[Elecraft] K3 Utility RS-232 ComPort4

[Dick Dievendorff]

This is the same technique the .Net framework uses to inventory COM ports.  

It works fine in Windows 98 SE, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, and
Windows Vista.  It does require COM device drivers to advertise themselves
appropriately. Windows does this for "real" serial ports.  The Prolific
device driver installer does this for the KUSB and other Prolific chipset
adapters. The Keyspan device driver does this. The Radio Shack USB to Serial
Adapter does this. 

Perhaps some USB to Serial Adapter device driver installers don't do a
complete install.  That appears to be the case here.

Elecraft wishes to support as broad a range of Windows versions as is
practical. Currently that is Windows 98 SE and above.  There are a fair
number of Windows 98 SE "shack computers" out there.

I don't have any code in the K3 Utility that says "if it's Windows version
x, then do this, otherwise do that".  Instead, I use methods that are common
to all of these OS levels.

Requiring Windows XP SP2 or above is a non-starter.  We just can't do that. 

Dick, K6KR


-----Original Message-----
From: Darwin, Keith [mailto:Keith.Darwin at goodrich.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:14 AM
To: Dick Dievendorff; Dave W7DPW; k3
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K3 Utility RS-232 ComPort4

>From the registry?  What about in Windows XP?  The serial object that is
fairly new in XP (part of SP2 I believe) has a method you can call to
get a list of ports.  Does this object & method simply do the same
RegKey lookup that the K3 Utility is doing?  I'm thinking the registry
is on it's way out but I suppose for backward compatibility reasons,
you'd need to stick with it for a while, ea?

- Keith N1AS -
- K3 711 -

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dick Dievendorff
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 10:39 PM
To: 'Dave W7DPW'; 'k3'
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K3 Utility RS-232 ComPort4

The K3 Utility gets its inventory of COM ports from the registry.  See

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\SERIALCOMM

When a serial port device driver installs a COM device, it's supposed to
make this registry entry.  That's what we're looking for.


Dick, K6KR





-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dave W7DPW
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 5:32 PM
To: k3
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Utility RS-232 ComPort4

I just now have gotten around to downloading the K3 Utility and have it
installed on my 98SE machine. I have a USB to RS-232 converter on it
shows in my system menu as COM4 but it will not appear in the selection
menu of the K3 Utility. Only COM1, COM2, COM5, and COM6 appear on the K3
Utility PullDown Menu and they are used for other applications.

I know COM4 works as I use it with WriteLog and that application will
communicate with the K3 without problems. I have the K3 RS-232 set to
9600...

Any suggestions ?

My K3 s/n 1299. FWV 2.21

Dave W7DPW




David J Drew  --  W7DPW
Over 50 Years with Same Call
Amateur Extra Since 1970
Continuous ARRL Member Since October 1957 ARRL Life Member October 1969
Vancouver, Washington  98664-4445




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