[Elecraft] KPA500 Remote

Sun Jul 24 16:25:04 EDT 2011

The KPA500 XCVR connector is used primarily to support Kenwood rigs that
communicate their frequency via a serial port.

If you want to control the amplifier remotely, you'll probably need to
connect its PC-side serial port to some remote control program.  The KPA
Utility (as one example) shows you the amplifier's output power, SWR, PA
voltage, PA current, temperature, monitors for faults, displays the current
fault, has a button to clear the current fault, changes bands, switches
between standby and operate, and turns the amplifier on and off.  You can't
do many of these things from the ACC connector.  You can do some of them by
remote control of the K3 (like change bands).   You can pulse an ACC pin to
simulate pressing the front panel power button. You can change the amp's
band by controlling the transceiver remotely and transmitting. You can
observe that some fault has occurred, but you can't read the fault code
through ACC.  There's no pin on ACC to switch the amp between operate and
standby, or clear a fault.

Dick, K6KR

-----Original Message-----
From: Dana Roode [mailto:dana.roode at gmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 1:09 PM
To: Dick Dievendorff
Cc: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 Remote

Hi Dick, thanks for the information.  What is the RS232 (XCVR) connection on
the KPA500 for? Its why I am some misperceptions about connecting the K3 to
the KPA.

At this point I see I can control the KPA via its RS232 port but for some
reason I am inclined to use the control pins on the KPA AUX plug, which
seems to be the other way to go.

  Dana

On Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 12:37 PM, Dick Dievendorff <dieven at comcast.net>
wrote:
> Dana:
>
> There isn't an option to connect the KPA500 to the K3 via RS-232.  
> There's an option to connect the KPA500 to the K3 via its 15-pin ACC 
> connector.  If you use that cable, the K3 can track band changes 
> initiated by the amplifier, the amplifier will track K3 band changed 
> without requiring transmission, and it includes the amp keying line 
> and the ALC voltage.  This connection also includes an AUXBUS 
> connection that the KPA500 can use to send fault indications to the 
> K3. And the K3 can automatically adjust its output power based on its
knowledge of the amplifier being in "operate".
>
> The KPA500's "PC" serial port should instead be used for your remote 
> control program, which could be the KPA Utility, or someone else's 
> remote control program.
>
> When you use the KPA500 and don't switch the back panel power rocker 
> switch, the front panel on/off button (and the equivalent software 
> command) turns off the high voltage power supply, but leaves the
microcontroller running.
> The microcontroller runs in its "boot block" code and part of that 
> code recognizes a software power on command.  The KPA500 Utility 
> "Operate" page uses this technique for its remote control power turn-on.
>
> If you require the KPA500 to be "really, really off", you should first 
> press the front panel power button to turn the amp off.  Then you can 
> remove all power by switching the back panel rocker switch or 
> interrupt the KPA500's AC supply.  It's a good idea to let the 
> amplifier close down in a controlled way (press its front panel power 
> button, physically or via a remote control
> program) so that it has a chance to write its current state into 
> EEPROM and also dump HV filter capacitor energy into the fan. If you 
> don't do this, you'll see fault table entries (using the KPA500 
> Utility's Fault Table
> display) showing uncontrolled power off events.
>
> Nice callsign, Dana!
>
> 73 de Dick, K6KR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dana Roode
> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 12:15 PM
> To: Elecraft Reflector
> Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 Remote
>
> Folks - who out there has set up their KPA500 as a part of a remote
station?
> I'm planning to do so here, and wondering whether others have used the 
> pins in the AUX cable or plan to use software commands to turn the Amp 
> on and off, etc.  It appears both may be options.
> There also appears to be a pin in the Aux cable that indicates a fault 
> condition, which would be handy to monitor remotely (I have a 
> LP-Remote board from N8LP).
>
> I need to make a custom cable between the K3 and the KPA500 to connect 
> some lines (band indication, auxbus?) and bring out others - the ON 
> pin for the
> K3 that I currently use, the toggle ON/OFF pin for the KPA500, etc.
>
> So, what are others doing?  I see there are options to connect the KPA 
> to the K3 via RS232 not sure what that would buy me.
>
>  Dana, K6NR
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