SO2R config - USB COM port confusion

[vk4iu]

Yes.  Thankyou.  Got the firmware.

New firmware installed into HW/ VER 6 system.

New COM ports were allocated when the device restarted.  I adjusted the ports to my preferred arrangement, deleted/uninstalled the other hidden ports and rebooted the system while both RemoteRig systems were plugged in and powered on.

No reconfiguration occurred and Logic and OmniRig are operational.  It is all working as I expect.

I shall make the point of rebooting often over the weekend - try to simulate what I would normally do over a more extended period - and report back on my experience.

Thnaks for your efforts, Jan.

Peter VK4IU

[vk4iu]

G'Day,

The beta version of the RemoteRig firmware, on one of the control end devices, has successfully solved my USB COM port confusion.

Thanks for your efforts, Jan.  What do I need to do to ensure "uniqueness" of the USB ports across all my RemoteRig devices?

For completeness, the following describes what I did.

It is Sunday afternoon here and all weekend I have been - pluging, unplugging, booting, and generally mucking about, making my RemoteRig links bullet proof before starting further serious efforts.

The system has operated continuously for some 36 hours - my usual contest effort - despite all the pushing and pulling of the system.  In the old days, the Sperry mainframe engineers, on commissioning day, walked about banging and thumping the various cabinet frames with a rubber hammer, trying to make something fail.  I did not quite go that far.

The following applies to the "control" end of my RemoteRig K3/0-K3-MK2R+ SO2R configuration.  All is on a local area network at my QTH - no Internet is involved.  At the control end, I am using a DELL Vostro i7 Notebook running Win7 64 bit.

Initially, I turned off both K3/0 radios, unplugged all "control" end RemoteRig devices. 

I uninstalled the Microbit software.   I then installed the Microbit Setup Manager 1.19 and installed the COM port drivers.  I removed/uninstalled all the relevant COM ports from the Win 7 Device Manager.

I plugged in the USB cable for the H/W Rev 6 device and installed the RemoteRig 2.89 Beta firmware.  I then plugged in and  updated the other RemoteRig device, H/W ver 8, to ver 2.88.  This should imply that each RemoteRig device had a "unique" USB identity.

I then proceeded to power up the devices and radios, checking the allocated COM ports.  I used the Properities of the COM ports in Win 7 Device Manager to arrange the COM ports as I prefer.  I then rebooted/restarted/poweroff/on the system numerous times.

The COM port confusion, noted in previous posts in this topic, had been completely removed.  At no point since installing the new beta software to ONE control end RemoteRig device, has there been any COM port confusion.  Everything has worked as I expected - my preferred ports remained allocated and operational despite restarts, and/or power down of any or all devices.  I was able to operate the remote K3 radios with Logic, OmniRig, N1MM, TRX Manager and various test tools of my own - as if I was in the radio shack.

I had issues with Ham Radio Deluxe Ver 6 - HRD sets the rig OK, but update of the VFO display never occurs or was extremely slow.  HRD 6 is a work in progress - still.

I also returned to my other Notebook running Windows Vista.  Again, all the previous confusion was gone, and configuration went quickly and easily.  All but HRD tested as I expected.

Thanks Jan.

Peter VK4IU

[Jan (Microbit)]

Great Peter, simply Great!

This kind of feedback is invaluable and helps really much when we are unable to see a problem ourselves!

There is nothing you can do about ensuring uniqueness across more than two RRCs as you only have access to two firmwares with different USB serial number. Instead we have to change the firmware so that it generates unique USB serial numbers for every single RRC device. That should not be that hard now that we know what to do, but I am off for a week's holiday/vacation as of tomorrow so it might take a while before it gets done. If you are fast at replying to this I could make you a couple of more fw files with unique USB serial numbers for you to use during that time.

/Jan

[vk4iu]

Thanks Jan.

I have replied to the "beta" email.   A second beta with another unique ID would be appreciated.

Enjoy your break.  Happy holidays.

Peter VK4IU