[amsat-bb] RE: The new IC-910 Problem with Uni_Trac 2003

["Art Goldman" <artg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks, John. If there's any more investigation to perform, I'm willing to
give it a shot.

I've had my own version of a "unitrac" for some time now. Of course, since
it's a personal endeavor, it remains perpetually "in development". But it
uses Visual Basic on the PC to talk to a TINI-based controller via Ethernet.
It uses one-wire ADC to read rotator position and a serial port to talk to
the radio. I had it working reasonably well with my FT-847. In order to
support an IC-910 I'd "merely" have to write the Java methods for an IC910
class. The TINI runs a Java VM.

Charles, perhaps you can give me an idea of the problems with the 910 as
related to controlling both the Main and Sub-band VFOs? I could cobble
together a simple Visual Basic program to talk directly to the 910. If it
doesn't do what the manual says it should, I might be able to figure out
what the problem might be. I'll use the RS232 port on the computer, so I can
introduce a protocol analyzer to copy the data going to and coming from the
910.

Anyway, I'm willing to give it a shot if you think it would help.

73,
Art N3OY




-----Original Message-----
From: John Beanland [mailto:spectrum.ma.ultranet@rcn.com] 
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 11:45 AM
To: cbullis@cbullis.org
Cc: artg@comcast.net; terrig@clear.net.nz
Subject: The new IC-910 Problem with Uni_Trac 2003

									10
June 2004
	K6HG de S.I.,
	Charles,

	I am sending you a copy of Art Goldman's latest report. Art, N3OY,
has
made some experiments to control the IC-910 from a Uni_Trac 2000 unit.
(UT-2003 and UT-2000 are basically the same as far as controlling external
equipment is concerned). 

	The results are that when using a modified Uni_Trac Interface Cable,
which
includes the additional switching transistor (hidden inside the DB-25
connector's shell) on the Tx output control line, this line now has a very
"solid" TTL LOW state. The original thought was that Uni_Trac's internal
driver stage was not providing a good enough LOW state.

	Art's results are reported by him below. 

	The most interesting item is that when using ICOM's own CT-17
controller
to drive the 910, the 910 exhibits the same problem. (The CT-17 unit is a
RS-232 to TTL translator. Art set up his Uni_Trac using a RS-232 output,
not a TTL output, to drive the CT-17; the CT-17 then drove the 910). 

	It appears to me there is another firmware/software problem in the
IC-910
radio. Any help that you can provide will be gratefully received.

	73s,  de John  G3BVU/W1.

				++++++++++++++++++++++++
	Note to Art: 
	Charles was the person who finally zeroed in, and solved, the
previous
IC-910 problem.
				
				+++++++++++++++++++++++++


	
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

>Return-Path: <owner-AMSAT-BB@amsat.org>
>Reply-To: <artg@comcast.net>
>From: "Art Goldman" <artg@comcast.net>
>To: "'Terrig'" <terrig@clear.net.nz>
>Cc: <amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org>, "'John Beanland'" <spectrum.ma.ultranet@rcn.com>
>Subject: [amsat-bb] RE: IC-910
>Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 21:11:04 -0400
>Thread-Index: AcRNCSq4nlYEZhdRTkmii5Os5nUmmQAqwYsA
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>
>Terrig et al:
>
>I just tried the transistor mod again. I used a 27K resistor from pin17 to
>the base of the 2n3904, emitter grounded, collector to pin 15 and center
>conductor of cable. The high voltage on the scope is 4.0V. The low pulses
>appear to be very close to zero - certainly within a mv of zero. I can't
>resolve the scope trace better than that.
>
>I fired up the software and it is indeed happy with the mod. The radio is
>responding and no error message appears. But, the behavior is as I
described
>before. Only the sub-band is being controlled. The main band never changes.
>
>On the suggestion from a friend that perhaps the rig would be more tolerant
>at 1200 baud, I tested all three methods at 1200 baud: 1.) with a TTL
hookup
>(no transistor mod) on channel 2; 2). with RS-232 to my CT-17 using channel
>1, and 3). with the transistor mod on channel 2.
>
>In ALL CASES, the software has ceased to report the radio is off, and is
>controlling the sub-band frequency, but it is not updating the main band
>frequency at all. If I push the M/S button on the radio to swap the main
and
>sub-band frequencies, the uplink and downlink frequencies are swapped, and
>whichever is in the sub-band is being updated as the computer display
>changes.
>
>In thinking about my original report that the TTL port would not control
the
>IC-910 at all, I can only conclude that I was not consistent enough in
>resetting the radio, the UT2000, and the software all at the same time. If
>one of the above was not in the proper reset state, I can see where it
might
>report the error. So, let me accept mea culpa on that one.
>
>The good news is that it's working, though not perfectly. Let's see if we
>can figure out the software problem with the main band.
>
>73,
>Art N3OY  
>
		+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
		
	Yours truly,

	C.J.Beanland, MSEE, C.Eng., MIEE, MRAeS.
	Sales Manager,
	Spectrum International,Inc.	spectrum@spectrum-intl.com
	P.O. Box 1084,			Tel: (978) 263-2145
	Concord, Mass. 01742.		Fax: (978) 263-7008

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