5802 Miller Valley Drive
Houston, TX 77066
ph: 281 467-9424
fax: 214 242-5080

HF SuperPacker Pro

 The HF Super Packer Pro 100W Amplifier is a home construction project.

The pilot run of 40 amps has been completed. The firmware has been revised a number of times and is still in Beta release. We are seeking interested builders fot the 2nd revision of this project. We need 100 builders to keep the costs acceptable.

  • HF SuperPacker Pro 100W Amp

    Description 

    Welcome all builders to the homebrew HF SuperPacker Pro 100W Amplifier Project. This project parts and your efforts will eventually provide you with a compact 2.5 watt input to 100 watt output linear amplifier for use with QRP SSB/CW transmitters on the amateur bands 160 through 10 meters and which can be powered from a 12 volt DC supply. The design is a good balance between output power, physical size and battery power consumption. The completed amplifier will reward the builder with a clean, more powerful output signal for a QRP rig when radio conditions become marginal.

    Block Diagram

     

    Circuit Details

    The amplifier module is a push-pull design, biased for Class AB linear operation and uses MRF454 type transistors in its output stage. The design is based on a Communications Concept 140W Amplifier design. The Motorola Power Amplifier is described in great detail in a Motorola Application Note from 1993 called Linear Amplifiers for Mobile Operation, listed as AN762. The MRF454 devices deliver the 140 W. Chip capacitors are used for good repeatability making the design suitable for reproduction by other builders. The MRF454 is specified for a power output of 80 W CW. The maximum dissipation is 250 Watts, and the maximum continuous collector current is 20A.

     

    Instrumentation

    The HF SuperPacker Pro uses a fan-cooled heat sink to dissipate excess heat away from the transistors. A temperature sensor on the heat sink (U5) and a current sensor on the +12 volts going to the transistors report these critical parameters back to the PIC microcontroller analog inputs.The MPU-100 module U2 chip, receives all of the status information, controls all of the operations, and interacts with the user. Two digital signals come from the Carrier Sensor. One of these simply indicates when RF enters the amplifier and is used by the PIC to trigger the T/R relays. The external PTT input acts in parallel with this digital signal and thus has the same effect on the PIC. The other digital signal is a square wave at exactly one-fourth the frequency of the RF input. This signal is used by the PIC to calculate the frequency and select the proper low pass filter.

     

    In addition to digital input signals, the PIC Microcontroller module receives six different analog signals that monitor important parameters of amplifier operation.

Dimensions (inch)

Overall: 5.5 Deep x 7.0 Width x 2.8 High

Weight (lbs)

3

DC Power

13.8 VDC 20A max. Reverse-Polarity Protection; Power Pole

Filters

Auto selection: 160-10 meters; Sized for 100W operation

Control

Shaft Encoder, 1x16 LCD back-lit display

Input Drive

Menu choice of 2.5 or 5W; Overdrive protection

Monitoring

In power, out power, SWR, Temperature, Voltage, Frequency

Adjustments

VOX; PTT

Indicators

LED: Power, TX, Overdrive

Duty Cycle

Continuous; Computer Controlled, Internal fan

Spurious Products

-40 dB or better @ 100 watts

RF Control

RF Sensing or PTT T-R Relay

Modes

SSB, CW, PSK

Power Transistors

MRF454

Circuitry

Class AB, Push Pull

Construction

Vented Aluminum enclosure, Painted Panels, Silkscreens, all circuit boards and parts

 

 

The HF SuperPacker Pro 100W Amplifier Home Construction Project is not currently in stock.  We have at lleast 100 committed builders ready for the next build to start. 

Sign Me Up
 

All circuit boards and parts are provided. All surface mount parts are pre-mounted. The copper heat sink/fan assembly is pre-drilled and tapped. You will have to put together the amplifier module assembly, the control module assembly, the case assembly and the filter module assembly. 

The amplifier's conservative design uses the MRF454 matched pair transistors. If you have thoughts of using it with a Software Defined Radio, you might want to consider including the PA-100 preamp with your order.

The control code will be provided to you in a pre-programmed chip. Your MPU chip can be reprogrammed to update your software to the latest version. This Build will have Rev 2 software in the MPU chip.

 

Happy Building!

Virgil - K5OOR

 

5802 Miller Valley Drive
Houston, TX 77066
ph: 281 467-9424
fax: 214 242-5080