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  • [ON7IR] A VFO tuning knob for RTL-SDR software

    From ON7IR via rec.radio.amateur.moderat@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jul 18 23:36:22 2022
    XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated

    Ham radio ON7IR

    ///////////////////////////////////////////
    A VFO tuning knob for RTL-SDR software

    Posted: 17 Jul 2022 11:57 PM PDT https://on7ir.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-vfo-tuning-knob-for-rtl-sdr-software.html




    Since several years I often use a SDRuno from SDRplay for listening to the airwaves. After trying a lot of SDR software it is SDR Console that I like
    the most. But I am always struggling with the tuning method in every
    software where you have to point and click with the mouse or use its scrollwheel.
    A while ago I read on a forum that a person mounted the scroll wheel in a horizontal position and put a larger knob on it making it easier to tune. Because the scrollwheel is nothing more than a rotary encoder and a rotary encoder electrically consists of two switches, it is easy to use another
    rotary encoder in parallel and use that one for tuning. No mechanical fuss.
    So I bought a very cheap mouse (2.5€), disassembled it and noticed that it has a so called Single Chip Optical Mouse Sensor, the MX8733. For specs and circuit visit
    http://www.lizhiic.com/admin/Product20/MX8733B%20SPEC%20V1.pdf.
    Note that usually a rotary encoder has 3 pins where the middle pin is the common one. This mouse (and probably many mice) has the common pin at one
    end so verify in advance which one is the common pin.
    Then I soldered a rotary encoder recovered from an old Dell keyboard onto a small piece of prototype pcb and connected its pins with 3 wires in
    parallel with the mouse rotary encoder and put everything in a small
    plastic box. Simple but very convenient to use. Finally the box is secured
    to a shelf in the shack where the VFO knob can be easily reached.
    Some pictures:-
    PCB bottom
    Rotary encoder removed from an old Dell keyboard
    The rotary encoder soldered onto a small piece of prototype pcb.
    The middle pin is the common.

    How the small pcb with rotary encoder is fixed to the frontplate
    simple piece of paper to hide the electronics inside the box

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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