[Elecraft]RS-232 and USB with Elecraft.

[Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604]

I suspect the Elecraft would cooperate if someone were to endeavor to
provide a replacement KIO3 module with USB substituted for the serial
connection, as long as it looked like a serial port to the K3 and to
the computer OS (for software compatibility).

In fact, you could probably hack the existing KIO3 module relatively
easily.  I'm actually considering that (for a different reason),
myself, but time for such projects is in short supply.

In the meantime, what we have is flexible and easy to use.

73, doug

   Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:12:12 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Lee Buller <k0wa at swbell.net>


   I like what Julian said here and I think he is spot on.  I do not think it would take much for the wizards at Elecraft to redesign the KIO3 to include both...RS232 and a USB port.  users could swap out one for the other and you have USB port.  That is so cool about the K3 and its modular design.  Again, the whole issues of drivers come up, but I am sure Elecraft would keep up with it all.  But that is another expense to redesign the unit and keep up with all the programming of the USB drivers.  

   RS-232 is not going away anytime soon, but you are hard pressed to find these ports on new systems...laptops in specific.  As long as the USB to Serial cables are available, I think Serial devices will be around for quite awhile.  The technology is proven...although old ... but very proven.

   Lee - K0WA


   In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply.  If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it.  If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense.  Is Common Sense divine?

   --- On Mon, 8/25/08, Julian, G4ILO <julian.g4ilo at gmail.com> wrote:
   From: Julian, G4ILO <julian.g4ilo at gmail.com>
   Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 competition from Icom?
   To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
   Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 11:02 AM



   R. Kevin Stover wrote:
   > 
   > I've always considered a Serial to
   > USB adapter as a " box of chocolates", you never know what
   you're going
   > to get. Whether it works or not depends entirely on the chip set used
   > and the quality of the driver.
   > 
   > Elecraft should have used USB ports.
   > 
   I don't agree. By using a standard RS-232 port Elecraft has provided
   greater
   flexibility. If they had provided a USB port then everyone is stuck with it.
   A serial port can be interfaced to USB using a readily available and
   inexpensive adapter, or, as has been pointed out, by installing a PCI serial
   card in an expansion slot. A USB device can only be interfaced to a PC that
   has a USB port and drivers for that particular device.

   Of course, Icom will ensure that the drivers are available today to connect
   the thing to Windows. But drivers may not be available for other platforms
   (as was the case with the RigExpert interface I sold because I could not use
   it under Linux) and they may not be available at all in 25 years time by any
   OS which is not an unreasonable time for someone to still be using a radio
   (even if not the original owner.) Whereas you can be pretty damn sure that
   RS-232 ports will still be around, and there will be adapters to interface
   them to whatever type of peripheral connector is popular at that time.

   I have grown resigned to the idea of throwing away perfectly serviceable
   computer peripherals only a few years old because drivers are no longer
   available but that is not something I want to do with a $4000 radio.