[Elecraft] KIO3B

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

This seems to be the same ole age old problem of relying on a PC keying CW
over a single lead on the RS232 connection or its stand-in (USB).

Over and over ad nauseum, literally thousands of times, this has been
discussed everywhere since before USB existed. Parallel port keying...if
you don't know what a parallel port is, don't feel bad, that's how old this
problem is...it first surfaced so long ago I can't remember how far back.
Parallel port keying seemed to be far less susceptible, with cleaner code
formation. But we all know what happened to parallel ports, if you even
know what one is.

I have not, in my entire life, heard a satisfying answer as to why the
difference.

The very large sample size conclusion: Some people can do that and sound
perfectly crisp, no matter what. Some will get infrequent odd scattered
distortions, that are not enough of a problem to worry about. Others are
driven to distraction with distortions sometimes bordering on hilarious.
Some computers have spells of it that come and go, seeming to correspond to
phases of the moon, alignment of planets, or giraffe mating season.

Some now have excellent results with straight, normal RS232, but USB routed
functions screw up. Others via USB lines do perfectly well. Others STILL
can't use the serial line approach AT ALL. Back in the day, slow CPU speed
and limited memory were often associated with the poor performance.

SOMETIMES, NOT ALWAYS, upgrades to the CPU and memory would fix it. Many
just gave up and went PERMANENTLY to WinKey (way, way cheaper than
motherboards and memory) based solutions, myself included.

The N1MM integration of WinKey devices is at this point flawless. And the
ability now to create tailored PTT, that changes with code speed from a
MicroHam box with embedded WinKey, is priceless.

There has NEVER, in all this decade of fighting this problem, been a silver
bullet solution that fixed the RS232 or USB key line problems. Over the
years I have literally seen hundreds of extended email threads about
dragged-on investigations by earnest and intelligent ham investigators who
never uncovered any solution except throwing bigger and better CPU's at the
problem, HOPING for better performance.

Some people having the problem, while others with similar or identical
equipment having none, simply means nothing. It has always been that way.
One swears that he did this or that and the problem went away, and it
really did go away when HE did that, he's not lying or deluded. But others
try the same solution and nothing changes.

Blaming key line over RS232 or USB problems on anything other than
poltergeist is just plain unfair. It just could be that one insulted Murphy
just one too many times.

I understand that people are trying to make cabling go away. Completely
understand. Been there, done that, failed. Back to WinKey, permanently. No
more wasting time, except my 432nd (or is it 610th, or 326th? I forget)
lifetime email on this frustrating problem.

I have other poltergeist to work on that have no convenient WinKey solution
standing by.

73, and I DO wish you good luck on this one, but don't count on it. PC's
and their constantly thrashing drivers and system program code just have
too many moving parts.

Guy K2AV

On Sun, Mar 13, 2016 at 1:46 PM, Ian White <gm3sek at ifwtech.co.uk> wrote:

> Same here too, well formed CW from both a K3 and a K3S using the KIO3B
> board configured for USB. N1MM+ keys the virtual DTR line (no Winkey).
>
> 73 from Ian GM3SEK
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
> >Jim Miller
> >Sent: 13 March 2016 15:42
> >To: w0agMike at gmail.com
> >Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> >Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KIO3B
> >
> >Clean CW here well over 30 wpm.
> >
> >GL
> >
> >Jim ab3cv
> >
> >
> >
> >On Sunday, March 13, 2016, Mike Murray <w0agmike at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Interesting observation, especially since I've been considering the
> KIO3B
> >> in an effort to reduce my  current rat's nest of cabling.  Has anyone
> else
> >> noted this problem and/or found a solution?
> >>
> >> Mike - W0AG
> >>
> >> My non-PC specialist conclusion is that either the driver supporting
> the
> >> > KIO3B or all the USB routing action within the KIO3B is causing the
> >> damage.
>
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