Progress Direct Systems Volt Tattler 2 User manual

Progress Direct Systems LLC
Volt Tattler 2
Owner’s Manual
Version 2.0 Revision 4.0
Disclaimer
Volt Tattler 2 is a device intended to enhance DC power systems that have already been properly
designed. Progress Direct Systems LLC, its employees and its representatives are not responsible for any
damage to any system or systems either directly or indirectly ca sed by any Volt Tattler device.
Introduction
Radio Amate rs, a dio enth siasts, alarm technicians and others commonly se some sort of D.C.
voltage s pply to power eq ipment. Often they will connect an expensive piece of electronic
eq ipment to a m ch less expensive DC power s pply. Field and temporary set ps are partic larly
prone to q estionable power connections, draining batteries and power s pply fail res. When power
s pplies fail the voltage can go p or down depending on the fail re mode of the power s pply.
Eq ipment can be damaged by high and even by low voltage operation.
“B t my power s pply has meters? If the voltage goes high or low I can simply switch off the
power s pply to avoid damaging my eq ipment.”
D ring operations, especially contests, concerts, professional photo sessions etc., we are b sy doing
what needs to be done. Even if yo have a meter, how often do yo look at yo r power s pply voltage?
I believe that a fail re is most often noticed beca se eq ipment has stopped working or the smell of
b rning electronics signals that the magic smoke has escaped. If yo are not looking at yo r meter
when the problem occ rs yo r eq ipment can malf nction and even be badly damaged.
VoltTattler monitors yo r system DC voltage approximately 20 times each second. If yo r voltage
sho ld, for example, rise above a high voltage threshold, VoltTattler will a dibly anno nce the
transgression so nding o t Morse “H” (. . . .) repeatedly ntil the condition is fixed. It also will so nd a
Morse “L” (. - . .) if the voltage sho ld drift low.
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Table of Contents
Disclaimer
.......................................................................................................................................................................
1
Introd ction
.......................................................................................................................................................................
1
Volt Tattler 2 Board Details
.......................................................................................................................................................................
6
Power Inp t.........................................................................................................................................6
Stat s Lights........................................................................................................................................6
Program B tton...................................................................................................................................7
Logic O tp t Signals............................................................................................................................7
Piezoelectric Speaker...........................................................................................................................7
B ilding
.......................................................................................................................................................................
8
Parts List..............................................................................................................................................8
Parts Placement...................................................................................................................................9
.............................................................................................................................................................10
Constr ction Phase 1...........................................................................................................................10
Testing Phase 1..........................................................................................................................13
Constr ction Phase 2...........................................................................................................................14
Preparing the Microcontroller for Installation................................................................14
Soldering the Microcontroller.........................................................................................17
Soldering the IC...............................................................................................................18
Seating the Microcontroller into a Socket.......................................................................20
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Testing Phase 2..........................................................................................................................21
If yo have a variable DC power s pply.....................................................................................21
If yo do not have a variable DC power s pply.........................................................................25
Low Voltage Tattling........................................................................................................25
High Voltage Tattling.......................................................................................................26
F nction
.......................................................................................................................................................................
27
An Example..........................................................................................................................................27
Operation
.......................................................................................................................................................................
28
Wiring Volt Tattler into the System.....................................................................................................29
At the So rce.............................................................................................................................29
At the Eq ipment................................................................................................................................30
Another Example.......................................................................................................................30
Calibration
.......................................................................................................................................................................
31
Calibration Steps..................................................................................................................................31
Calibration Notes.................................................................................................................................34
Skipping Calibrations...........................................................................................................................34
Losing Power D ring Programming.....................................................................................................34
Morse Code So nds and their Meanings
.......................................................................................................................................................................
35
Maxim ms
.......................................................................................................................................................................
36
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So nd Level
.......................................................................................................................................................................
36
Volt Tattler 2 Cannot/Sho ld not
.......................................................................................................................................................................
36
Schematic
.......................................................................................................................................................................
37
Tro bleshooting
.......................................................................................................................................................................
38
It’s Alive.....................................................................................................................................40
It’s Whining...............................................................................................................................40
It’s Whining Inappropriately......................................................................................................40
Operation Flowchart
.......................................................................................................................................................................
41
Calibration Flowchart
.......................................................................................................................................................................
42
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Volt Tattler 2 Board Details
The Volt Tattler 2 board is depicted below.
Power Input
Altho gh Volt Tattler 2 is protected against reverse polarity connection, it is not impossible to destroy
the nit. Note that the min s connection is nearest the corner of the board.
Status Lights
If Volt Tattler is connected and watching its s pply voltage it will first anno nce that it is r nning with an
a dible Roger signal (Morse 'R' .-.). Then immediately the Green L.E.D. will flash periodically to indicate
that it is taking readings and watching them. In normal operation (voltage is not too high or too low) the
Volt Tattler operates silently. The Green L.E.D. indicates that it is operating.
The yellow LED applies if Volt Tattler 2 s pply voltage drops to or below the low threshold. Once a low
voltage transgression has occ rred, the yellow LED will contin e to flash even if the voltage ret rns back
above the low threshold. This indicates a low voltage condition has been detected since power on or
the last board reset.
The red LED applies if Volt Tattler 2 s pply voltage rises to or above the high threshold. The red LED will
contin e to flash even if the voltage ret rns below the high threshold. This indicates a high voltage
condition has been detected since power on or the last board reset.
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Program Button
In normal (silent) operation, a q ick press and release of this b tton will ca se the Volt Tattler 2 to reset.
This clears any indications of previo s high or low voltage transgressions (yellow and red LEDs).
A longer press on this b tton (> 3 seconds) provides the capability of programming the Volt Tattler 2
thresholds within its operational range. Instr ctions for sing the Programming B tton to set the
thresholds are incl ded in this man al.
Logic Output Signals
A 10-pin header can be installed here to provide a variety of signals that may be sef l for downstream
eq ipment. The signals are described in detail later in this man al.
Piezoelectric Speaker
This provides the so nds that indicate the stat s of the Volt Tattler. It anno nces the start p roger “R”,
voltage transgressions and programming states.
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Building
I strongly recommend sing a good q ality soldering iron and only electronic solder for constr cting this
project. The soldering iron sho ld be at least 50 Watts and sho ld provide eno gh heat so that the
solder melts q ickly. If yo have not b ilt a project before I wo ld rge yo to watch one of the many
Yo T be videos on soldering and kit b ilding. Practice if possible.
Parts List
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Quantity P/N Description
1 MSP430G2553IN U2
1 2N3904 NPN General Purpose Transistor Q1
1 LP2950-N TI 3.3 Low Power oltage Regulator* (KY5033) U1
1 PKM22EPPH4007-B0 SP1
1 PR01000101001JR500 1K 1W Resistor (brown black red) R5
1 RN55D1001FB14 1K 1/8W Resistors (1001F or brown black red) R4
1 299-47K-RC 47K 1/8W Resistors (yellow purple orange) R7
1 RN55D1002FRE6 10K 1/8W Resistor (1002F or brown black orange) R2
1 RN55D1203FB14 120K 1/8W Resistor (1203F or brown red yellow) R1
3 299-680-RC 680 ohm 1/8 W Resistor (blue gray brown) R3, R8, R9
1 299-22K-RC 22 K 1/8W Resistor (red red orange) R6
1 LTL2R3KGD-EM Green 5mm 1.8 D1
1 LTL2R3KYD-EM Yellow 5mm 1.8 D2
1 LTL2R3KRD-EM Red 5mm 1.8 D3
1 653-B3F-1022 PB1
1 Z P4424A P channel enhancement mode MOSFET* Q2
4 D103Z25Z5 F63L6R 0.01uf 50 disc capacitors (103) C5, C2, C6, C3
3 1C10Z5U104M050B 0.1uf 50 disc capacitors (104) C1, C8, C9
1 H102K25X7RN63J5R 0.001uF 50 disc capacitor (102) C4
1 105TTA050M 1uf electrolytic capacitor radial leads** C10
1 106TTA050M 10uF 50 Electrolytic Capacitor radial leads** C7
1 2 X 5 pin header P2
1 1 X 2 pin header P1
1 20-pin DIP socket
1 2.2 Circuit Board
*Static Sensitive Components
** Radial lead electrolytic capacitors may be used to lower the board profile.
Designators
TI Low Power Microcontroller*
Piezo Sounder (MuRata)
N.O. PCB Mount Pushbutton
Use provided tables in Appendix B to help identify resistors. It is strongly recommended that
You obtain an inexpensive D M and measure each resistor before placing it into the board.

Parts Placement

Construction Phase
1. SAVE THE SPEAKER INSTALL FOR NEXT TO LAST (before the microcontroller). It is tall and can
make other part installations diffic lt.
2. If yo are sing the provided 20-pin socket for the microcontroller install it now. A socket will
s ally have a pin-1 end. That is an end where pin-1 of the chip will be oriented. Sometimes
the Pin-1 end of a socket is not very obvio s. If yo plan to solder the microcontroller directly to
the board yo can skip to step 6.
3. Check the alignment of the socket over the holes for U2 to see that all of the pins are in place.
Most likely many of the pins will not align with their holes. I se a small jeweler’s screwdriver to
coax each pin into its hole. Freq ently one pin will hold the socket away from the board. Using
the screwdriver, find each pin that is holding the socket p. P t each lead into its hole ntil the
socket falls onto the board with no press re. Don't p sh the socket into the holes. Event ally
all of the pins will be aligned and the socket will bottom o t on the board. At this point check
that each hole has a pin poking thro gh on the back side of the board. Once a socket is properly
seated into its holes, a small piece of cellophane tape can sec re the socket for soldering.
4. Solder one corner pin of the socket to its pad. If there are pins o t of place or the socket has
moved p on one end while soldering briefly heat the one soldered pin while g iding the socket

back onto the board. Use the jewelers screwdriver if necessary. Once the pin is soldered and
the socket is seated remove the heat immediately. Allow the joint to cool.
5. Finally caref lly solder the remaining pins avoiding solder bridges between the pins and
adjacent traces.
6. Remove the cellophane tape and inspect the work j st completed. Give the board a final once
over looking for potential problems, solder shorts, nsoldered or badly soldered connections
etc.
7. Next install resistors. All resistors are installed on the board laying down with their leads p shed
thro gh the end holes and soldered on the back side of the board. R5, the 1K 1W resistor, may
be larger than the other resistors. See the Parts Placement diagram.
8. Install the capacitors. Be s re to properly orient the 2 electrolytic capacitors according to their
polarity. Radial lead electrolytic capacitors (both leads at one end of the capacitor) m st be
installed vertically. The negative leads on the electrolytic capacitors sho ld be mo nted facing
one another. The 102(0.001 f), 103 (0.01 f) and 104 (0.1 f) capacitors may look very similar.
Be s re not to interchange them.
9. Install Q1 the 2N3904, the LEDs and the p sh b tton (SW1). Be caref l to install the transistor in
the proper orientation and the LEDs in the proper direction. Sometimes the transistor pins will
need to be reformed to fit properly. The case of the transistor will be shaped to indicate the
part orientation. Note that the LEDs in kit may be ro nd (no flat spot). The short lead is
cathode (flat spot on silkscreen). The short lead sho ld be oriented near the edge of the board.
The longer lead m st be nearer the microcontroller socket. Be sure to install the correct color
LEDs in the correct positions. See the pict re regarding LED installation below. Orientation is
very important here. Improperly orienting the 2N 904 transistor can result in its destruction.
10. Install U1 the LM2950. It may be labeled KY5033. Orientation is very important here.
Improperly orienting the LM2950 integrated circuit can result in its destruction and the
destruction the LM2950 and of the microcontroller.
11. Install Q2 the ZVP4424A. Orientation is very important here. Improperly orienting the
ZVP4424A transistor can result in its destruction or reverse polarity protection failure.
12. Install yo r incl ded 2 screw terminal power connector and the 10-pin signal connector.
13. Install the speaker. It is not polarized so either direction will work fine.
14. Look over the board both top and bottom. Look for missing components, improperly oritnted
components, cold or dry solder connections, solder blobs and splashes. Do ble check the
position and orientation of each component.