EK Digi-Ghost

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jmendoza
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 23:07

EK Digi-Ghost

Post by jmendoza »

Here is the EK products Digi-Ghost that used an encoding scheme which was similar to digital proportional and did not send pulses of tone. As such, it requires a decoder for the receiver which had some form of a PWM and pulse rate detector. It used either a single or dual Rand Pak for actuators in low or high rate respectively, which was selected by a switch inside the transmitter. I'm looking for the mating receiver should anybody have one, or schematics/ owners manual. This is a long shot, as apparently very few of these units were made due to Logictrol binge a late comer to the GG market.

Jay
DigiGhost (2).JPG
Last edited by jmendoza on 22 Jan 2022, 19:01, edited 1 time in total.
jmendoza
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 23:07

Re: EK Digi-Ghost

Post by jmendoza »

I finally got around to making a divide by 2 circuit using a JK flip flop, an MC14027P. Tied the J and K to positive, S and R to ground, connected the demodulated and squared audio (data pulses) from the receiver to the clock (CK) input of the flip flop and as you can see below, it divided the 1000Hz modulation frequency from my signal generator into 500Hz pulses. I tried to photograph the recovered pulses from the Digi-Ghost Tx, but they are too slow and my camera only catches about one half a pulse so you cannot see the entire sweep of the scope.

My next plan is to use a SOT-23 8 pin D-type flip flop wired as a T flip flop to do the same thing and install it inside the receiver case and output the pulses to the unused signal pin on the battery plug of the receiver. I'm using a Traxxas 2215, works great.
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Last edited by jmendoza on 22 Jan 2022, 19:03, edited 1 time in total.
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Wayne_H
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Re: EK Digi-Ghost

Post by Wayne_H »

That's a lovely restoration Jay, well done.

Any chance of a closup of the front of the tx, & the Digi-ghost & early EK logos please? Also some case dimensions? Not urgent, a reproduction Tx to compliment my EK proportional trannie collection is a medium to long term project on my list. Did EK ever make a reed tx(s)?
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
jmendoza
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 23:07

Re: EK Digi-Ghost

Post by jmendoza »

The transmitter case measures 6 inches tall by 5-3/4 inches wide and 2-1/2 inches deep. Photos below.

As to EK and multi channel reed systems:

Bob Elliot did not start making radios systems until after he quit working on the BonnerDigimite sometime in late 1963. He set up shop at home and with the help of Jerry Krause he took what he had learned from Larson and Kaegle( the guys who invented the Diginite for Bonner) and simplified the design and made a radio system he called Logictrol.
The early Logictrols did not say " E and K Logictrol" instead they had a cute logo that had the E, and the K, each on one input of a 2 input AND gate symbol with "Logictrol" on the output of the AND gate symbol, so if you read it in Boolean it said : E and K equal Logictrol. That is the long answer, the short answer is EK never made reed radios. My Digi-Ghost is S/N 0010, I assume that to be #10. From what I can tell, they made very few of these systems, the only other transmitter we know of is in Ed Crotty's collection. A reproduction is definitely in order.
DigiGhost (1).jpg
DigiGhost (2).jpg
DigiGhost (3).jpg
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Wayne_H
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Re: EK Digi-Ghost

Post by Wayne_H »

jmendoza wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 18:59 The transmitter case measures 6 inches tall by 5-3/4 inches wide and 2-1/2 inches deep. .......

..........My Digi-Ghost is S/N 0010, I assume that to be #10. From what I can tell, they made very few of these systems, the only other transmitter we know of is in Ed Crotty's collection. A reproduction is definitely in order.
Jay, thanks for the quick response, pictures and additional history, very interesting 🤔. A reproduction tx is now definitely on my to-do list (Frank probably has one almost finished :lol: )
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
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