[Elecraft] KUSB Adaptor

[David Fleming]

The USB to Serial chipset could be built onto the KIO3. Then the K3 itself would be the USB/Serial adapter. The manufacturer of the chipset would provide the drivers. The FTDI chip would be a good choice. The FTDI drivers seem to work well on OS X and Windows. Not sure about Linux. But, like Julian said, is there any advantage to using a plain USB cable instead a USB cable with a bulge on the end? :-)

David, W4SMT

--- On Sat, 11/21/09, Julian, G4ILO <julian.g4ilo at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Julian, G4ILO <julian.g4ilo at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KUSB Adaptor
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009, 3:40 PM
> 
> 
> 
> David Y. wrote:
> > 
> > I'm really a complete neophyte at this sort of stuff,
> but isn't it mainly
> > a 
> > matter of having the correct "drivers"?  If a
> device isn't recognized when 
> > using a new operating system, it's usually just a
> matter of getting new 
> > drivers.  Unfortunately, some manufacturers
> abandon older products, and 
> > don't provide updated drivers for new systems. 
> Hopefully, if Elecraft did 
> > go to a USB alternative, they would still keep up with
> the driver 
> > requirement as new operating systems became
> available.
> > 
> Yes, but someone has to write those drivers. Icom has
> adopted a USB
> interface for the IC7600 but it has only provided drivers
> for Windows, and
> Icom arguably has greater resources at its disposal for
> writing drivers than
> Elecraft. Because Elecraft chose RS232, it has been
> relatively simple for
> them to support all the major operating systems Windows,
> Linux and Mac OS X,
> something I think no other manufacturer does.
> 
> I also doubt that Icom will be interested in writing new
> drivers for the
> '7600 once that model is obsolete. "Hopefully" they would,
> but that isn't a
> gamble I'm be willing to take. True, Elecraft isn't Icom.
> Then again, in 10
> years time Wayne and Eric may have retired to Florida so
> who knows what
> would happen?
> 
> You need a cable of some sort to connect the K3 to the
> computer, whatever
> interface is used. What difference does it make if the
> cable for USB ports
> has a bulge at one end?
> 
> A serial interface is the safest long-term bet that offers
> users the most
> choices. You could even remote control a K3 without a
> computer at the remote
> end using an Ethernet serial device.
> 
> -----
> Julian, G4ILO. K2 #392  K3 #222.
> * G4ILO's Shack - http://www.g4ilo.com
> * KComm - http://www.g4ilo.com/kcomm.html
> * KTune - http://www.g4ilo.com/ktune.html
> 
> -- 
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