The Pizzicato Pulse Generator was designed by Gary Steinbaugh, PE, AF8L. His design appeared in the March/April issue of QEX. It is essentially a very low duty-cycle pulse generator that, according to Steinbaugh, “electrically “plucks†a transmission line.” And, if you observe “the line’s reaction on an oscilloscope, you can check the line’s length, terminations, and possible defects.”
Bruce, KD8APB and I adapted this design, and in the process, making it easier to build. The Elecraft mini-modules served as the inspiration for this version of the design. KD8APB did most of the design work on this version, selecting the tools and doing the board layout.
We originally designed the kit to be built at our club’s annual Construction Night. The thought occurred to us, though, that we should perhaps buy enough parts for 100 kits and sell them the way that the QRP clubs sell kits for their projects. If you want one, we have them. :) They’re $15 USD, plus $2 s/h in the U.S., $5 s/h outside the U.S. This kit should not take much more than an hour to build for the experienced builder, somewhat longer if you are inexperienced.
If you want more information about the Pizzicato, you can download the original article (if you are an ARRL member). You can also download a zip file containing our documentation. The files in this archive include:
* README.TXT – this file
* Pizzicato Assembly Instructions.doc
* Pizzicato BOM.txt – the bill of materials
* Pizzicato Schematic.bmp – a bitmap of the schematic
* pizzicato.pcb
* pizzicato.sch
The .pcb and .sch files are the CAD files for the printed circuit board and schematic respectively. To view and use these files, you will need the free CAD software from ExpressPCB, the company we used to make the boards for us. You can find this software on the ExpressPCB website.
To order yours, send your check or money order to:
Dan Romanchik KB6NU
1325 Orkney Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48103 USA
Paul Wilton M1CNK says
You say that you are prepared to send them outside the US. Are you prepared to ship to the United Kingdom? What is the best way to pay – do you accept PayPal? Also, would it be possible to have a copy of the QEX article? Not being a member of the ARRL (but of the RSGB) I don’t have easy access to QEX.
73
Paul
M1CNK
Dan KB6NU says
Hi, Paul–
You know it never occurred to me to accept PayPal. I do have a PayPal account, though, and that would be a perfectly acceptable way to pay. The e-mail address I use for PayPal is [email protected]. I’d be happy to ship one to the U.K.
Roger Steyaert says
Are kits still available? If so please reserve on for me and let me know by email at [email protected].
Thank you
Roger K7RXV
Dan KB6NU says
Yep. We still have a bunch of them. You can send me a check or pay via PayPal as noted above…….73, Dan
Walt KE8bq says
If you still have kits available I will order and pat thru Paypal.
Walt, ke8bq
[email protected]
Dan KB6NU says
Kits are still available!
We’ll get one right out to you as soon as we get your PayPal payment.
73, Dan KB6NU