Yaesu FT-8x7 DIY Bluetooth-CAT Micro-Miniature Interface
Yaesu FT-8x7 DIY Bluetooth-CAT Micro-Miniature Interface
The components
First let’s see where we can find the main components at the cheapest price.
1. High Quality Wireless Bluetooth Transceiver Module RS232 TTL (£4.68) at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-High-Quality-Wireless-Bluetooth-Transceiver-Module-RS232-TTL-Antenna-
/110769655360?_trksid=p5197.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26itu%3DI%252BUA%26otn%3D12%26pm
1
od%3D200651092652%252B270844619774%252B170753376515%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5402
339510617190632#ht_4087wt_1163 .
2. 3mm Ultra Bright Blue 8000 mcd LED Bulb Light (£0.1):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150716721925?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_21
86wt_1163
- R1 - 470ohm 1/8W
- C1, C2 – 1uF (ceramic)
- mini DIN (8 pin) connector (male)
The schematic
The pin-out for the 8-pin connector can be found in the FT817(ND) user manual. A small extract below:
2
The Bluetooth module has the following dimensions:
How to build
Unfortunately (again) I forgot to take pictures during the build so I will try to explain by words all the steps.
1. Prepare a small piece of thin PCB (single side) with the width of the Bluetooth module and longer with
aprox.5mm;
2. Cut with an abrasive disc the 8-pin male connector as in the pictures;
3. Design the PCB according with the schematic (a very simple one) and consider the PCB to enter with one end
between the pins of the connector in order to solder TX, RX and GND pins directly to the PCB without needing
wires;
4. Solder the small electronic components only on the metallic side of the PCB;
3
5. Using a drop of glue fix the Bluetooth module on the isolated side of the PCB and then using very small pieces of
thin wire solder only the relevant pins of the module to the PCB;
6. Use another very small piece of wire to connect pin +13.8V to the PCB.
Now you are ready to test the module. After you confirm that everything is ok, you can put some POXIPOL between the
connector pins soldered to the PCB in order to increase the reliability. At the end you can cover everything using a piece
of thermo shrinking tube.
To program the interface you need an USB/Serial (TTL) interface like the following:
USB 2.0 to UART TTL 6PIN Connector Module Serial Converter CP2102 (~£ 2) at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-UART-TTL-6PIN-Connector-Module-Serial-Converter-CP2102-New-
/110760144325?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19c9d1adc5#ht_3467wt_1163
Build a small cable like in the following picture in order to connect RX,TX,GND and +5V from the USB/Serial module to
the RX,TX,GND and +13.8V from the Bluetooth-CAT interface.
4
You need a piece of software to send commands to the Bluetooth interface, for example SPCA – Serial Port
Communication Analyzer available on my web site:
http://www.yo3ggx.ro/spca/spca.html
Good Luck!