My ComboSTAR build.

  *** Famous Flashing DSP LED springs to life! 9-1-2010 ***
Video here
It sings, FIRST QSO with Angelo W8ERN!

Updated 08-06-10 With Video of TftA 5" LCD screen.

Designed by Peter Rhodes G3XJP, the PICaSTAR HF transceiver has gained a reputation for true HF excellence with many features not found on any other transceiver regardless of price. Glenn Percy VK3PE had some PCB's commercially produced which have led to the construction of many further examples of Peters design. Glenn has recently had some "Combo" boards produced which combine all the individual 'XJP boards into one. The original PICaSTAR used 'XJP's PICnMIX DDS for control, as technology has progressed, the PICnMIX has been superseded by Ian Sumner G3VPX's TrxAVR graphical display system. I have built the TrxAVR which will use a touchscreen colour TFT display. I originally tested it with a 20 x 4 character display module, then a 128 x 64 graphics module (pictures below). The 5" Colour TFT display is now working and looks just too good to be a homebrew radio! Mid December I received my "Combo" board from Glenn, the pictures below show various stages in the construction. As of 16/3/10 it was still on an old piece of "Contiboard" but now has the 20W amplifier and LPF wired in too. Although there's still a lot of setting up to do (Cal_if and Cal_s etc.) but I'm having QSO's. I'm sure this project is still going to take me many hours to complete as I start to fit it all into a case, but nowhere near the immense time that Glenn, Peter, Ian, Chris Stake and all the real "STARS" have already put in! Many thanks all. More photo's to come!
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My TrxAVR under test. Atmega processors on TrxAVR My Combo board as of 15-01-10
DSP section of motherboard.

12v RX and 10v LEDs lit on first power up of the partly completed Combo board!

 "Magic Roundabout" fully configurable mixer and RF amplifier.
Band pass filter using toroid inductors for the 30m (10Mhz) section and the 10.7Mhz IF trap. Low pass filter to a design by Ray G4TZR, note missing aerial changeover relay now fitted. "Combo" and TrxAVR mocked up on a wooden board and operating as an excellent HF receiver.
01-04-10 Now fitted with a 128x64 pixel LCD graphics module as a temporary display until the TftAVR colour display is available. The 128x64 module gives more information than the previous 20x4 character display. This is just one of many different displays the TrxAVR supports. 20W PA and Low Pass Filter fitted to the rear of the wooden "chassis", now on the air!
This is my partly constructed Peak reading SWR bridge designed by Ian G3VPX. This will allow my ComboSTaR to show PEP power level, both forward and reflected along with the SWR on the TftA display. A short video showing the DSP display on the TftA LCD display of my ComboSTaR. I really must get round to getting it all boxed up. G6ALU 150W PA stage, a wideband amplifier using 2 x SD1487 bipolar transistors. This forms the output stages of the completed transceiver.