[RTTY] After the Contest, AMP REPAIRS?? Interface Choices??

[Kok Chen]

On Jan 10, 2011, at 1/10    8:03 AM, Al Kozakiewicz AB2ZY wrote:

> Chill.  Last I checked, Czechoslovakia was a former Soviet client  
> state, though you are correct that it was not one of THE socialist  
> republics.

Come now, the Czech Republic led the economic growth of the European  
Union for years, before the European Union suffered the current  
downturn.  And they probably also had snow removed from their  
streets :-).

For the MicroHAM products that have built-in sound cards, there is a  
standard USB hub.  One connection of the hub is made to a garden  
variety USB Audio Class compliant codec.  I don't know of any  
operating system today that don't work with the USB Audio Class  
devices -- what would all the kids do with their music!  You are not  
talking about the E-MU or PreSonus sound cards.

The other port of the USB hub is connected to a single FTDI chip,  
running at 230 kilobaud.  It cannot be simpler than that in hardware.

The driver for a new operating system depends on FTDI and not on  
MicroHAM.  Everything is carried in a somewhat arcane packet protocol  
on that single 230 kb "serial port" connection.  They publish the  
protocol and you don't even need to use their Router software.  I use  
my own software instead of Router.  If a retired old coot like me can  
write his own program to control the MicroHAM products, anyone else  
can too.

73
Chen, W7AY