Raspberry Pi to iCom IC-F121S interface
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 9:51 pm
I created this to interface a Raspberry Pi (or similar board) to an Icom IC-F121S 2 meter commercial transciever for APRS.
Audio out is coming from Pin 3 on the RJ-45 MIC jack. Normally it is not enabled and requires you
short a solder pad on the main board.
Pin 3 connects between the Audio pre-amp and the main amp. Documentation online says that it bypasses the volume control but I have found that not to be the case in reality. I've had to crank the volume all the way up to get decent volume to the sound card. This will make the main speaker blast so you'll need to insert a unwired plug into the external speaker jack, or disconnect the speaker internally, to disable it.
I supposed you could also leave the jumper open and run a wire from the speaker to Pin 3 directly as the schematics show no other components between the pin and the jumper pad. Or run the wire to the external speaker jack and just not use Pin3 (I wanted to keep it to a single plug).
Audio out is coming from Pin 3 on the RJ-45 MIC jack. Normally it is not enabled and requires you
short a solder pad on the main board.
Pin 3 connects between the Audio pre-amp and the main amp. Documentation online says that it bypasses the volume control but I have found that not to be the case in reality. I've had to crank the volume all the way up to get decent volume to the sound card. This will make the main speaker blast so you'll need to insert a unwired plug into the external speaker jack, or disconnect the speaker internally, to disable it.
I supposed you could also leave the jumper open and run a wire from the speaker to Pin 3 directly as the schematics show no other components between the pin and the jumper pad. Or run the wire to the external speaker jack and just not use Pin3 (I wanted to keep it to a single plug).