...We assembled the transmitter and tested it so that I had a baseline - works great. I then hooked up a circuit to interface it to the computer's output card. Because the supplied transducer has a FET preamp built in I had to make a few modifications to the transmitter. I connected the interface to the circuit board, flashed up the computer, and tried to transmit a photo using the software....Well.... it works fine!
I might have to add a potentiometer to the line or just adjust the output to get the right levels, but that's easy to do. I'm also going to include an LED to indicate if the power is applied etc. The AzEl rotator is wired up, and the circuit board fits inside the pipe.
I may change the laser -- I used what looked like a higher quality laser. Because pointing is so critical for a two-way exchange, I'll use meteor scatter software to modulate the laser. That way, a quick flash will get the data through.
I might have to add a potentiometer to the line or just adjust the output to get the right levels, but that's easy to do. I'm also going to include an LED to indicate if the power is applied etc. The AzEl rotator is wired up, and the circuit board fits inside the pipe.
I may change the laser -- I used what looked like a higher quality laser. Because pointing is so critical for a two-way exchange, I'll use meteor scatter software to modulate the laser. That way, a quick flash will get the data through.