├── Amplifier Images ├── Amplifier and Compact.jpg ├── Compact Amplifier Direct Pi Mount.jpg ├── Dev board with 7 turns of 22AWG TCW.jpg ├── Setting a watch at close proximity.jpg ├── Pi Zero HAT, compact, sub compact SMT.jpg ├── Setting watch with 7 turns of 22AWG TCW.jpg └── Compact Amplifier Inside Pi Zero GPI Case With Ferrite Antenna.jpg ├── Antenna Amplifier ├── Fritzing │ └── Antenna Amplifier.fzz └── Gerber │ └── Antenna Amplifier Gerber.zip ├── Compact Antenna Amplifier ├── Fritzing │ └── Compact Antenna Amplifier.fzz └── Gerber │ └── Compact Antenna Amplifier Gerber.zip ├── Ultra Compact SMT Antenna Amplifier ├── Fritzing │ └── Ultra Compact SMT Amplifier.fzz └── Gerber │ └── Ultra Compact SMT Antenna Amplifier.zip ├── Parts Lists ├── Sub Compact Surface Mount Antenna Amplifier parts list.txt ├── Antenna Amplifer parts list.txt └── Compact Antenna Amplifer parts list.txt └── README.md /Amplifier Images/Amplifier and Compact.jpg: 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Zero GPIO case): 4 | 5 | Required: 6 | 2 x 100R 1206 surface mount 0.25W resistors (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264316275840 for all resistor values) 7 | 1 x 4.7K 1206 surface mount 0.25W resistor 8 | 1 x 200R 1206 surface mount 0.25W resistor 9 | 1 x 2N3904 SOT23 surface mount tansistor (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264354670177) 10 | Minimum of 12 pin or breakaway / cut back female header or 2 x 6 pin female header (these work for this purpose: https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B088PWBVFL) 11 | Some wire for general configuration. 12 | An antenna - could be wire or a tuned ferrite. See below. 13 | Some insulating tape for the underside so as to not short on the Pi's microSD card holder. 14 | 15 | Optional: 16 | 1 x 1nF surface mount capacitor (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264566930175) 17 | 1 x small 3 pin THT SPDT switch or a wire link (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274395236531) to select the VCC supply voltage, or header pins and jumper link 18 | 1 x Tuned ferrite antenna for your region (eg https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ or https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/) 19 | 20 | 21 | Notes: 22 | 1. The amplifier will not work until the VCC has been set (either 3V3 or 5V). 23 | This can be done with a wire link, header pins and a jumper link or a switch, 24 | depending on how often you are likely to change it. Please note that if you 25 | plan on installing this in a case you will most likely have to use a wire link 26 | due to the height of a switch or the header pins. 27 | 28 | 2. The shutdown button is entirely optional however if fitted this may prevent 29 | the board from fitting inside of a case due to the height. You can of course 30 | solder wires to the PCB and take it to a button of your choice and fix this 31 | outside of the case or not bother with it at all. I liked it, but hey. 32 | 33 | 3. The 1nF capacitor is not required when using a pre-tuned (ferrite) antenna 34 | or a simple coil of wire. If not used the capacitor must be replaced with a 35 | wire link or a zero ohm resistor (or even a solder blob). The purpose of this 36 | capacitor was to tune the ferrite that Andreas Spiess made (see his video) and 37 | will be included in a pre-tuned ferrite and is not required at all if just 38 | using several turns of wire in open air. 39 | 40 | 4. Ferrite antennas can be highly effective in low power applications such as 41 | this however they should be tuned to your requirement. If you wish to buy a 42 | pre-tuned ferrite I suggest those from Universal Solder. 43 | 44 | For MSF (UK), WWVB (United States) and JJY-60 (Japan) use the 60Khz antenna: 45 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ 46 | 47 | For DCF77 (Germany) use the 77.5Khz antenna: 48 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Parts Lists/Antenna Amplifer parts list.txt: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Parts list - Antenna Amplifiers 2 | 3 | Standard Antenna Amplifier board (full Pi Zero style footprint): 4 | 5 | Required: 6 | 2 x 100R 0.25W resistors (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263898843941 for all resistor values) 7 | 1 x 4.7K 0.25W resistor 8 | 1 x 200R 0.25W resistor 9 | 1 x 2N3904 T092 tansistor (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263708027071) or PN2222A 10 | 40 pin female header (eg: https://thepihut.com/products/gpio-header-for-raspberry-pi-a-b-pi-2-pi-3-pi-4-zero) 11 | Some wire for general configuration. 12 | An antenna - could be wire or a tuned ferrite. See below. 13 | 14 | Optional: 15 | 1 x 1nF ceramic disc capacitor (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263699742253) 16 | 1 x small 3 pin THT SPDT switch or a wire link (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274395236531) to select the VCC supply voltage, or header pins and jumper link 17 | 1 x 6x3x5mm push button (eg https://thepihut.com/products/tactile-switch-buttons-6mm-slim-x-20-pack) for the "Shutdown" feature 18 | 1 x Tuned ferrite antenna for your region (eg https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ or https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/) 19 | Cable ties and bases to secure your chosen antenna. 20 | 21 | 22 | Notes: 23 | 1. The amplifier will not work until the VCC has been set (either 3V3 or 5V). 24 | This can be done with a wire link, header pins and a jumper link or a switch, 25 | depending on how often you are likely to change it. Please note that if you 26 | plan on installing this in a case you will most likely have to use a wire link 27 | due to the height of a switch or the header pins. 28 | 29 | 2. The shutdown button is entirely optional however if fitted this may prevent 30 | the board from fitting inside of a case due to the height. You can of course 31 | solder wires to the PCB and take it to a button of your choice and fix this 32 | outside of the case or not bother with it at all. I liked it, but hey. 33 | 34 | 3. The 1nF capacitor is not required when using a pre-tuned (ferrite) antenna 35 | or a simple coil of wire. If not used the capacitor must be replaced with a 36 | wire link. The purpose of this capacitor was to tune the ferrite that Andreas 37 | Spiess made (see his video) and will be included in a pre-tuned ferrite and is 38 | not required at all if just using several turns of wire in open air. 39 | 40 | 4. Ferrite antennas can be highly effective in low power applications such as 41 | this however they should be tuned to your requirement. If you wish to buy a 42 | pre-tuned ferrite I suggest those from Universal Solder. 43 | 44 | For MSF (UK), WWVB (United States) and JJY-60 (Japan) use the 60Khz antenna: 45 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ 46 | 47 | For DCF77 (Germany) use the 77.5Khz antenna: 48 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/ 49 | 50 | 5. If fitting into a case the capacitor (if fitted) and transistor should have 51 | their leads bent flat to the PCB in order to reduce their height. 52 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Parts Lists/Compact Antenna Amplifer parts list.txt: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Parts list - Antenna Amplifier. 2 | 3 | Compact Antenna Amplifier (can fit inside the official Pi Zero GPIO case): 4 | 5 | Required: 6 | 2 x 100R 0.25W resistors (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263898843941 for all resistor values) 7 | 1 x 4.7K 0.25W resistor 8 | 1 x 200R 0.25W resistor 9 | 1 x 2N3904 T092 tansistor (eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263708027071) or PN2222A 10 | Minimum of 12 pin or breakaway / cut back female header or 2 x 6 pin female header (these work for this purpose: https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B088PWBVFL) 11 | Some wire for general configuration. 12 | An antenna - could be wire or a tuned ferrite. See below. 13 | Some insulating tape for the underside so as to not short on the Pi's microSD card holder. 14 | 15 | Optional: 16 | 1 x 1nF ceramic disc capacitor (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263699742253) 17 | 1 x small 3 pin THT SPDT switch or a wire link (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274395236531) to select the VCC supply voltage, or header pins and jumper link 18 | 1 x 6x3x5mm push button (eg https://thepihut.com/products/tactile-switch-buttons-6mm-slim-x-20-pack) for the "Shutdown" feature. 19 | 1 x Tuned ferrite antenna for your region (eg https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ or https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/) 20 | Cable ties and bases to secure your chosen antenna. 21 | 22 | 23 | Notes: 24 | 1. The amplifier will not work until the VCC has been set (either 3V3 or 5V). 25 | This can be done with a wire link, header pins and a jumper link or a switch, 26 | depending on how often you are likely to change it. Please note that if you 27 | plan on installing this in a case you will most likely have to use a wire link 28 | due to the height of a switch or the header pins. 29 | 30 | 2. The shutdown button is entirely optional however if fitted this may prevent 31 | the board from fitting inside of a case due to the height. You can of course 32 | solder wires to the PCB and take it to a button of your choice and fix this 33 | outside of the case or not bother with it at all. I liked it, but hey. 34 | 35 | 3. The 1nF capacitor is not required when using a pre-tuned (ferrite) antenna 36 | or a simple coil of wire. If not used the capacitor must be replaced with a 37 | wire link. The purpose of this capacitor was to tune the ferrite that Andreas 38 | Spiess made (see his video) and will be included in a pre-tuned ferrite and is 39 | not required at all if just using several turns of wire in open air. 40 | 41 | 4. Ferrite antennas can be highly effective in low power applications such as 42 | this however they should be tuned to your requirement. If you wish to buy a 43 | pre-tuned ferrite I suggest those from Universal Solder. 44 | 45 | For MSF (UK), WWVB (United States) and JJY-60 (Japan) use the 60Khz antenna: 46 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/60khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-atomic-clock-receiver/ 47 | 48 | For DCF77 (Germany) use the 77.5Khz antenna: 49 | https://www.universal-solder.ca/product/77-5khz-fine-tuned-loop-stick-antenna-for-dcf77-receiver/ 50 | 51 | 5. If fitting into a case the capacitor (if fitted) and transistor should have 52 | their leads bent flat to the PCB in order to reduce their height. 53 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Antenna-Amplifiers 2 | A choice of simple antenna amplifier circuits for use with Henner Zeller's "txtempus" DCF77, WWVB, JJY and MSF clock LF-band signal transmitter. 3 | 4 | Henner Zeller's tool to set radio controlled timepieces using NTP and a Raspberry Pi can be found here: 5 | https://github.com/hzeller/txtempus 6 | 7 | The amplifier circuit itself is from the work of Andreas Spiess, in particular his YouTube video here: 8 | https://youtu.be/6SHGAEhnsYk 9 | 10 | All boards include a way of selecting the VCC to the amplifier (3.3v / 5v), however please be sure to watch the video first as increasing the voltage to the amplifier can cause interference to other nearby receivers. With the exception of the "sub compact" surface mount board each amplifier also includes an optional shutdown button to safely power down the Pi. 11 | 12 | **Example PCBs:** 13 | 14 | ![PCB examples](https://github.com/GOTO-GOSUB/Antenna-Amplifiers/blob/a565473eafd16990c48fda6feb0ad8221f1f548c/Amplifier%20Images/Amplifier%20and%20Compact.jpg) 15 | 16 | ![PCB examples](https://github.com/GOTO-GOSUB/Antenna-Amplifiers/blob/bc6ef2cd6c2dc795e1626ea5f89cc4b4c28771ef/Amplifier%20Images/Pi%20Zero%20HAT,%20compact,%20sub%20compact%20SMT.jpg) 17 | 18 | **The "Compact" version directly mounted to a Pi Zero (with added headers) with a tuned 60Khz ferrite** 19 | 20 | ![Compact amplifier PCB in use](https://github.com/GOTO-GOSUB/Antenna-Amplifiers/blob/2c20f4bca110fa08fe32f662a68d8b8b71eef103/Amplifier%20Images/Compact%20Amplifier%20Direct%20Pi%20Mount.jpg) 21 | 22 | # FAQ 23 | **So what are these for ?** 24 | 25 | These are simple circuits to boost the output of the transmitter part of Henner Zeller's solution to radio controlled timepieces not receiving their time signal. Txtempus gets the time from NTP and using a Raspberry Pi modulates that in a format that your radio controlled watch / clock can use to set itself accurately. The range of the original circuit described by Henner has a range of approx a few centimetres. Adding a tuned ferrite and / or an amplifier circuit extends the range. For example, this could be the difference between being able to set a watch a couple of inches away from the Pi and setting a wall clock a couple of feet away. The circuit was designed by Andreas Spiess. 26 | 27 | ![Setting a watch](https://github.com/GOTO-GOSUB/Antenna-Amplifiers/blob/a877eaa5c8f308b4535af3daff0da98b6ea18988/Amplifier%20Images/Setting%20a%20watch%20at%20close%20proximity.jpg) 28 | 29 | **Great, but what's with the voltage selector ? Why not just hard-wire it to 5v (or more) ?** 30 | 31 | Because it is easy to overload the gain control on a receiver so you may find that using these circuits actually make the performance of nearby timepieces worse. For example, I can set a problematic wall clock from 3ft using this and a ferrite for an antenna but my radio controlled desk clock 6ft away cannot sync when this is running. Oh yes, there is also the possibility that blasting out RF might be illegal in some parts of the world so make sure you know what you are doing. But let's be honest here - the signal is still very weak, even with the amplifier. Plus if you go bonkers with the gain you will quickly discover that ferrites make awful transmitting antennas as they saturate at low levels and become ineffective very quickly. 32 | 33 | Just 7 turns of 22AWG tinned copper wire works wonders: 34 | 35 | ![Setting a watch with 7 turns of 22AWG TCW for a simple antenna](https://github.com/GOTO-GOSUB/Antenna-Amplifiers/blob/f041ddb4def2a57d2a17181c06081b72f2764d4b/Amplifier%20Images/Setting%20watch%20with%207%20turns%20of%2022AWG%20TCW.jpg) 36 | 37 | **So how can I get these boards ? Do you sell them ?** 38 | 39 | I have included Fritzing source files and Gerbers so you should be able to get these boards made locally. I am in the UK and have used OSH Park (United States) and Aisler (Germany) before with great success at a good price if you're not in a rush. Both of those companies ship internationally. I don't sell the boards (either bare or assembled) but if you email me I might have a spare that you can have. I can probably send a couple of boards to the EU without breaking the bank. Please be sure to let me know what your prefered board type is and an alternative in case your first choice is not available and I'll see what I can do. If I send you a board please consider making a donation to MIND or Macmillan Cancer Care (see below) in lieu of any payment. 40 | 41 | **What parts do I need ? Where can I get them ?** 42 | 43 | Please see the parts list attached for your choice of board. I have included links to suppliers of suitable parts so you can either buy them from there or confirm the specification if you would rather buy elsewhere. Please note that some parts are optional such as the shutdown button and you may wish to use wire links instead of switches to keep the overall height down if putting it into a case. If you are considering buying a pre-made tuned ferrite, please be sure to buy one that is correct for your region and to replace the capacitor with a wire link instead as this is not required. The capacitor is also not required (replace it with a wire link) if you are just going to use a coil of wire for your antenna. This is all in the parts lists, so don't worry. 44 | 45 | **What is the watch shown in the photographs ?** 46 | 47 | That is a Casio MTG-9000U G-Shock Solar Waveceptor. I bought it new what must be close to 20 years ago now and it's still going strong, although the rechargeable battery was showing signs of wear about a decade ago so I replaced that. Casio still make radio controlled watches that start at approx £35 for the WV-58U-1AVES. 48 | 49 | **Why use Fritzing ? Your PCB sucks !** 50 | 51 | I haven't done any circuit designs in about 40 years prior to this. In fact the last board I made was drawn out with a marker pen, exposed to UV then etched in acid and hand drilled as part of a school project. I found Fritzing easy to get in to and it's free. My designs are also available for free and are worth every penny. They will probably improve in time. Or they may not. Where-ever possible I like to use off the shelf parts and when I use surface mount components I don't use the ridiculously small ones because I can't see them without magnification any more, I am that old. I also assume that most people who look at my work here are going to be hobbyists and don't have access to professional equipment. It is my intention that these designs "just work" and do not exclude anyone from having a go. 52 | 53 | **How do I use the shutdown button ?** 54 | 55 | Just add the line 56 | 57 | > dtoverlay=gpio-shutdown 58 | 59 | to 60 | 61 | > /boot/config.txt 62 | 63 | Then when you press the button the Pi will perform a safe shutdown then sleep. You can press the button again to restart the Pi or safely remove the power. 64 | 65 | **This has been really helpful ! Please take my money !** 66 | 67 | That is very kind of you, but please pay it forward. If anything here has made your day a little bit better please consider making a small donation to MIND or Macmillan Cancer Support. 68 | 69 | https://www.mind.org.uk/donate/ 70 | 71 | https://www.macmillan.org.uk/donate 72 | 73 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------