Case for OrcSDR setup

[Axeman72]

I whipped up this 3D model very quickly to comfortably hold the SDR and Tab5 in my hand, and I must say it didn't turn out bad at all.

With a few physical controls in addition to touch, it would easily rival some "serious" gear.

Maybe physical controls are already supported for main tuning functions, I didn't check. If they're not, then... let's discuss it...😉

@hardcoreerik I'll add STLs to the repo if you like.

[hardcoreerik]

@Axeman72 This is fantastic! I love seeing OrcSDR turn into a proper handheld radio. Really impressive work!

I'd absolutely love to include your STL files in the OrcSDR GitHub repository, with full credit to you. I'd also love to feature your photos and video, with your permission.

I wanted to mention a couple of things you might not be aware of. OrcSDR already supports the M5Stack Tab5 keyboard attachment, and we also have OrcDial working as a wireless physical controller!

OrcDial uses the M5Dial to provide rotary tuning, touchscreen controls, and dashboard interaction with OrcSDR.

If you'd be interested in exploring a V2.0 of your enclosure, I think incorporating the keyboard attachment and OrcDial could make for an incredible all-in-one portable SDR. The software integration is already there, so we'd primarily be looking at how to bring everything together physically.

Of course, your existing design is already a great contribution, and I'd be thrilled to showcase it as-is.

I'd be happy to collaborate on the hardware layout and any software adjustments needed to make it all work together.

Thanks again for sharing this. It's exciting to see the community taking OrcSDR in new directions!

[hardcoreerik]

Needs some work, but im trying.

While its not yet implemented in OrcSDR. The ESP32-P4 will run multiple dongles without problem. I've had 4 streaming at 2.56MS/s without drops, it would be interesting to have a mult-donlge case. That might be my next test.

c266b1a4-79d3-4f5f-ada0-e9ed552dabcc.mp4

[Axeman72]

@hardcoreerik No problem at all, feel free to use my pictures! I'll submit a PR with the STL to your repo as soon as I can (I'm away from home at the moment). Keep in mind that this is a very rough case design, and I'll definitely be working on a more polished v2. I plan to add some extra electronics to relocate the charging connector from the Tab5 side (I hate that position) and hook up an external speaker with proper volume control.

Yes, I'm aware that both the Tab5 keyboard and the M5Dial are supported, but (besides the small detail that I don't own either, so trying to integrate them without having them in hand probably wouldn't be wise) both are overkill for my use case.
As a radio tech, what I'd really love to see on the front panel are:
A tuning dial (shift modifier key to speed up tuning)
A volume dial (and a mute/squelch control, though I don't think squelch is supported on the "home" radio page)
A button to cycle through step sizes (BTW: the 6.25 kHz step is missing, which is commonly used here in Italy)
A button to cycle through span sizes
A button to cycle through modes

The Tab5 keyboard afaik uses its own protocol, so a second processor would be needed to emulate it (though I think the M5 bus connector has enough GPIOs for all those controls). The M5Dial is very nice, but it's another device to power and isn't as immediate as a dedicated, physical tuning knob.

The M5Dial could have a great use case when "hunting" for signals (something that I do very often): using it to move a marker across the spectrum display to show the marked frequency without shifting the spectrum's center frequency. That way, if I spot a brief signal on the waterfall, I can quickly knob-tune to that spot with the dial and mark the frequency for further investigation.

[Axeman72]

@hardcoreerik PR entered.

I’ll start working on the next version soon. Here is what I want to do:

1. Rotate the RTL-SDR to a vertical position (side connector is annoying, even with 90° adapters).

2. Add a PAM8302 (or similar) audio amplifier with volume control and a dedicated speaker connected to the Tab5 3.5mm audio jack.

3. Add a DC barrel jack for power input via the M5Stack bus high-voltage pins. Alternatively, use a 4x18650 battery holder with an external BMS/charger, bypassing the internal Tab5 charger (which only operates when the board is powered on).

4. Plan physical inputs, keeping the M5Dial in mind as a swappable interface option alongside my buttons-and-knobs layout.

Ideas and suggestions are welcome!

[hardcoreerik]

This is awesome! I'd absolutely love to get the STL files. I've actually started a community hardware section in the OrcSDR repo and already added a page for your case. You should be able to just ZIP up the files and attach them directly to a reply here. If you have the original editable CAD files too, that would be even better!

I recently picked up a FlashForge Creator 5 with 4-color printing, and I'd love to print one of these with some OrcSDR colors. I think it could look pretty damn cool! Would you be okay with us hosting the files in the repo? Full credit to you, of course. Just let me know what license you'd like to use. Really appreciate you putting this together. It's awesome seeing people start making their own hardware for OrcSDR!

[hardcoreerik]

Hey @Axeman72, I just noticed you already submitted PR #212 with all the STL files! Somehow I completely missed that when I replied earlier, sorry about that! Thanks a ton for putting everything together. We've got a Community Hardware section set up now, so I'll get your files reviewed and added there through our own workflow, with full credit to you in the commits and release notes. Really looking forward to printing this on my Creator 5, and I'm excited to see where you take V2!

[Axeman72]

@hardcoreerik No worries, it's not like I was sitting in front of my monitor waiting for instant feedback... it's a hobby after all.

The license for the STLs is pretty much "do whatever the hell you want with them." Honestly, since it was a quick and dirty job, I'm fully expecting some mandatory modifications courtesy of a drill and a pair of pliers... 😅

Next version will be a bit cleaner (I hope...)

BTW if you need the editable model I should be able to export it from Autodesk Fusion 360 as a native fusion file, or as a STEP file. Never tried that.