uBitxV6.100 Exciter — THT Version 1.0

Experimental Hardware | QSO Project

Project Overview

The uBitxV6.100 Exciter is an experimental hardware development project inspired by the original uBitxV6 transceiver architecture. It is part of the QSO Project initiative, dedicated to open hardware, amateur radio experimentation, technical education, and collaborative engineering.

This project focuses on developing a modular exciter board using through-hole components (THT), making hardware assembly, experimentation, troubleshooting, and learning accessible to a wider community of amateur radio operators and electronics enthusiasts.

What Are We Building?

The objective is to develop an independent exciter module that can serve as the foundation for a modular QRP transceiver architecture.

The exciter is being developed separately from the Power Amplifier (PA) and Low-Pass Filter (LPF), allowing each subsystem to be designed, evaluated, tested, and improved independently.

This modular approach provides flexibility for future experimentation, upgrades, and alternative implementations.

Why Through-Hole Technology?

The THT version is intentionally designed for hands-on construction and learning.

Through-hole components offer several advantages for educational and experimental applications:

Easier component identification and assembly.

Accessible soldering for beginners and experienced builders.

Simplified troubleshooting and component replacement.

Practical opportunities to understand circuit operation.

Greater accessibility for home construction and experimentation.

The PCB layout also emphasizes component organization, signal routing, and practical assembly considerations.

Current Development Status

This is an experimental hardware design, not a finalized or fully validated product.

The current THT Version 1.0 PCB layout is undergoing engineering review, including:

PCB space utilization and component placement.

Critical signal path inspection.

Schematic-to-PCB consistency verification.

Interface considerations with future PA and LPF modules.

Preparation for initial assembly and functional testing.

The first boards are intended primarily for experimentation, development, and community testing.

Community Development & Testing

The QSO Project encourages collaborative hardware development rather than simply distributing finished designs.

We invite amateur radio operators, electronics enthusiasts, and builders to participate in:

Hardware assembly and experimentation.

Functional testing and performance evaluation.

Identification of design issues and potential improvements.

Technical discussion and knowledge sharing.

Documentation of results and modifications.

Future hardware revisions.

The development and collaboration community is:

QSO Project Projects

https://www.facebook.com/groups/qsoqrpprojects

Experimental Hardware — Purple PCB

The initial test boards are purple to clearly distinguish experimental hardware from future stable releases.

This visual identification helps builders recognize the development stage of the design and understand that engineering review, testing, and improvements are still ongoing.

The objective is to progressively improve the hardware through practical experience and community feedback before establishing a more mature release.

Open Hardware Philosophy

QSO Project promotes accessible hardware development, technical education, experimentation, and community collaboration.

The project is intended to evolve through shared knowledge, practical construction, testing, and continuous improvement.

Build It. Test It. Learn From It. Improve It. Share It.

Welcome to the QSO Project.

Follow the Project & Get Involved

This is an experimental hardware project currently undergoing engineering review and community testing.

For project updates, technical discussions, collaboration, and access to the experimental PCB fabrication files, please visit:

QSO Project Projects

https://www.facebook.com/groups/qsoqrpprojects

uBitxV6 users can also follow project updates and development progress through the Microbit community.

Join us in building, testing, learning, and improving the next generation of QRP hardware.

QSO Project — Build It. Test It. Improve It.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ubitxv6

https://www.qsl.net/wj6c/

https://www.qsl.net/ku0ba/

https://www.qrpsponsoring.org/

GERBER RELEASE POLICY

Gerber files for this project will be made available for download after reaching 100 community likes.

If you are interested in this design, please support the project by clicking LIKE.

Your support helps promote QSO Project hardware development and encourages the release of additional experimental PCB designs.

Thank you for supporting open hardware development!