For some time now I’ve been using my Xiegu XPA125B amplifier with my Hermes Lite 2 + I/O board combo with great success. With the amp changing bands automatically it really is nice to use.
With the multitude of remote controlled smart plugs available today I’ve now got the ability to switch the station on remotely however, there’s been one issue that has plagued me until now and that’s the Xiegu amp doesn’t come on when power is applied to it, you have to press the power button on the front of the amp before it will fire up.
This of course stops me from being able to fully use the station remotely as there’s no one there to press the power button on the amp, until now.
Chatting with Steve, M0XVT he discovered that if the power button is held pressed all the time the amp will come on when power is applied. This then gave me the idea of designing a button press device that I could 3D print and clip onto the front of the amp so that the button is always pressed.
The Xiegu amp has a very nice flange around the front edge of the amp case that lends itself nicely to clip on a simple button press device as shown above in my 3D design software.
The button press is designed so that the top is put on first and then the bottom is just snapped into place with a gentle push. This makes it easy to get on and off without marking the amplifier.
In just a few minutes I had the button press design uploaded to my Bambu Lab A1 Combo 3D printer and in no time at all the button press was ready for use.
As you can see in the photo above it fits snugly to the front of the amp gently holding the power button in so that the amp comes on when power is applied. Simple but, effective.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to have this problem and so, I’ve made the .STL 3D print file available for download below.
I hope this is of use to people who want to be able to use their Xiegu amp remotely without leaving the power on all the time.
More soon …