[Elecraft] KPA500 Remote

Sun Jul 24 17:09:56 EDT 2011

The K3 aux cable kit includes a Y. 

Dick

On Jul 24, 2011, at 13:49, Dana Roode <dana.roode at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dick,
> 
> Thanks - I went back and read the manual and I see it clearly explains
> what the RS232-XCVR jack is for.  Sorry, I missed that.
> 
> Ok on the advantages of the RS232 port, I will hook that up.  I run my
> remote station with an 8 port terminal server, and have one port left
> (I control the rig, 3 rotators, LP-Remote, LP-100 watt meter, and
> Winkeyer).  I have control over the power to the amp to shut it off if
> I need a hard reset (via LP-Remote and a relay-power jack).  I can't
> use the standard Elecraft K3-KPA500 cable as I need to bring out pins
> from the K3: ON and FSK are the ones I remember.  So, I will build a
> cable and bring out the various pins I may use on either side of the
> connection.
> 
>  dana
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 1:25 PM, Dick Dievendorff <dieven at comcast.net> wrote:
>> 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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>> 
>> 