENNA_STEPSIZE stores as 2 not "2". So I added the quotes to the global.json for this value. There doesn't seem to be a default value in the globals file for these at any rate, and I think there maybe should be if the main tuner app needs these to calculate the amount of wire to pay out. (Just my thought.) Going in after the fact and editing these values to the defaults that are the json file almost works in Tuner-APP.json. The FUDGE_FACTOR of -9 causes a NaN to be returned by the function 'comp, set motor_postion', (I set a debug here.) Changing it to a positive number makes the motor spin. If I set it to 80 meters, it spins but I'm pretty sure it's not for long enough to spool out for 80 meters; 66+ feet of wire.

Just an update of my Observations/Progress.

It's been fun getting this far, I gotta say...

Hans

On Mon, May 24, 2021 at 10:24 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear Hans:I forgot to mention that writing the controller parameters to on board memory is a good idea. There is a checkbox on the quick start page. That forces the parks to nctam when you save Good luck EticOn May 24, 2021 7:40 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote: Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt to sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of attack. Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is properly stored. Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…) and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows) You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[AD0MZ]

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

You are doing amazingly well. I learned a lot as well.

I don’t remember having to set anything in my settings.js, but after checking - I found the bit about “local file system” in there. (I’m guessing the distribution of Node-Red (for the pi) I used already hat it there. My copy of Fedora that runs Node-Red does not!)

Interestingly, my spreadsheet and a bit of math compute a stepsize of .07 (Used the average circumference of the wound-in wire.)

(StepSize is a poor choice of variable names since the number is real the computed amount of wire retracted per step (Using 16x micro stepping.)
Going from 2 to .07 should get you a few more revolutions.

I found that the comp.set-motor-position function required a non zero fudge factor, but didn’t even consider a negative one. (I just now realized that I need to put another set of parenthesis in place to avoid a divide by zero situation.

I haven’t figured out why -9 does not work !!) I haven’t decided if the idiosyncrasies of Node-Red are worth the infrastructure yet. But I don’t know HTML very well. (My project for this fall is to make the same APP in pure HTMlL in order to eliminate node-red, and the pi. The math and javascript are simple if you let a spreadsheet create a constant for the wire extended per step.) I’m nervous about the WIFI-Stepper people a bit, but can’t find a substitute that does everything it does for twice the price.

I am hoping to improve the documentation with your comments soon.

(I think modern HAMs don’t really want to go through this much trouble any more.
I made this for a friend, and he wasn’t even ambitious enough to hoist the winder and pulleys up on poles he already had erected - to give it a try.)

FYI. Here’s the spreadsheet I used to sanity check my long rusty geometry. (I used “stepwise” to avoid using pi in a calculation in Node - I can’t remember why.)

On May 30, 2021, at 6:17 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric, So I've found a couple of things. 1a) I'm running this in Windows to because I have dual screens. I do have a raspberry pi 4 but I don't have two monitors that I can hook up to it. 1b) I have to run "Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" in Powershell as admin to be able to get node-red to run properly. Don't know if this is optimal but it works.

2) Secondly, I had to alter my settings.js and add the following. contextStorage: { default: { module: 'memory' }, file: { module: 'localfilesystem' } }, now 'context 'file'' issue has gone away. (Note that I had to add the same thing to my android app to get this to work)

3) in the 'Utilities-and-Test.json' file VELOCITY_FACTOR and FUDGE_FACTOR will only store as NULL values only no-matter what I do. What's odd is that ANTENNA_STEPSIZE stores as 2 not "2". So I added the quotes to the global.json for this value. There doesn't seem to be a default value in the globals file for these at any rate, and I think there maybe should be if the main tuner app needs these to calculate the amount of wire to pay out. (Just my thought.) Going in after the fact and editing these values to the defaults that are the json file almost works in Tuner-APP.json. The FUDGE_FACTOR of -9 causes a NaN to be returned by the function 'comp, set motor_postion', (I set a debug here.) Changing it to a positive number makes the motor spin. If I set it to 80 meters, it spins but I'm pretty sure it's not for long enough to spool out for 80 meters; 66+ feet of wire.

Just an update of my Observations/Progress.

It's been fun getting this far, I gotta say...

Hans

On Mon, May 24, 2021 at 10:24 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear Hans:I forgot to mention that writing the controller parameters to on board memory is a good idea. There is a checkbox on the quick start page. That forces the parks to nctam when you save Good luck EticOn May 24, 2021 7:40 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote: Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt to sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of attack. Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is properly stored. Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…) and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows) You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[VE7OES]

Hi Eric, Not sure what happened to the spreadsheet, but it didn't arrive.

I haven't gotten to the point of adding on the wire and fishing line onto the spools yet, but I'll be there soon, and then I'll find the space to mount it; hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

I've started a spreadsheet myself, and now that I know what ANTENNA_STEPSIZE is I can look at computing that myself as a check. Can you tell me what the idea for FUDGE_FACTOR is? I'm assuming to make the antenna a bit longer so that if it needs shortening, then there's somewhere to go.

Another question, I'll assume that for all intents, the antenna is always at the home position before power is removed, so this is then home when the software/hardware is next turned on correct?

Thanks for the quick reply. Hans VE7OES

On Sun, May 30, 2021 at 6:49 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

You are doing amazingly well. I learned a lot as well.

I don’t remember having to set anything in my settings.js, but after checking - I found the bit about “local file system” in there. (I’m guessing the distribution of Node-Red (for the pi) I used already hat it there. My copy of Fedora that runs Node-Red does not!)

Interestingly, my spreadsheet and a bit of math compute a stepsize of .07 (Used the average circumference of the wound-in wire.)

(StepSize is a poor choice of variable names since the number is real the computed amount of wire retracted per step (Using 16x micro stepping.) Going from 2 to .07 should get you a few more revolutions.

I found that the comp.set-motor-position function required a non zero fudge factor, but didn’t even consider a negative one. (I just now realized that I need to put another set of parenthesis in place to avoid a divide by zero situation.

I haven’t figured out why -9 does not work !!) I haven’t decided if the idiosyncrasies of Node-Red are worth the infrastructure yet. But I don’t know HTML very well. (My project for this fall is to make the same APP in pure HTMlL in order to eliminate node-red, and the pi. The math and javascript are simple if you let a spreadsheet create a constant for the wire extended per step.) I’m nervous about the WIFI-Stepper people a bit, but can’t find a substitute that does everything it does for twice the price.

I am hoping to improve the documentation with your comments soon.

(I think modern HAMs don’t really want to go through this much trouble any more. I made this for a friend, and he wasn’t even ambitious enough to hoist the winder and pulleys up on poles he already had erected - to give it a try.)

FYI. Here’s the spreadsheet I used to sanity check my long rusty geometry. (I used “stepwise” to avoid using pi in a calculation in Node - I can’t remember why.)

On May 30, 2021, at 6:17 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric, So I've found a couple of things. 1a) I'm running this in Windows to because I have dual screens. I do have a raspberry pi 4 but I don't have two monitors that I can hook up to it. 1b) I have to run "Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" in Powershell as admin to be able to get node-red to run properly. Don't know if this is optimal but it works.

2) Secondly, I had to alter my settings.js and add the following. contextStorage: { default: { module: 'memory' }, file: { module: 'localfilesystem' } }, now 'context 'file'' issue has gone away. (Note that I had to add the same thing to my android app to get this to work)

3) in the 'Utilities-and-Test.json' file VELOCITY_FACTOR and FUDGE_FACTOR will only store as NULL values only no-matter what I do. What's odd is that ANTENNA_STEPSIZE stores as 2 not "2". So I added the quotes to the global.json for this value. There doesn't seem to be a default value in the globals file for these at any rate, and I think there maybe should be if the main tuner app needs these to calculate the amount of wire to pay out. (Just my thought.) Going in after the fact and editing these values to the defaults that are the json file almost works in Tuner-APP.json. The FUDGE_FACTOR of -9 causes a NaN to be returned by the function 'comp, set motor_postion', (I set a debug here.) Changing it to a positive number makes the motor spin. If I set it to 80 meters, it spins but I'm pretty sure it's not for long enough to spool out for 80 meters; 66+ feet of wire.

Just an update of my Observations/Progress.

It's been fun getting this far, I gotta say...

Hans

On Mon, May 24, 2021 at 10:24 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear Hans:I forgot to mention that writing the controller parameters to on board memory is a good idea. There is a checkbox on the quick start page. That forces the parks to nctam when you save Good luck EticOn May 24, 2021 7:40 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote: Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt to sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of attack. Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context data is properly stored. Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…) and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows) You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest dipole :-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find the hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board default when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect to it, and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network with not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one section where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up the ui but when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the motor and stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do see a complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not sure if the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure what to do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do ~/compass $ curl -sS " http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100" The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this. I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and understand what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put some wire on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more enquiries on where to find info.

Hans VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered. Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are very stale. While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m nervous about the company. These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some type of Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage. I used a simple function to determine element length, so just adding buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work. If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a it would take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just multiplied steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools. I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a global variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL that commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or string through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement list.

Best wishes: Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a bad time with a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just so you're aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an email that the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was sitting in a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this drag on for a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a phone number for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to send it back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to contact CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I got was another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one that was willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a link to a 3rd Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was able to say that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this and the gal agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they had tried to contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got nothing. Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad the customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew! What an ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be able to assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had these issues already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off like that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out both Node Red and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few Tutorials and see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with something that works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have and add 50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the lengths of wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3 times that length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a friend that's very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me the lengths would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32 chip. I'm thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be extended to add an SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot... About 30 years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire and fishing line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill some small holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through all the rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these items. It might be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top end to take some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot these four bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm bolts with 4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or 3.6mm or 3.8 mm. Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm and then heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big. If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any other part), using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to be 116 mm in diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside. (The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the outside. The .2 mm difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for me.) The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make taller. The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the bottom of the flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of, and I can see what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain text and full of sometimes-useful comments. I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive “programs” to describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a mouse. OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of trial and error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL files natively. (Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD using the actual parts! )

BTW. BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests… If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can also simply code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where you want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just use the default access point and open with any browser. I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the JSON if that would help as well.) I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and found ti to work just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app though.) You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your commands via a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so that the hardware is simpler and cheaper. Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes all the work out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall detection for example) It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with WIFI, a web server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I wanted to learn it.

Sincerely: Eric AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the clearances to be extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple of millimetres added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out about 2mms around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to get the 3mm capacities to engage with the nuts in the inner piece. BTW those nuts definitely need more support on the back. The hole for the stepper is so tight I had difficulty getting it into the recess. You need a BOM for the different lengths of screws, and a note that button head screws are needed in the stepper area to both mount the stepper and the stepper platform. I'm having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to get both the wire and fishing line on the spoils without having to disassemble the unit multiple times. And then there's the matter of attaching those items to the spools.

I was able to buy the motor brushes from eBay, they can from England!

I'm stumped on how to get the json files to 'work' . Do I need to setup a mini webserver in order to 'run' them?

I think that this is a great first iteration of this, and I've shared this project with others in my area. At least one has expressed an interest in this.I

Thanks for an interesting project.

Hans/VE7OES

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[AD0MZ]

Dearborn Hans.The fudge factor is just a constant that can be added to the length of you find your calculations always need a bit more or less.  (No need to trim since it always starts from zero.).  You are correct about home.  Good luck..Eric. On May 30, 2021 11:29 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

Not sure what happened to the spreadsheet, but it didn't arrive.

I haven't gotten to the point of adding on the wire and fishing line onto

the spools yet, but I'll be there soon, and then I'll find the space to

mount it; hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

I've started a spreadsheet myself, and now that I know what

ANTENNA_STEPSIZE is I can look at computing that myself as a check. Can

you tell me what the idea for FUDGE_FACTOR is? I'm assuming to make the

antenna a bit longer so that if it needs shortening, then there's somewhere

to go.

Another question, I'll assume that for all intents, the antenna is always

at the home position before power is removed, so this is then home when the

software/hardware is next turned on correct?

Thanks for the quick reply.

Hans

VE7OES

On Sun, May 30, 2021 at 6:49 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

You are doing amazingly well. I learned a lot as well.

I don’t remember having to set anything in my settings.js, but after

checking - I found the bit about “local file system” in there.

(I’m guessing the distribution of Node-Red (for the pi) I used already hat

it there. My copy of Fedora that runs Node-Red does not!)

Interestingly, my spreadsheet and a bit of math compute a stepsize of .07

(Used the average circumference of the wound-in wire.)

(StepSize is a poor choice of variable names since the number is real the

computed amount of wire retracted per step (Using 16x micro stepping.)

Going from 2 to .07 should get you a few more revolutions.

I found that the comp.set-motor-position function required a non zero

fudge factor, but didn’t even consider a negative one.

(I just now realized that I need to put another set of parenthesis in

place to avoid a divide by zero situation.

I haven’t figured out why -9 does not work !!) I haven’t decided if the

idiosyncrasies of Node-Red are worth the infrastructure yet. But I don’t

know HTML very well.

(My project for this fall is to make the same APP in pure HTMlL in order

to eliminate node-red, and the pi. The math and javascript are simple if

you let a spreadsheet create a constant for the wire extended per step.)

I’m nervous about the WIFI-Stepper people a bit, but can’t find a

substitute that does everything it does for twice the price.

I am hoping to improve the documentation with your comments soon.

(I think modern HAMs don’t really want to go through this much trouble any

more.

I made this for a friend, and he wasn’t even ambitious enough to hoist the

winder and pulleys up on poles he already had erected - to give it a try.)

FYI.

Here’s the spreadsheet I used to sanity check my long rusty geometry. (I

used “stepwise” to avoid using pi in a calculation in Node - I can’t

remember why.)

On May 30, 2021, at 6:17 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

So I've found a couple of things.

1a) I'm running this in Windows to because I have dual screens. I do have

a raspberry pi 4 but I don't have two monitors that I can hook up to it.

1b) I have to run "Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" in

Powershell as admin to be able to get node-red to run properly. Don't

know

if this is optimal but it works.

2) Secondly, I had to alter my settings.js and add the following.

contextStorage: {

default: { module: 'memory' },

file: { module: 'localfilesystem' }

},

now 'context 'file'' issue has gone away. (Note that I had to add the

same

thing to my android app to get this to work)

3) in the 'Utilities-and-Test.json' file VELOCITY_FACTOR and FUDGE_FACTOR

will only store as NULL values only no-matter what I do. What's odd is

that ANTENNA_STEPSIZE stores as 2 not "2". So I added the quotes to the

global.json for this value. There doesn't seem to be a default value in

the globals file for these at any rate, and I think there maybe should be

if the main tuner app needs these to calculate the amount of wire to pay

out. (Just my thought.) Going in after the fact and editing these values

to the defaults that are the json file almost works in Tuner-APP.json.

The

FUDGE_FACTOR of -9 causes a NaN to be returned by the function 'comp, set

motor_postion', (I set a debug here.) Changing it to a positive number

makes the motor spin. If I set it to 80 meters, it spins but I'm pretty

sure it's not for long enough to spool out for 80 meters; 66+ feet of

wire.

Just an update of my Observations/Progress.

It's been fun getting this far, I gotta say...

Hans

On Mon, May 24, 2021 at 10:24 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear Hans:I forgot to mention that writing the controller parameters

to on

board memory is a good idea. There is a checkbox on the quick start

page.

That forces the parks to nctam when you save Good luck EticOn May 24,

2021

7:40 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Thanks Eric, I'll have a look at this over the next week as I attempt

to

sort this out. I have a suspicion that you're right that something with

the context file might be off a bit, that'll be my first line of

attack.

Thanks for all this info.

Hans

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 6:25 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Sorry about the spam, I forgot to show how to see if your context

data

is

properly stored.

Click on the little down arrow next to the information, debug, and

dashboard icons.

Choose Context, click global (or which context you want…)

and then (Important) the refresh icons (rotating arrows)

You must refresh a every time you change something to see it.

Best Wishes.

(Maybe this is why Stepp-Ir wants a few grand for their simplest

dipole

:-)

Eric.

On May 23, 2021, at 5:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric,

I haven't been able to get very far using you software. I did find

the

hardcover IP address in the main file and changed to the the board

default

when it's new and unconfigured, 192.168.4.1. I was able to connect

to

it,

and have tried a couple of times to configure it for I home network

with

not luck, I'm sure it's something small I'm missing.

I loaded termux on my tablet and from there node-red. When I load

Tuner-APP.Jason I get the dev interface and can see in the one

section

where the URL 's are used. I've deployed the app and brought up

the ui

but

when I go to run out wire to say 10m, it just moved 1 step on the

motor

and

stops. Switching to another band and I get the same results. I do

see

a

complaint in termux about "Unknown context store 'file'...." Not

sure

if

the utility json app is supposed to generate that but I'm not sure

what

to

do with that file.

I do know the board works since when I do

~/compass $ curl -sS "

http://192.168.4.1/api/motor/run?dir=forward&stepss=100"

The stepper rotates just fine.

Hope you can shed some light on this.

I plan to spend some time going through your code to try and

understand

what's going on so I can add the other band; thanks for the hints.

Once I get the stepper rotating properly, under control, I'll put

some

wire

on the spools and then fishing line.

I showed off what I have in a zoom meeting today and got a few more

enquiries on where to find info.

Hans

VE7OES

On Mon., May 10, 2021, 6:02 p.m. AD0MZ, @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I had similar trouble with the second controller I ordered.

Website said in stock, ships next week. Waited two months.

I noted at that time that their webpage and kickstarter sites are

very

stale.

While I think it’s an excellent product and the price is OK, I’m

nervous

about the company.

These factors are while I plan to learn either ESP32, or some

type

of

Opto-Serial controlled driver in the fall.

A couple of friends have asked about other band coverage.

I used a simple function to determine element length, so just

adding

buttons to the Node-Red Flow would simply work.

If you want to use indirect relationships for element length, a

it

would

take a little logic - but still easy.

(I converted all the ham bands to millimeters, and then just

multiplied

steps times circumference at an average depth in the wire spools.

I used a spreadsheet to find a constant, that I could store in a

global

variable — and use that in a single function that forms the URL

that

commands the stepper.)

BTW… I just drilled a hole in the spool and stuck the wire or

string

through it - with a knot. Printing a hole is on my improvement

list.

Best wishes:

Eric.

On May 9, 2021, at 10:42 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

Hi Eric!

I think I should preface this with an apology that I'd had a

bad

time

with

a number of things including acquiring the Setter board. Just

so

you're

aware, I ordered the board and at the appropriate time I got an

email

that

the board and stepper had shipped. So I waited and waited and

waited

some

more. Within the first week UPS site started saying that it was

sitting

in

a secure pending customs. And that's where it sat. I let this

drag

on for

a month before my frustration overcame me and I tracked down a

phone

number

for UPS. On calling them I was told that the seller had said to

send

it

back! And I had not been contacted by anyone. I attempted to

contact

CrowdSupply with no luck. I went to a local UPS store and all I

got

was

another phone number. This time when I called, I got some-one

that

was

willing to do some digging. ChrowdSupply happened to have a

link

to

a 3rd

Party tracking site and on using it to track the package, I was

able

to

say

that the package was still at the facility. I mentioned this

and

the

gal

agreed. So she asked some qeustions and noted to me that they

had

tried

to

contact CrowdSupply for some information several times but got

nothing.

Anyway the packaged was processed on my information, and I pad

the

customs and import fees and received the package finally. Whew!

What

an

ordeal!

I'd spent some time trying to trim the different parts to be

able

to

assemble it pre receiving the motor and board, so found I had

these

issues

already.

Anyway, I've had some time to calm down, so sorry for going off

like

that.

I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can figure out

both

Node Red

and OpenSCad. I think I'll see about working through a few

Tutorials

and

see what comes of it. If I should happen to come up with

something

that

works for me, I'll definitely share it with you.

One of the things I'd like to attempt is to take what you have

and

add

50MHz, 2 Meters, and 70 cm. My thoughts are that because the

lengths

of

wire are so short, perhaps it's possible to use a multiple of 3

times

that

length for those frequencies as the wire length. I have a

friend

that's

very knowledgeable in the RF side and that's what he told me

the

lengths

would need to be for multiple lengths at frequency.

Also noticed that the board has an ADC on it run by the ESP32

chip.

I'm

thinking that perhaps the firmware of the board could be

extended

to

add

an

SWR meter, perhaps forward and backward. It's a long shot...

About

30

years ago I did some microprocessor programming.

Anyway the first thing I need to do is finish getting the wire

and

fishing

line on it and then mounting it. My current thought is to drill

some

small

holes on either side of one of the long screws that go through

all

the

rotating parts and use that as a fastening point for these

items.

It

might

be worth while to look at heat set brass inserts at the top

end to

take

some of the strain and to handle the screwing and unscrewing ot

these

four

bolts that looks like is required. They make them for three mm

bolts

with

4.6mm OD diameter for the insert and a length of 3.0 mm or

3.6mm

or

3.8

mm.

Just for fun, I may try drilling the bosses out a bit to ~4 mm

and

then

heat setting a few.

Thanks for your time, 73.

Hans/VE7OES

On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM AD0MZ @.***> wrote:

Dear VE7OES - Hans:

I feel bad that your parts turned out too big.

If you wish, I could create a new STL for the cone (or any

other

part),

using any modification you wish.

For instance, the flange at the base of the cone is drawn to

be

116 mm

in

diameter on the outside, and 108.2 mm diameter on the inside.

(The case is drawn at 100 mm inside and 108 mm on the

outside.

The

.2

mm

difference makes for a smooth but easy interference fit for

me.)

The flange is drawn at 10mm tall, but would be easy to make

taller.

The screw holes are drawn with their center 4mm from the

bottom

of

the

flange. This would be an easy change as well.

You could also sketch something you might be thinking of,

and I

can see

what I can do.

Eric

BTW…

All the source files are in OpenSCAD format - which is plain

text

and

full

of sometimes-useful comments.

I had a lot of fun learning OpenSCAD. You write descriptive

“programs”

to

describe your parts rather than trying to align things with a

mouse.

OpenSCAD is a little strange at first and requires a bit of

trial

and

error, but results in very precise drawings and exports STL

files

natively.

(Even the animations on the Github page at done OpenSCAD

using

the

actual

parts! )

BTW.

BTW.

The WIFI stepper responder to simple HTML “get” requests…

If you don’t want to set up a Node-Red environment, you can

also

simply

code a web page with URL’s that command the motor to go where

you

want.

(The WIFI Stepper has examples on its Quick Start Page - just

use

the

default access point and open with any browser.

I can extract the formulas and the URLs (to GET) from the

JSON

if

that

would help as well.)

I’ve tested a simple page to test a standalone system and

found

ti

to

work

just fine. (I don’t know enough HTML to make a pretty app

though.)

You could even use CURL from a command prompt and issues your

commands

via

a script or two!

(I may work on a simple web page interface later this fall so

that

the

hardware is simpler and cheaper.

Still assuming a WIFI Stepper branded controller, as it takes

all

the

work

out of moving a stepper motor. (Acceleration and stall

detection

for

example)

It also seems to be the cheapest way to get controller with

WIFI,

a web

server, and a good stepper driver chipset.)

I used Node_Red because many here in the US use it and I

wanted

to

learn

it.

Sincerely:

Eric

AD0MZ

On May 8, 2021, at 10:08 PM, VE7OES @.***> wrote:

I have printed all the stl's and have found that the

clearances

to be

extremely tight. For example the conical top needs a couple

of

millimetres

added to the side skirts. I had to use a knife to carve out

about

2mms

around the circumference on the inside in order to be able to

get

the

3mm