DIY Kit Veronica 2024 NRG FM Broadcast PLL Professional Exciter 15W 88-108 MHz

[BriansBrain]

Who makes these ? .... found on ebay...

DIY Kit Veronica 2024 NRG FM Broadcast PLL Professional Exciter 15W 88-108 MHz
https://www.ebay.es/itm/235430732286?it ... Sw8Gdly9rG
Seller: marconi_electronics
Located in: Murcia, Spain

DIY Kit Veronica 2024 NRG-1.JPG

DIY Kit Veronica 2024 NRG-2.JPG

DIY Kit Veronica 2024 NRG-3.JPG

Veronica 2024 specifications:
Type: VHF/FM PLL wideband modulation Frequency Coverage 87.5 to 108 MHz
PLL Steps: 100KHz
Frequency Correction: Dual Speed Phase Locked Loop Synth.
Amplifier stages: 3 stage wideband – No Tune
Frequency Stability: Plus/minus 1KHz (crystal controlled) (fine tune adjustment on board)
RF power out: 1 to 15 watts
Harmonic Rejection: -65dB down (9 pole LPF)
Spurious: -90dB down on carrier
S/N ratio: -80dB down on line level
MPX input
Audio performance: Less than 0.05% distortion, 30Hz-57KHz
PA stability: Stable through 20:1 vswr, all phases
PA ruggedness: 20:1 vswr withstand at full power
PA Efficiency: 80% At 12 Watts Output
Polarity protection: Full crowbar fused power input
Audio input: 0.775 V rms for +/- 75 KHz
Power requirement: 13.8 Volt DC

[pirateaddict]

Or8 Brian... I'm pretty sure NRG.nz were selling kits a while ago but don't do kits anymore afaik!

[BriansBrain]

Or8 Brian... I'm pretty sure NRG.nz were selling kits a while ago but don't do kits anymore afaik!

Very true

But this is not NRG

marconi_electronics = ebay.JPG

.

[tvtv]

For some reason this doesn’t show when I search for the word title, also sellers other items comes up empty. Only viewed by clicking the above link

[radionortheast]

For some reason this doesn’t show when I search for the word title, also sellers other items comes up empty. Only viewed by clicking the above link

He’s got other kits there, seem to at frequency at least one, the veronica copy looked good, this is the Spanish version of ebay not sure if it would be shipped to the uk..the original listing was in english, the seller reviews. arriba anyway

[yellowbeard]

He ships worldwide - you can select the UK from the "See Details" menu for the postage, though there may be brexit tax for all y'all.

[Albert H]

YASIUK GCE Is a Greek copyist. The board you see above is closely based on the update that NRG NZ did. I suggested many of the improvements that are included on that version to NRG NZ.

I built my own variant of the board with a two-IC PLL (which was approved by Stephen and was going to become the Pro IV), and changed the output stage so that it would give ~20 Watts (using a FET).

I also modified the VCO so that the trimmer became unnecessary - it would tune from 85.5 - 110 MHz without any tweaking! I gave the Varicap supply 33V derived from a voltage multiplier that was driven from a spare output of the PIC that was used for the PLL - it used a diode / capacitor ladder and a low noise zener to give a clean and stable 33V. This increased the tuning range, but allowed the modulation sensitivity to remain sensible - it needed ~2V p-p for 75 kHz deviation, ensuring that it wouldn't suffer from the hum issues experienced by other circuits.

The layout was redesigned somewhat to allow the VCO to have a tinplate can around it (for lowest noise), and the output filter was screened from the rest of the board. There was a large metal H-section flange that provided the heatsinking for the output device and the voltage regulators, and provided mounting points. I etched several boards by hand, and made three prototypes (and found one mistake in the first two boards that I corrected subsequently!). The prototypes worked well, and produced in excess to 20 Watts at any frequency that they could be tuned to.

I was considering adding deviation limiting to the board - to make it impossible to over-modulate - but this would have required an enlarged board and lots of extra circuitry. The boards ended up being just 11cm X 8cm, and would fit neatly inside a standard Eddystone diecast box. We also considered adding a "control" PCB, containing the BCD rotary switches for frequency setting and the status LEDs, but thought that it was just adding unneccessary complexity.

The spectral purity was very good, and with the reduced number of components on the board, a competent constructor would have been able to complete one and test it in a couple of hours. It would also have worked out (marginally) cheaper than the PLL Pro III 4 Watt board!

I experimented with variable output power, but abandoned the idea, as it proved impossible to maintain the great purity at reduced power. If I want reduced power, I either use a different circuit, or add a resistive "pad" to attenuate the signal.

Now I've got more time, I might return to the circuit and see if I can come up with a finalised version....!

[radionortheast]

YASIUK GCE Is a Greek copyist. The board you see above is closely based on the update that NRG NZ did. I suggested many of the improvements that are included on that version to NRG NZ.

I built my own variant of the board with a two-IC PLL (which was approved by Stephen and was going to become the Pro IV), and changed the output stage so that it would give ~20 Watts (using a FET).

I also modified the VCO so that the trimmer became unnecessary - it would tune from 85.5 - 110 MHz without any tweaking! I gave the Varicap supply 33V derived from a voltage multiplier that was driven from a spare output of the PIC that was used for the PLL - it used a diode / capacitor ladder and a low noise zener to give a clean and stable 33V. This increased the tuning range, but allowed the modulation sensitivity to remain sensible - it needed ~2V p-p for 75 kHz deviation, ensuring that it wouldn't suffer from the hum issues experienced by other circuits.

The layout was redesigned somewhat to allow the VCO to have a tinplate can around it (for lowest noise), and the output filter was screened from the rest of the board. There was a large metal H-section flange that provided the heatsinking for the output device and the voltage regulators, and provided mounting points. I etched several boards by hand, and made three prototypes (and found one mistake in the first two boards that I corrected subsequently!). The prototypes worked well, and produced in excess to 20 Watts at any frequency that they could be tuned to.

I was considering adding deviation limiting to the board - to make it impossible to over-modulate - but this would have required an enlarged board and lots of extra circuitry. The boards ended up being just 11cm X 8cm, and would fit neatly inside a standard Eddystone diecast box. We also considered adding a "control" PCB, containing the BCD rotary switches for frequency setting and the status LEDs, but thought that it was just adding unneccessary complexity.

The spectral purity was very good, and with the reduced number of components on the board, a competent constructor would have been able to complete one and test it in a couple of hours. It would also have worked out (marginally) cheaper than the PLL Pro III 4 Watt board!

I experimented with variable output power, but abandoned the idea, as it proved impossible to maintain the great purity at reduced power. If I want reduced power, I either use a different circuit, or add a resistive "pad" to attenuate the signal.

Now I've got more time, I might return to the circuit and see if I can come up with a finalised version....!

It does have bcd to make it easier to select frequency, said this could be done with an sab6456 pll, how would it be done i’m not sure!, setting the frequency has to be done with the trimmer, abit annoying, I suppose the voltage would have to be checked rather than relying on the led, could it really be in the correct voltage range!. Changing the frequency is not often done, you would want it to be perfect.
I’ve wondered for a while how it was possible to make one without a trimmer, the pic ones seem to do it without. I was able to make an sab pll on veroboard, didn’t have components for the oscilator, with a pcb its much easiser, as long as the components and no errors are made, like wrong value resistors soldered in. On the veronica website it was not very clear, they seem to use the same amount of ic’s, with a pic, it dosen’t use a trimmer, have also connected led display, unclear how that is done, (the sab can be used as a frequency counter, its abit of jumble in my head, I did wonder if it could used to display frequency or used in reverse) Their using a pic your not sure what it is doing, suppose the whole idea is to make something that dosen’t need programming. With the right operating system prorgaming is easy, it maybe another thing to go wrong, if circuit is not working there are no means to tell, no amount of programing will make it work.

[BriansBrain]

Now I've got more time, I might return to the circuit and see if I can come up with a finalised version....!

That would be great

[tvtv]

Now I've got more time, I might return to the circuit and see if I can come up with a finalised version....!

That would be great

Is this another carrot

[tvtv]

YASIUK GCE Is a Greek copyist.

Still it ships from Spain, the parcel arrived with espanga post marks on it. He’s also on Ali express but if you want to send to uk you needed to message him and trade off Ali xpress, was simple enough

[radium98]

Is this another carrot @tvtv i like it .

[Albert H]

The problem with using a PIC is that many designers don't want to release "their" work to the world - which means that the ASIC (in this instance, a PIC programmed to drive a single-chip PLL) is only available from a single source. Stephen Moss' concept was for a board with parts that were available anywhere in the world, usually from Farnell. If someone damaged a part, they wouldn't have to go back to NRG to get a replacement.

The discrete PLL (without a PIC or other programmed IC) that I came up with in the early 80s, used just four ICs, and was programmed for the chosen frequency by including or omitting diodes around a 74HC4040 binary counter IC. There was a (slightly) enhanced version that used an extra IC which gave a better performance from the phase comparator section, including really precise lock detection. The problem was the board area it took up. The two-IC solution (PIC & PLL IC) could be made very small. As the only real complaint that anyone ever really had against the NRG PLL Pro exciters was the size of the board, reducing the PLL to the minimum number of parts is very attractive for miniaturisation. (We have a version of my exciter using all SM parts, that's ridiculously small!).

The other reason for the large PCB size of the PLL Pro series boards was Stephen's determination to use single-sided PCBs. He thought that the kit constructors wouldn't be able to handle double-sided.

Some components are becoming difficult to find nowadays. Redesign for newer components is becoming ever more prevalent (I'm on the seventh version of one thing I designed back in the 80's). This is making design ever more difficult. If I suggest using a particular branded IC, you can be sure that it'll go obsolete in no time!

I'll give you all some simple circuits shortly, but it'll be up to you to get hold of the parts!

[BriansBrain]

I'll give you all some simple circuits shortly, but it'll be up to you to get hold of the parts!

Looking forward to that H

[teckniqs]

I like the tuning switches, around 20 years ago I aquired an SBS LP2 which had similar dial type dip switches which made them so much easier to tune.

....These original Veronica/NRG things have been around for the best part of 30 years, it's good to see people still using them. I think the PCB looks quite cheaply made on this one though.

[BriansBrain]

....These original Veronica/NRG things have been around for the best part of 30 years, it's good to see people still using them. I think the PCB looks quite cheaply made on this one though.

The main difference is of course this board is double sided

[Albert H]

The reasons for the single-sided NRG PCBs were simple:

Stephen was always concerned about the "numpties" building his kits - he was sure that if they put a component in the wrong place, it would be easier for the constructor to correct. Also, the company that he used to etch the PCBs could only do single-sided, and he didn't really want to go elsewhere, since he'd built up a good relationship with them.

The layour of the NRG PCBs is actually very well thought-out, and there are huge areas of grounded tracks that provide a measure of screening. The board layouts were done with the Number One Systems "Easy PC".

[BriansBrain]

Well - I need a spare NRG for backup - so..... I ordered one

https://www.ebay.es/itm/235742349864?it ... Sw8Gdly9rG

BTW: After I ordered he put the price up

Capture.JPG

Lets see

[yellowbeard]

Ya know that price is actually not bad - provided it works the same as the original. The last genuine NRG PLL pro III I bought cost me the equivalent of €106 back in the 90's, since then the price of weed and beer has tripled - the weed is much stronger though...

[BriansBrain]

... since then the price of weed and beer has tripled - the weed is much stronger though...

Yeah......... I noticed that