PZEM Domoticz script

 Yeah, sometime I forgot where I backup some little things...

This is for my own remind...

The script code for PZEM integration into Domoticz...

Do you need to test your COM port?

As a ham or just an amateur electronist, sometimes you might need to test your COM/RS232 serial port.

A nice utility freeware is Hercules.

 

It cames as a small executable file, without the need for installation so you can use like in "portable mode".

You can test not only Rx Data and Tx Data but also CTS and RTS which is very usefull when you want to verify a digital modes interface between your computer (PC) and your transceiver (RTX).

It has a lot of usefull features than can help you also with other stuff like TCP/IP.

Here are the features as per their homepage and a link to download is provided there:

Features: 

• Complete support for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
• All basic TCP and UDP utilities in one file, no installation required (just one .EXE file)
• Implemented Serial Port Terminal is working with the Virtual Serial Ports (COM12 for example). You can check and control all serial port lines (CTS, RTS, DTR, DSR, RI, CD)
• Simple TCP client (like the Hyperterminal) with the TEA support, view format, file transfers, macros..
• Easy to use TCP Server with the TEA support, view format, file transfers, macros..
• Hercules contains simple UDP/IP "Terminal" with view formats, echo, file transfers, macros..
• Support the NVT (Network Virtual Terminal) in the Test mode tab, as like as NVT debuging features..
• Using Telnet extended with NVT allows serial port configuration (RFC2217), device identification, confirmation of data sequence, etc.
• It's FREEWARE you can use and share this software free 

 

I am not affiliated in any way with the authors of the software, just a happy customer!

 

The tale of the two QCX...

The first one I got it as a present from my friend Dexter, YO3HEX. 

Came in a lot of envelopes as a kit and, as I am always ready to make some soldering smoke< i was eager to get it done and working!

It was the version for 40m and it was FW revision 1.0 (bear this in mind!).

I did it in one afternoon, eager to make first contact with this little toy and, to my pleasure, it works from the first shot perfect!

It passed too much time to remember what was my first contact with QCX, sorry.

Short time after, another friend of mine, YO3ISL (good to have friends!) made me a nice case on his 3D printer. Mine is sitting nicely on my desk at my workshop...

Years goes by and another (third) friend, YO3IHG bragged about a QCXmini for 20m band. I asked him if it is not for sale and he said "NO but I will let you know if it will be". So, the hope stood by till a couple of weeks ago when he announced me that he will sell it.

A quick negociation and the little radio was "enroute" to me, me being at my second location where my lab is very minimalistic.

Still, I got my two hands, a pair of nice magnifiers and some other tools enough to start assembly the kit.

I received also the optional components to make it uSDX but I am not a fan of SSB with 5W so I decided it will be CW only, a true QCXmini!

I assembled it but, to my surprise, nothing!

Nothing, I mean NOTHING! The LCD was not lit, some bars on the first row and that's it! Nothing more!

No DITs, no DAHS, no hiss on the headphones!

Brick dead!

After some time thinking, an ideea came out shining in the darkness of my room!

Let's change the microcontroller from the QCX 40!

 

Yup, with the old microcontroller, the little QCXmini got alive! 

But only on receiving... No Tx!

Well, hrd time ahead!

I proceeded to measure around the Q4-Q6 Key shaping and soon I found out that the Q6 is no more a valid PNP.  What to do? Of course, canibalise the QCX, take the MPS2907 from it and put it to QCX mini. But still nothing. Oh my God, could be Q1-Q3? Well, for this I must go back to Bucharest, 90 km South because there I have all I need to test them.

Still, in my junk boxes, no BS170 as far as I remember... Well, no problem, in the way I will stop at a well known electronic parts shop and take what I need. Checked on their website and they have the through hole BS170 at a fair cheap price.

Got home at 3 PM and put everything in place to start troubleshooting almost immediatlely! Yes, at least one of the BS170 was not OK so I decided to change them all.

Changed them and everything was OK, the TRX got alive and i mean, ALIVE!

I did a full reset and make it to work on 20m, aligned the radio and connected to my balcony antenna (middle of the city, ugh). 

I tuned into a strong CW signal and did my first QCXmini QSO with R3OM.

I confess, I was a little bit surprised when he answered me, my antenna is not so great but those Russian CW ops are damn good!

.

But I still had one problem! It's name was AT328P, the bad microcontroller! I still use the one from the other QCX making it inoperable!

So, I checked into my junk box and found a few ATMEGA AT328P microcontrollers, I got the FW from internet and put it into my homemade programmer and burned the FW into it.

 

Then move it into the QCX and to my surprise, "USE ORIGINAL IC" message appeared onto the LCD!

 

From 9 PM to 11PM I was trying to figure out what is wrong there, how to programm the circuit and I already started to contemplate the purchasing of a new IC from QRP Labs. I wasn't OK with this option because of the time required so I took another path. The hard way!

I started to think how the chip could be protected and how to circumvent that protection.

I also sent a message to Vlad, from which I bought the radio, sent him my "nice thoughts" and a few "greetings" and asked him to contact the manufacturer for further instructions.

Meanwhile, I start to wrestle with the little cocroach!

I will not enter into details as I respect the reason for why that protection is there but, at some point, I managed to write an older firmware into the blank IC and the QCX came alive! It was around 1 AM and untill 3 AM I was trying to put the latest FW into it! With no success! Something was wrong and I finally found out what! 

On my programming board (designed as a simplified Arduino UNO board), the RESET pin was connected to a 10 uF capacitor which prevent it to correctly load the HEX file. Took it out (cut it with hate) and voila! the things went smooth!

 

At 4 AM, the QCX Mini was loaded with the latest firmware!

 

 

 

In the morning, Vlad announced me that he got the recover instructions from the manufacturer for a blank chip... Which was nice from their part and got my deepest respect!

 

OK, what about the yellow QCX, someone would ask?

Well, I couldn't find the original transistor MPS2907 here so I ordered a BC638. This one have the advantage of more CE current (around 1 Amp) but the disadvantage of a ECB topology instead of EBC like the original one! Put the new one and the 40m band QCX is alive and well! Oh, I forgot to update the firmware when I was at Bucharest and I still have the 1.0 FW in it! 

 

No problem, it's OK!

A new QCX

 I finished my second QCX, this time a QCXmini for 20m band.

Did some calls today, July 30, 2023 on my vertical Hustler 4BTV.

Ridiculous: 

60m band in Romania

The 60m band (5 MHz) in Romania is available to YO radio amateurs under special authorization.

 

In the National Frequencies Allocation Table, we have from 5255 KHz to 5405 KHz but according to the Regulatory Authority (ANCOM) we must ask for a special permission which involve the OK from the Romanian Ministry of Defence.

For my surprise, after making the necessary paperwork, I received the special authorisation that allow me to transmitt only on a limited range, between 5360 KHz and 5366.5 KHz with a maximum power of 15W EIRP.
 

I contacted other hams in YO that are authorised to work in this band and all of them confirmed me that they also received their authorisation with the same band limits.

As a result, YO radio amateurs can only legally transmit in this frequency range.

Fortunately, there is no mode restrictions and we can use all modes here.
 

From time to time, I am calling CW on 5361 and 5362 KHz mostly to test the RBN reports.

 

73