[Elecraft] Advice needed: Remote Station Enhancement

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

 > But many (most) ham devices do not do it that way, they expect the
 > pullup resistors will be provided by the driver gear.

Actually, most devices that use BCD "band data" expect an open
emitter driver not an open collector driver.  Open emitter will
*source* voltage for logic high and be open circuit for logic
low.  This is the convention from the early Yaesu rigs which
were the first devices to support "band data" (it is the way
the FL-7000 and Quadra amplifiers operate).

You will find the W9XT BCD10/BCD14 decoders with their opto-isolator
inputs work just fine with the "open emitter" drivers.  Other devices
designed with Yaesu transceivers in mind have appropriate current
limiting (series) on the input lines and "pull down" (parallel)
resistors on the logic gates.  Some "standard" devices (Top Ten
BD-Y and the original microHAM Band Decoder) will provide both
current limiting resistors and internal pull-ups but I have not
seen any amateur product with series diodes in the band data lines.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 2/27/2018 4:17 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> Knut,
> 
> That is the way it *should* be, and was that way in the K3 originally.
> But many (most) ham devices do not do it that way, they expect the 
> pullup resistors will be provided by the driver gear.
> So, because of that, Elecraft added pullup resistors to the band data 
> outputs of the K3 long ago.
> So yes, we are left with a situation that often requires steering diodes.
> 
> 
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
> 
> On 2/27/2018 3:48 PM, ab2tc wrote:
>> Hi Don and all,
>>
>> Hear,hear, Don. The receivers should have the pullup resistor to whatever
>> the appropriate voltage needed (within reason) *and* a steering diode in
>> series with the input. This will prevent another device with a higher
>> voltage from feeding current back into the device which could damage
>> semiconductors. Without the steering diode all receivers must use the 
>> same
>> pullup voltage. Of course a single receiver is not a problem either.
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