Mode Zero

At last I have 3 'plus' 250kbps rf-nanos , return postage refunded, and 3x 1mbps versions to play with. I can't really fault Keywish, they did sort it out in the end. Hopefully our efforts have saved others some time.

Tobe wrote: 13 Sep 2020, 06:10 PM for how many you need as i might be able to help you there

Thanks but I guess I will work it out one day, no rush at the moment.
For an update, still cannot get what I want.
It seems for some strange reason that there are something like 9500 plus of these things in stock BUT they will only sell me one.
Never used this Aliexpress before so maybe that is the reason, this seems crazy though.
In reference to the image enclosed where I signed in and selected the required model, the numbers area is greyed out and I cannot change the number I need anywhere, even after going to the checkout.

(1 piece at most per customer) ...????????..strange way to operate a business...

Thought it could be to do with this low price special but I cannot get past that either.
I find ones for $3 to $5 odd but they keep flicking back to this "special price" one at one off only.

Just thought I'd include the details here for others that may have the same problem but sadly no answers.

It looks to me that first you have to take advantage of the new customer deal after which you should be free to order as leisure! Just for the sake i opened a new account under my son's name and his postal address and encountered your issue.

Ok...thanks Tobe.

Like I said, strange way to do business ....

....I'm more than happy to ship you a few if you tell me how many you need and PM a post address to send you a few

I've been testing a 'screened' version of the NRF24L01+PA+LNA and it appears to be a significant improvement over the previous 'open' versions. After finding a few NRF+PA+LNAs intermittently misbehaved at full power, I did some interweb digging and apparently its not uncommon - I found several reports where on full-power it seems to 'swamp itself' with stray RF and hand-shielding improves the throughput... I've found that either kitchen foil or groundplane wires improve it, but the troublesome ones seem to 'misbehave differently' so its hard to pin it down to one 'cure-all' solution. I should emphasise this is only on a few random NRF+PA+LNA chips, not all by any means.

These shielded ones appear to be perfect, they do 250kbps, they're unaffected by the presence of hands, metal cases, close rx proximity, etc - AND - they have an FCC approval stamp!
They also claim to use genuine Nordic chips Theres no easy way to tell if this is actually the case.



I've tried them at 1mbps and 250kbps with no problems whatsoever. They are connected exactly the same as the previous 'open' PCBs so the standard 'power adapter' thingy fits perfectly, just plugs in. They do look as though they're made to a higher standard - and all the SMA connectors are perfectly square - some of my early NRFs look quite roughly made and have SMAs that are not quite true.

They were a bit more expensive at £2.50 but thats still cheap in my book when Frsky want £45 for a hack-module. Heres the Aliexpress link I used, I think I'll order some more.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000132850562.html






Here's an easier way to mount the 3v3 regulator onto the back of the canned NRF board. After carefully removing the plastic spacer, most of the NRF pins desolder easily but because the groundplane acts as a heatsink, the GND (neg) pin is much harder to remove. This method sidesteps around that problem by leaving the 3v3 & GND pins in place. Do remember to wire the MISO, MOSI, CSN, SCK & CE wires first though as the regulator will obscure them - and make sure the regulator is mounted chip-side up like the photo, and spaced enough to clear the signal pins!

Thanks for the heads up Phil. This is a great way to reinvigorate(?) many of my (still in boxes) older sets cheaply and reliably. The same seller also has a "5 pack" with a reduced unit rate & postage:

5pcs nrf24l01 E01-ML01DP5 Ebyte Long Range 2100m SPI NRF24L01+PA+LNA 2.4GHz RF Wireless Transceiver Module Antenna with Shield
https://a.aliexpress.com/_msqzLYn

I've just ordered a pack of 5.

Thanks guys, I will order some.

If you remove all the pins, then refit two on the screened side, Franks regulator idea still works:



You could leave the two power pins in place and mount the regulator on the rear:
Either way, do the wiring first, then mount the regulator as it obscures the holes!


Either way this makes the complete unit much smaller than the "original+power adapter" version:


Heres the finished, heatshrunk module ready to install:



Wiring is as per the 'old' DIY-More Strong diagram:



I've made up three screened transmitters now, all behave perfectly - whilst transmitting you can shroud them, handle them by holding or cupping the aerial, holding the SMA base, you can put them in a plastic or a metal enclosure with the SMA grounded or not - nothing phases them at all, the receiver traffic indicator LED shows 200 packets per second regardless. I've not fitted any extra capacitors, they dont seem to need it. This may well be another Eureka moment


Here's an easier way to mount the 3v3 regulator onto the back of the canned NRF board. After carefully removing the plastic spacer, most of the NRF pins desolder easily but because the groundplane acts as a heatsink, the GND (neg) pin is much harder to remove. This method sidesteps around that problem by leaving the 3v3 & GND pins in place. Do remember to wire the MISO, MOSI, CSN, SCK & CE wires first though as the regulator will obscure them - and make sure the regulator is mounted chip-side up like the photo, and spaced enough to clear the signal pins!

If you want to see the FCC report details:

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ ... =2ALPH-E01

So Phil, your transmitter modules appear to be legal in the USA while the OrangeRx DIY modules aren't! I've emailed Ebyte asking what EN are covered by the CE mark and if it has been independently tested and quickly received an email (not computer-generated) saying it was being passed on to their technical department. It also said they have an official Aliexpress store, but I notice an antenna is not included. Some resellers may sell cheaper, but you're guaranteed to get original parts from the official store:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000516 ... hweb201603_

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000185 ... hweb201603_

Cheers Mike