The Toronto Repeater Controller Project was undertaken to replace the existing controller at the main TFMCS site, VE3RPT, in Uxbridge, Ontario, as well as the downtown site, VE3TWR at the 338 meter level in the CN Tower.  TWR presently uses a second-generation micro-controller designed and build by TFMCS member Steve, VE7SGW.

Following two generations of repeater logic, starting with relays and DTL in 1965 and an all-TTL system in 1974, the original micro-controller at RPT was a design started in 1979 an brought online in the early eighties.

The engineer on this project VE3ID, Nigel Johnson developed the new design to utilize a Freescale Semiconductor 9S12C128 micro controller at its heart.  Each 100 x 160 mm Analog Radio Interface Card (ARIC) card handles a main transmitter and an auxiliary transmitter.  At its simplest, the design will support used as a stand-alone controller which can handle the needs of a small group for one repeater, together with an aux channel which can serve as a command, link client, or autopatch channel.

The original wire-wrapped prototype did operate for a while as VA3MCU on the roof of Nigel's condo, for testing of the audio pathways. This operation used the built-in fail-safe mode which allows straight-through repeat without logic of the main repeater should the micro fail, or during software updates (except for the last-ditch hardware timer on the TX).

In the form in which it will be used at VE3RPT, the individual cards are connected together via the CAN bus, which is wired across the backs of the ARIC cards in the rack.  It is planned that this will allow up to 255 repeaters to be linked in one network!

Future plans are to create a DRIC (Digital radio interface card) for each of the various digital protocols that are emerging, to allow amateurs using these modes to communicate with their friends on traditional radios.

The digital radio interface card will utilize SHF/microwave to communicate provide linking over our existing network and invite any local repeater owners to join us in a metropolitan area network (MAN) which will allow anybody to link to any other repeater by dialing only the destination code.

Phase 3 will see the CAN interface connected to a linux PC and allow for connection to internet protocols such as IRLP and ECHO link without going back to audio and re-digitising.

Currently, six prototypes of the ARIC card have been developed but software development is proceeding at a slow pace due to the need for an experienced programmer.

Other help is required on this project, please click here to see where you can help us!

In the spirit of supporting amateur FM repeater development on which TFMCS was founded back in 1971, it is planned to make the entire project, both hardware and software (once completed), open-sourced to the amateur community.

The project director is Nigel, VE3ID ((@tfmcs.com))

There is a yahoo group for the project, complete with a picture of the
working prototype pcb:

         http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TorontoRepeaterController/