Mini-Kits

The website is now working again after a major server upgrade.

Due to server maintenance the Mini-Kits website is down. Sorry that this has happened but I have no control over this. I have not been able to get any answers from the host, so have no further information on when it will be resolved. Sorry for the frustration it may be causing.

The New US Tariffs on goods imported into Australia from the US will substantially increase some product prices. Many major electronic component suppliers are based in the US but get their products manufactured in countries that have been hit with high Tariffs. Ferrite core and RF connector prices have already increased by around 50% in the past few days. Products that Mini-Kits directly imports into Australia from these countries, does not mean that the Tariffs can be avoided by our US customers. Due to country of origin, applicable Tariffs will be charged to US customers by the shipping company in the US. I would suggest that US customers wanting to buy electronic components from Mini-Kits ask first to check country of origin before purchasing. Kits that we supply can be shipped as a product of Australia and will not attract the high Tariff.

The Mini-Kits designed PLUTO Styx module for the 2300-2450MHz 12/13cm band will be available soon. The module incorporates a +32dBm transmit RF power amplifier, low noise receive pre-amplifier, and Antenna relay switching. Due to the difficulty with construction requiring a hot air soldering tool, some components will come pre fitted to the PC board. This product is similar to the Pluto Charon for 23cm, and most information is on the Adalm Pluto webpage, https://www.minikits.com.au/adalm-pluto I expect it will be available around mid June as some documentation has to be completed. https://www.minikits.com.au/electronic-kits/pluto/eme244-12-13cm

A new low noise amplifier specifically for 434MHz LoRa is now available. It uses a SAW bandpass filter and PGA103 amplifier and has a 3dB bandwidth of around 10MHz. The amplifier is ideal for receive only projects in the 430 to 439MHz band. This product is not recommended if you intend to transmit high power on the 6m or 2m band as there is no input filtering to reduce overload. Tests showed much better range possibly doubling the range compared to the 4 to 6dB noise figure of many LoRa receivers. https://www.minikits.com.au/components/amplifier-modules/PGA-103-434M-R2
If you are interested in 433.775MHz LoRa APRS, the Lilygo TTGO T-Beam V1.1 and LoRa32 V2.1 433MHz modules are high recommended. https://lilygo.aliexpress.com/store/2090076 The software to use is found here https://github.com/lora-aprs/