Voltage problems using ICOM 880H

[KB5PQL]

I'm trying to use Remote Rig with an ICOM 880H but I'm running into a voltage problem on the control side.  This issue I'm experiencing right now is that I'm not getting the necessary 8V to turn the ICOM remote head on.  I've tried different power supplies that are 12V and at least 1.5A.  I'm checking voltage out of the TTL and when the jumper is set for ICOM, I only get about 1.8V instead of 8V.  Furthermore, when I remove the jumper to get 9V It actually jumps to 6.8V! It's still not enough to power the head unit but something doesn't seem right because that's quite a jump from 1.8 to 6.8 volts.  I think I'm at the point where I need some help.  Please.

[sm2o]

Hi

There should not be 8V at RRC/TTL pin 2 until the connection is up. Eg after you have pressed the PWR ON button and the Yellow LED is on.
Pin 1 will show some voltage to sense the power on button and will go down to 0 when you press the PWR ON button

73 de mike

[KB5PQL]

Thanks for the response.  Right now I can't get the control panel to turn on.  If I understand correctly, I should be able to connect the two RRC's via a network cable to see if the control head will turn the radio on.  What do I need to do on the configuration side to make the two boxes work without the LAN? 

Thanks again.

[sm2o]

If you use the settings from the example in the manual they will connect together with a LAN cable direct between them or via a switch.

/mike

[KB5PQL]

OK, I think I'm finally one step closer to finding the problem.  I couldn't get the two boxes to communicate with each other until I changed the transceiver to "TRANSPARENT" on both Remote Rig Controllers in the Radio Settings.  If I set it to "E880" the boxes will not see each other.  I'm getting the boxes to say hello to each other now but still the radio will not turn on.  My mind keeps going back to the HM133 adapter PCBS.  Is it possible I was sent the wrong ones again? Can I bypass the PCB adapters just to see if I can get the rig to turn on?  Is it possible that these PCBS only work with the E880 and not the 880H?  I think I'm on the right path this time.  I can taste the radios trying to turn on. LOL 

[sm2o]

Hi you can send me a photo of the HM-133 pcbs, then I can verify that it's the correct type. If the radio-RRC is reachable from Internet I can try to connect from here also to verify if the radio end is working. The PCB can be replaced by red wires, but the mic will not work then, I will comeback with a idea about how to place them.

/mike

[KB5PQL]

Awesome! Thanks you! Here are the photos of the PCBS .  If everything looks good I'd like to see if you can reach the radio controller from your location.

[KB5PQL]

sent a wrong pic. It was too far away.

[KB5PQL]

Do these boards look correct?

[KB5PQL]

Do you think it's possible to wire the RRC's without the need for the HM-133 pcbs? At this point If I can get communication established (even if the microphone buttons don't work) I'll feel like there's some progress.  Thanks for the patience..

 

[sm2o]

Hi

have you still not solved the problem. If you place the jumpers like on the picture it'should at least start. Or eg the only red jumper which needs to be connected is the one to the left connected to the PWR_ON pin.

/mike

[sm2o]

I have investigated this issue today. I can confirm, to just try the function only the red wire in the most left position is needed.
But I also find the reason why it doesn't work for you. I can see on the picture that you have 1258H-3 adapters, they are designed to be use with RRC hardware up to v6.
But it's only 5 minutes work to make it work with those, remove 3 resistors and add two short wires, see attached pictures

73 de mike

[KB5PQL]

Thank you for looking into my issue further.  I confirm that I can establish a connection with the radio via LAN by installing the red jumper on the power on pin.  I can turn the radio on and turn it off.  Excellent!   I will perform the PCB modifications in a couple of days and let you know how it works.  At this point, once I get everything working on the LAN I'll move over to the WAN side and see if someone can connect to my radio.  Thank you so much for your help in this matter and I will keep you updated.

[KB5PQL]

I finally got it all working.  The two units communicate with each other directly and via the DDNS.  The true test will come next week when I install the radio at its location.  Thanks again!

[KB5PQL]

All Done! Everything's working great from the remote location...Thanks!