Display & Control

Display & Control

I wanted to create a new, innovative operating concept and a simple, clear display for a modern power amplifier. To be honest, I first had to google what an Arduino is and what it can do. Great thing, can measure via analog pins, has many digital inputs and outputs and there are cheap with 3.2 "TFT touch screen. You could make something out of it, so I ordered it. Since I am not a gifted programmer I had to learn something new. With the first small successes I got more and more ideas what I could do. C/C++ is not that hard to learn. There are very good books and free courses, that was 2012.

The first amateur radio power amplifier with touchscreen operation was created!

The Main Menu shows the output power both as a value and as a graph. The reflected power can be seen below the scale. The output power is not the most important thing, because VSWR and temperature are much more important. At a glance one gets information about the selected antenna and filter as well as current and voltage.
On the right side one can select further menus.

In the Antenna Menu the VSWR can be displayed in detail in another submenu.
The antennas can be switched with a simple tap on the desired antenna.

In the details menu you get detailed information about the voltages, temperature, efficiency and current, efficiency and current.

The Voltage Menu shows all voltages that are of interest.

I found the idea of displaying the course of the temperature quite interesting.
A time span of 5 minutes is displayed.

An efficiency display has not come across me so far but I liked the idea.
So I can see quite quickly whether I have to expect more or less heat loss.