[Elecraft] Conversion from K3 to K3Plus or K4

[Ken Alexander]

Wow...interesting!  Thanks Mike!

As much as I'd like to try building a control panel myself, this would insure that the project actually gets done!

I'm looking at the OEM Xkeys Matrix Board.  It looks to me like you need a computer to program it to do what you want, and then the output is via USB.  If so, then I'd need a USB-to-serial converter to interface it with a K2.  Seems to me I remember seeing warnings that the K2's I/O port isn't a pure RS-232 port.  Am I going to need something else to keep everything talking safely?

Thanks for any help...we're boldly going where I've never gone before!

73 - Ken


--- On Wed, 11/26/08, Mike McLendon <mike at mclendon.info> wrote:

> From: Mike McLendon <mike at mclendon.info>
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Conversion from K3 to K3Plus or K4
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Received: Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 1:13 AM
> My K3 has 54 buttons outboard and a multi-purpose knob! 
> These accessories
> are available from XKEYS.com and Griffin Technologies
> (Powermate). The XKEY
> product comes with software and I have made available,
> software for the
> Powermate. This is just a suggestion for the group - I have
> no affiliation
> other than customer with these companies.
> 
> With software with which you can easily assign functions,
> these are
> interesting accessories that take advantage of the rich
> commands Elecraft
> provides with the K3 and K2.  Want a direct bandswitch?  No
> problem. Memory
> channel tuning knob? No problem.
> 
> 
> 
> Have fun!
> 
> 73 - Mike, KE4U
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ken
> Alexander
> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 2:09 PM
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net; Darwin, Keith
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Conversion from K3 to K3Plus or K4
> 
> I don't know much about this sort of thing, but the
> command set (for the K2
> at least) is available, so I would think it would be a
> relatively simple
> matter to program something like a Basic Stamp to receive
> pushbutton presses
> from a small outboard control panel and send the
> appropriate serial command
> to the K2 or K3.  You could probably read status back from
> the transceiver
> and illuminate status LEDs to show what's going on.
> 
> The smarter programmer types could probably use a PIC or
> two to do this and
> have a separate matrix type LCD to display status in a more
> attractive
> fashion.
> 
> This something I've always wanted to try.  I'm not
> totally crazy about
> needing a computer to operate my rig when all I want is a
> little easier
> access to some of the buried commands.
> 
> 73 - Ken