MD9600 Remote Head.
MD9600 Remote Head.
I have created a GitHub Repository with details of my Remote Head modification for the MD9600/RT90.
https://github.com/g4eml/OpenMD9600_Remote_Head
This mod will not work with the original TYT firmware. It will only work with a modified version of the OpenMD9600 firmware. If there is any demand for this it may be included in the standard OpenMD9600 firmware build in the future.
The mod allows the control head to be removed and mounted remotely to the radio body. A Raspberry Pi Pico is used at the head end to control the display and keyboard. Connection between the two is using a Cat 7 RJ45 cable. This has been tested working with a 5 meter cable. Cat 7 cable is needed for the extra screening it contains. Even with this extra screening there is some audio noise pickup on the cable which can be heard in the speaker at very low volume. This won't be a problem in a mobile environment.
GPS equipped radios are also supported.
The design also allows the microphone to be connected directly to the radio body instead of to the head. This is often a more convenient arrangement in a vehicle. The microphone can still be connected to the head but there may be noise pickup issues depending on the cable used.
Full details for this mod are included in the Github files.
The mod requires some fine soldering for the ribbon cable connectors but otherwise is fairly simple.
The blank PCBs can be ordered from any of the Chinese PCB companies, the necessary Gerber files are included. As these often have a minimum order of 10 boards it might be worth you organising a group buy in your country.
Colin G4EML
https://github.com/g4eml/OpenMD9600_Remote_Head
This mod will not work with the original TYT firmware. It will only work with a modified version of the OpenMD9600 firmware. If there is any demand for this it may be included in the standard OpenMD9600 firmware build in the future.
The mod allows the control head to be removed and mounted remotely to the radio body. A Raspberry Pi Pico is used at the head end to control the display and keyboard. Connection between the two is using a Cat 7 RJ45 cable. This has been tested working with a 5 meter cable. Cat 7 cable is needed for the extra screening it contains. Even with this extra screening there is some audio noise pickup on the cable which can be heard in the speaker at very low volume. This won't be a problem in a mobile environment.
GPS equipped radios are also supported.
The design also allows the microphone to be connected directly to the radio body instead of to the head. This is often a more convenient arrangement in a vehicle. The microphone can still be connected to the head but there may be noise pickup issues depending on the cable used.
Full details for this mod are included in the Github files.
The mod requires some fine soldering for the ribbon cable connectors but otherwise is fairly simple.
The blank PCBs can be ordered from any of the Chinese PCB companies, the necessary Gerber files are included. As these often have a minimum order of 10 boards it might be worth you organising a group buy in your country.
Colin G4EML
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Really nice Colin !
Cheers.
---
Daniel
Cheers.
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Daniel
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Looks great
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
This looks great, Colin. Nice work.
-Rick, W1RHS
-Rick, W1RHS
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Wow, impressive!
Two details were left to guess. Do the microphone and speaker work on the remote panel?
Actually, I miss the possibility to use monophone with MD-9600.
Tomi oh4ms
Two details were left to guess. Do the microphone and speaker work on the remote panel?
Actually, I miss the possibility to use monophone with MD-9600.
Tomi oh4ms
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
There is no speaker in the front panel, so the speaker remains in the radio body.
The microphone can be used connected to the the front panel or to the radio body. The jumper on the radio end PCB selects mic audio from the front panel. However if connected to the front panel it will be noisy due to pickup and crosstalk on the long cable. I would recommend it is connected to the radio body using a separate extension cable as necessary.
Likewise, dimming the panel lights will cause noise pickup so you will probably want to leave it set to 100%. Unfortunately due to TYTs design of the front panel everything shares the same power and ground connections, so crosstalk is almost impossible to cure.
Colin.
The microphone can be used connected to the the front panel or to the radio body. The jumper on the radio end PCB selects mic audio from the front panel. However if connected to the front panel it will be noisy due to pickup and crosstalk on the long cable. I would recommend it is connected to the radio body using a separate extension cable as necessary.
Likewise, dimming the panel lights will cause noise pickup so you will probably want to leave it set to 100%. Unfortunately due to TYTs design of the front panel everything shares the same power and ground connections, so crosstalk is almost impossible to cure.
Colin.
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Left over from my development I have available 6 sets of fully assembled, programmed and tested boards for the remote head modification.
Price is £20 (UK Pounds) + postage.
Do not reply on the forum, instead please email me at g4eml@gb3gf.co.uk with your full address. I can then let you know the total cost and PayPal payment details.
You will need to provide a Cat 7 ethernet cable and the 3D printed covers, these are not included.
These boards are slightly different to the published design in that they do not include the power switching chip for the microphone power. This simply means that the microphone backlight will remain on when the radio is turned off but still connected to 12V. This is not a big issue as it only increases the standby power by a few milliamps. It is always recommended that the MD9600 is connected to a switched 12V supply as it always consumes a small amount of power when in standby.
I will not be making any more boards, so please do not ask. I am only selling off the spare boards I have from the development.
Colin G4EML
Price is £20 (UK Pounds) + postage.
Do not reply on the forum, instead please email me at g4eml@gb3gf.co.uk with your full address. I can then let you know the total cost and PayPal payment details.
You will need to provide a Cat 7 ethernet cable and the 3D printed covers, these are not included.
These boards are slightly different to the published design in that they do not include the power switching chip for the microphone power. This simply means that the microphone backlight will remain on when the radio is turned off but still connected to 12V. This is not a big issue as it only increases the standby power by a few milliamps. It is always recommended that the MD9600 is connected to a switched 12V supply as it always consumes a small amount of power when in standby.
I will not be making any more boards, so please do not ask. I am only selling off the spare boards I have from the development.
Colin G4EML
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Hi Colin
This is awesome, did the code get included in the main firmware yet? I'm looking at buying a V4 radio to do this mod to.
Cheers
Colin
ZL2FL
This is awesome, did the code get included in the main firmware yet? I'm looking at buying a V4 radio to do this mod to.
Cheers
Colin
ZL2FL
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
Not yet.
It is on Roger's to do list but naturally is taking a lower priority than some of the other changes.
I am maintaing my own copy of the modified firmware with all the other recent changes included so if you need a copy please let me know.
Colin G4EML
It is on Roger's to do list but naturally is taking a lower priority than some of the other changes.
I am maintaing my own copy of the modified firmware with all the other recent changes included so if you need a copy please let me know.
Colin G4EML
Re: MD9600 Remote Head.
I hope to integrate changes very soon, but I've currently got some other bugs to fix first