OPERATION MANUAL Features • • • • • • • • • Operating Bands 160m – 6m RF Auto Band Decoding 7-inch Color Touch Screen FWD/REF/SWR Meter DI Voltage/DI Current Meter All Protection Selection for 3 Antennas w/Memory. 1200 watts SSB/CW 700 watts DIGI mode mercuryIIIS LDMOS POWER AMPLIFIER KIT Designed and Manufactured in the USA Copyright 2019 KM3KM Electronics LLC.
INDEX • LDMOS Explain…………………………………………………………Page 3 • Features & Specs……………………………………………………... Page 4 • Quick Start Guide……………………………………………………….Page 5 • Main Display & Settings..………………………………………………Page 6 • Rear Panel Layout.……………………………………………………..Page 8 • Band Selector…………………………………………………………...Page 9 • Output Power (ALC).……………………….……………….………….Page 11 • Temperature and Cooling Fans….…….………………….…………..Page 12 • All protections…………………………….………………….………….
WHAT IS AN LDMOS? LDMOS (laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor) transistors are used in microwave/RF power amplifiers. These transistors are often fabricated on p/p+ silicon epitaxial layers. The fabrication of LDMOS devices mostly involves various ionimplantation and subsequent annealing cycles. As an example, the drift region of this power MOSFET is fabricated using up to three ion implantation sequences in order to achieve the appropriate doping profile needed to withstand high electric fields.
FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS FEATURES • • • • • • • • • • • • • Maintains linearity under full output power (1200watts). Low harmonic content (below -43dBc on HF & -65dBc on VHF bands) thanks to an efficient Chebyshev filter. Fast and effective protection systems maintain the amplifier’s safety from operational damage. Compact linear amplifier with 1200 watts SSB/CW & 700 watts DIGI-MODE of output power on all amateur bands from 1.
QUICK START GUIDE • Connect the amplifier to a 120 or 240-volt AC outlet; the power supply is AUTO sensing. • Connect the output of the amplifier ANT-1 to a 50-ohm load or the corresponding antenna. • Connect the RF-IN of the amplifier to the RF-OUT of transceiver. • Connect the RCA PTT terminals from amplifier and to transceiver. • Do NOT connect ALC unless it has been adjusted…(not needed for quick startup). • Set the transceiver to the minimum power.
MAIN SCREEN A. B. C. E. D. F. G. H. I. J. K. M. L. M. A. FWD Power Meter Output (pep) B. SWR/REF Meter Output C. Drain Current Meter D. Temperature Indicator °C E. Drain Voltage Meter F. Alarm Indicators Zone G. Transmission Indicator H. Antenna Switch zone I. Protections and Alarms Reset Button J. Manual Band Select Buttons zone K. Automatic Segment Indicator L. Automatic or Manual Fan Control Button M.
DISPLAY SETTING SCREEN Main screen / Setup button / Display button A. B. C. D. A. ON / OFF Sound Main Screen B. Screen Brightness Slider C. Exit to Main Screen D.
REAR PANEL LAYOUT 7. 1. 9. 2. 3. 4. 6. 5. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. SO239 Antenna 1 (default) SO239 Antenna 2 SO239 Antenna 3. RCA Plug ALC to Radio. RCA Plug PTT Key to Radio. SO239 RF Input Driver. ALC adjustment fits Philips. IEC 320 C14 AC Outlet. Ground connection.
BAND SELECTOR 2. 1. RF Band Decoder will be in AUTO when amplifier starts-up (1). A signal emitted by the transceiver selects the appropriate Low Pass Filter segment. Display sample (2) shows automatically selected segment indicator. Keep in mind that in SSB mode the radio will not emit RF until it modulates; 200 milliwatts is necessary to detect the current frequency. It is worth noting that some radios make a small click when you press PTT which is enough to detect the appropriate segment quickly.
OUTPUT POWER ALC (optional) 1. 2. 2. The amplifier provides an output power of 1000 - 1200 watts in HF bands. For 50 MHz, the output power does not exceed 900 watts. The input level is different in each segment; the use of ALC is recommended for constant output in all bands without regulating the input power. How to adjust ALC for maximum power: 1. Connect an RCA-type cable from the ALC port on the amplifier (1) to the ALC port on the transceiver. Some radios do not have an RCA-type output for ALC. 2.
TEMPERATURE & COOLING FANS 1. 2. 3. The temperature is constantly monitored and shows on the Display (1). If the temperature is <50°C the cooling fans will turn constantly at 30% of their speed. When the temperature is >50°C, the fans automatically accelerate to 100% and return to 30% when the temperature is =<45°C. Maximum fan speed is recommended for prolonged operations (contests, Digi mode, etc.) The fan control button (2) sets the fan to AUTO/MAX.
ALL PROTECTION Despite the robust build of an LDMOS PA, it is necessary to protect the circuits to avoid damage caused either by user error or accidents. This ensures correct handling by the user and extends the life of the device. The error indicator area (1) shows several errors on the same tab (2). 1. 2. ERROR REF: The Amplifier will stop transmitting when REF is >125 Watts. For recovery, decrease power input or check the antenna - press RESET.
ANTENNA SWITCHES You can manually select one of three antenna outputs (1). This selection is not kept in memory once the amplifier is turned off. 1. 2. The setup button (2) displays the automatic antenna selection board. Configure the three antenna outputs with your antennas. The configuration remains in memory. At powerup Antenna 1 is the default. Reset button restores all bands to antenna 1. Main screen / Setup button / Ant config button. .
INTERNAL SETTINGS (if required) 1. 2. 3. The correct measurement of FWD and SWR may be affected if you connect an SWR meter at an intermediate point on the antenna line. Use these recommendations to adjust the Meters: Output Power Meter reference 1000-watts REF <10 watts SSB mode. Potentiometer (1) CCW + SWR Meter Reference 1000-watt output power and SWR 2.0 SSB mode. Potentiometer (2) CCW + For the Drain Current Meter: Reference 35 Amps.
ARDUINO FIRMWARE UPDATE (if required) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Remove the Arduino Nano Module from the controller board Use a Mini USB cable and connect Arduino to the PC Download Arduino Nano Drivers file https://www.km3km.com/downloads Open WinRAR File Run SETUP.EXE 6.
ARDUINO FIRMWARE UPDATE (continued) 7.Press OK Driver Installed 8. Download XLoader file https://www.km3km.com/downloads 9. Open WinRAR File 10. Run XLoader.
ARDUINO FIRMWARE UPDATE (continued) 11. Look for the file (.hex) and select 12. Select Nano AT mega 128 device 13.
ARDUINO FIRMWARE UPDATE (continued) 14. Press Upload Tab The load should not exceed 10 seconds. If (Uploading ...) takes a long time, repeat the process and type 115200 Baud.
DISPLAY FIRMWARE UPDATE (if required) 1. Clean or format an SD Card memory 2. Copy the file (.tft) to the SD card 3. Display off, Insert the SD card into the SD slot 4. Turn on Display The display will take several seconds: Congratulation, Display was updated: Turn off the Display and remove SD Card.
