DIY Goodies

Orange PI zero Echolink node

I made a Micro EchoLink node based on Orange Pi and a transceiver DRA818U. Details below.

I want to introduce you a project of the French radio amateur F5NLG. This is the Echolink / FRN system node based on Orange Pi Zero and the DRA818 or SA818 transceiver. Project site www.spotnik.org

Schematics of node

I made it on prototype board.

I downloaded an image from ftp://rrf.f5nlg.ovh/spotnik-orangepi0.img.7z and writed it  microSD card.

Сonnecting a USB-UART to Orange Pi in the Putty program, I selected the port number and the 115200 baud rate.

Log in with the login “root” and the password “spotnik”. You can immediately change the password with the “passwd” command.

With the “spotnik” command launching the main system menu.

We choosing the menu for Wifi and Ethernet settings. And connecting to the router.

Exit the “spotnik” menu by pressing Esc.

The “ifconfig” command show as the IP assigned by the router.

“wlan0” for example 192.168.1.19 IP that gave the router.

In the browser of your computer or smartphone that connected to the same router, enter the address

“https://192.168.1.19” press Enter.

This is the main page where you can select the network  FRN, FON, Echolink in which node will be connected

Next page DTMF keypad for node controll. With it you can set the mode of operation or dial the number of the node, the repeater with which you want to connect.

The next page is the site status page. Temperature, IP and so on.

Next is a page with configuration.

It is necessary to enter callsign and password echolink, geolocation coordinates, etc.

Last site administration page

Here you can restart or shutdown the module.

For the proper functioning of the echolink node behind the wifi router, it is necessary to perform the forwarding of ports 5200 TCP and 5196-5199 UDP to the IP address of the host.

To able operate in the parrot mode in the svxlink.echo file in the string

MODULES=ModuleHelp,ModuleMetarInfo,ModuleEchoLink,ModulePropagationMonitor

you should add

MODULES=ModuleHelp,ModuleParrot,ModuleEchoLink

In order to have the ability to connect to the conferences in the context of the ModuleEchoLink.conf string

REJECT_CONF=1

change it to

REJECT_CONF=0

As the power supply you need USB charger with 2A current.

Let’s calculate the total cost of device:

Orange Pi Zero 13,75$

Case 3,99$

microSD 8GB 10class 4,50$

Cooler 3,45$

DRA818U 9,58$

PCB board 0.99$ on condition  of 10psc.  order 9,90$

Connectors PBS-40 1,68$

SMD details 1$

Antenna 433мГц 2$

Antenna Wifi 1,60$

Power supply 3,92$

______________

Total: 46,46$

I made a two layer PCB

Progect files in Eagle CAD and Gerber files

Orange Pi Echo

Assembled in case

Case progect files

Zero Case

And in the end video of work