Hi Pete,
Yes, the OR-2800 has an RS-232 port and can be controlled from
many contest programs including Writelog which is the program that
I use for contesting. It works great!
I was just looking for a way to point and shoot using a "pot" when I am
not
running my contest program.... Just like the Green Heron controller
does.
It would be a nice addition but not worth $600.00, in my opinion, for a
new GH Controller.
73,
Ted K2QMF
On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:09:27 -0500 Pete Smith <n4zr@contesting.com>
writes:
> Maybe no need to reinvent the wheel, *if* the 2800 can be equipped
> with
> an RS-232 port, and if it emulates one of the well-known rotator
> protocols
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
>
> The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at
> www.conteststations.com
> The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at
> reversebeacon.blogspot.com,
> spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000
>
>
>
> On 3/4/2011 3:40 PM, k2qmf@juno.com wrote:
> > Hi Dan,
> >
> > Very interesting input regarding the point and shoot issue...
> >
> > It's a bit over my head but I will look into it.
> >
> > Many Thanks and 73,
> > Ted K2QMF
> >
> > On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 09:44:40 -0500 Dan Zimmerman
> N3OX<n3ox@n3ox.net>
> > writes:
> >> I think your easiest bet is to use a computer and software like
> >> DXLab.
> >>
> >> If you don't want a general-purpose computer in the mix, or if
> you
> >> really,
> >> really want a knob, I'd look at talking to the RS-232 interface
> >> with
> >> something like an Arduino (www.arduino.cc,
> >> http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9219) or other beginner
> >> microcontroller
> >> board. I like the Arduino because the language is simple, there
> is
> >> a large
> >> community of total newbies using it, and the board is
> all-in-one
> >> and
> >> programmable over USB. If the M2 control box is true RS-232
> (with
> >> plus and
> >> minus twelve volt logic levels) you probably need a MAX232 (
> >> http://www.sparkfun.com/products/316) level converter chip
> between
> >> the
> >> Arduino and the M2... but that's one chip and a few capacitors.
> >>
> >> I can't design the firmware for the thing, especially without
> >> knowing the M2
> >> controller's language or having one to test on, but it might be
> as
> >> simple as
> >> something like this:
> >>
> >> 1) in the firmware, set up a serial connection and a digital
> input
> >> for a
> >> button (analog input is set up automatically I think)
> >>
> >> 2) Read the position of a potentiometer (the "point" pot) on one
> of
> >> the
> >> analog inputs using the function AnalogRead(). This gives a
> number
> >> from 0
> >> to 1023 for a wiper voltage between 0 and the power supply of
> the
> >> controller
> >> board. Translate to a heading as desired (depends on the pot
> you're
> >> using)
> >>
> >> 3)Read the digital input using DigitalRead(). if the button
> (the
> >> "shoot"
> >> button) on the digital input is pressed, send the pot's heading
> to
> >> the rotor
> >> using Serial.Print() (this switch should be "debounced" by
> reading
> >> it twice
> >> maybe 5-10 milliseconds apart and only considering it to be
> pressed
> >> if both
> >> of those are the same)
> >>
> >> And that's pretty much it if the box accepts a heading in degrees
> as
> >> a
> >> command.
> >>
> >> You probably want a 360 degree pot, which might be a little
> hard to
> >> find.
> >> And if the rotor is capable of more-than-360 degree or
> continuous
> >> rotation,
> >> you might need to be careful in how you send your commands.
> That
> >> is,
> >> unless the rotor controller itself decides which way to turn
> based
> >> on the
> >> heading that comes in on the serial port. If it does that, it
> >> greatly
> >> simplifies things, and you just send a number over the serial
> port,
> >> probably. If the homebrew controller has to be smart about
> >> over-travel past
> >> 360 degrees, you'd need to add a lot of rules to the firmware to
> >> tell the
> >> control box the right direction.
> >>
> >> You can probably do it for thirty bucks or so, plus the effort
> of
> >> learning
> >> how to program the Arduino board... but like I said, there's a
> >> large
> >> community of people who don't have any prior experience with
> >> microcontrollers doing things with the Arduino, because the
> people
> >> who
> >> designed it were shooting for "as easy to use as possible."
> >>
> >> Here are some things I've built:
> >> http://n3ox.net/projects/stepperswitch/
> >>
> >
>
http://forums.ham-radio.ch/showthread.php?21433-Parallel-Port-Emulator-us
> > ing-Arduino&p=112644#post112644
> >> The first one accepts input from analog and digital pins and
> turns a
> >> switch
> >> to switch bands on my big vertical. The second one is an
> automated
> >> band
> >> switch that sends and receives commands from Ham Radio Deluxe
> over a
> >> USB
> >> serial connection and switches eight lines high and low.
> Eventually
> >> I'm
> >> going to fuse those two things together...
> >>
> >> 73
> >> Dan
> >> _______________________________________________
> >>
> >>
> >>
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