K45B CW Modem
with WinKeyer3 Controller
User Manual
www.k1el.com
Revision B.0
March 8, 2023
Page 1: ...K45B CW Modem with WinKeyer3 Controller User Manual www k1el com Revision B 0 March 8 2023 ...
Page 2: ...d instantly by hot key USB Type A connector for use with a standard wired or wireless USB keyboard Mini USB connector for connection to a host PC or power source 1 8 inch audio jack for CW reader input with adjustable gain spacing threshold and noise filter 1 8 inch stereo key output jack provides two separate optically isolated outputs Keying outputs can be configured as two separate keying outpu...
Page 3: ...letters and the receive window holds 64 lines 1024 letters In both windows once entry reaches the end of a line the display is automatically scrolled up and the cursor is moved to the left of a new line An optional word wrap mode can be enabled to break the line at word boundaries this setting is in Configuration Menu 5 If word wrap has been enabled then an entire word will be carried over to the ...
Page 4: ... up down arrows Moving extreme right or left will move to the next or previous menu wrapping from first to last and last to first An underline cursor indicates the selected item The ENTER key opens that item up for editing and a submenu will show the current setting The setting can then be changed with the right left arrows or by entering a new value on the keyboard Each menu item leads off with a...
Page 5: ...am After a brief pause the menu will clear and text will be sent as received To stop the stream bring up the Dump Display Window and press 3 Note it is not possible to dump either the Rx or Tx window while the CWR stream is activated There are several terminal programs that run on a PC and receive data over a USB serial connection The text is displayed and can be saved to a file A very popular one...
Page 6: ...the mapping the prosign KN dah di dah dah dit will be sent when the key is pressed The K45 follows International Morse convention and defines punctuation as shown in the following prosign table These are predefined by default in the key mapping table Any of these can be changed simply by remapping them as described above is mapped to BT is mapped to DN is mapped to AR is mapped to SK is mapped to ...
Page 7: ...R RTTY Setup Menu The K45 can be configured to operate in RTTY transmit mode The format is fixed to Baudot FSK with many options A separate section on RTTY configuration and operation starts on Page 17 ESC S Serial Number Setup Menu The K45 provides a means to send an incrementing serial number either from the keyboard or as part of a message This menu provides a means to control the way a serial ...
Page 8: ...ini the K45 provides two keying ports without PTT or one port with PTT 5 The K45 encoder emulates a WKUSB speed pot as close as possible It generates one WPM change per click If you turn the pot extremely fast the K45 may miss a step 6 The K45 must be in WinKeyer mode before a USB comport will show up on the PC 7 A Host Not Found Error is displayed if WinKeyer mode is started without an active PC ...
Page 9: ...put is turned on as well The user has the option of selecting 50 duty cycle by way of an entry in Configuration Menu 2 Tune remains on until the user presses space T the paddle is pressed or the 10 second tune watchdog timer expires If in Key1 PTT mode both the KEY and PTT outputs are turned on Only one output is turned on in Key1 or Key2 modes The CWR is muted while Tune is activated BW will be d...
Page 10: ...most LCD bar The default gain setting is 4 ALT Left ALT Right CWR Noise Filter Adjustment Hold the ALT key down and press the Left and Right arrows to cycle through ten filter levels As the filter is being modified new values will be flashed on the status line as CF n where n is a value between 0 and 9 Changes are automatically stored in nonvolatile configuration memory for the current user The no...
Page 11: ...RKCALL Any of these tags can be changed if desired The most common use of F11 and F12 are with the automatic exchange generator but they can be used just like any other slot see X CTL X command on pg 9 When the cursor is moved up to the top line the cursor will snap to the tag for editing Use L CTL L to delete the current tag or move the cursor to the end of the tag and backspace left to delete le...
Page 12: ...e sent as QRZ QRZ DE K1EL K Jump can be used to make a message loop Load Slot F10 with CQ CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL K1EL JA After sending CQ CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL K1EL we loop back to the beginning and send it again This will repeat forever until either paddle or DEL key is pressed When composing a message like this be sure to put a space or delay at the end otherwise the first letter will be sent after the...
Page 13: ... format a specific HSCW message Key down for nn seconds Buffered K nn The transmitter will be held in key down state until either the timer expires or DEL is entered Two digits must be entered as in 06 for 6 seconds Maximum key down time is 99 seconds Example ON K05 OFF a 5 second key down will be inserted between ON and OFF Merge Two Letters into a Prosign Buffered M C1 C2 You can build on the fl...
Page 14: ...adjacent text Delays longer than 99 seconds can be specified by using the WM nn variation which will pause for nn minutes The maximum wait time allowed is 20 minutes Easy Beacon with exact timing Buffered Z nn str str will be sent at the beacon rate designated by nn in seconds The time between beacons is set by the value nn and is independent of the time it takes to send str A J command is not nee...
Page 15: ... such as E T A N and proceeding up to the full range of letters numbers and letters The levels are shown in Table 2 Keyboard reply in Echo mode will be for AR for SK for BT and for AS When QSO practice is selected this option changes to Contest Mode On Off 5 TX Out On Off Transmit output can be disabled during a practice session This is a good idea to prevent broadcasting if the K45 is connected t...
Page 16: ...arts off with a CQ which the user responds to Exchanges will continue back and forth simulating an actual on air QSO Callsigns names locations etc are fictitious and generated at random The K45 is very unforgiving when it comes to letter and word spacing If words or letters are run together they will be ignored and progress will be very slow The user can choose to use the keyboard or paddles to re...
Page 17: ...e user enters a call wrong doesn t use proper spacing or misses an entry the drill will stop STOP will be then displayed on the status line If the user hits ENTER the QSO count will be reset and a new drill will start Remember that this is a simple drill to practice accurate and well formed replies in a contest like situation Many skills can be improved by using this mode of practice If it starts ...
Page 18: ...A carriage return line feed ends a current line and starts a new one This can be handled in one of two ways 1 A CRLF can be inserted manually using either the ENTER or keys 2 Automatic CRLF when enabled will insert CR LF when the line length exceeds 45 characters RYRYRY Test The K45 will send a long RYRYRY string automatically in response to a character It will automatically send CRLF at the start...
Page 19: ... the next space The character counter is reset after CR LF This is a very valuable feature for conversational RTTY The operator can type away and not have to worry about running over at the end of a line Figure 18 RTTY Setup Menu 2 Baud Rate The K45 supports three operational speeds 45 45 60 WPM 50 66 WPM and 75 Baud 100 WPM STOP Bit Control There are two possible settings 1 5 or 2 0 stop bits Thi...
Page 20: ...ble that is activated if more than 128 dits or dahs are sent consecutively This prevents unattended keying The output is disabled after 128 consecutive events but the sidetone continues to sound allowing you to detect the condition sidetone needs to be enabled Paddle watchdog can be disabled in Configuration Menu 3 PDLwatch Running the K45 without a keyboard The K45 can be operated without a keybo...
Page 21: ...s output is called PTT which is a misnomer since it has nothing to do with Push to Talk In most cases the K45 PTT output is used to pre key a linear amplifier or antenna switch In those cases it s desirable to assert PTT in advance of keying Lead In hold throughout the keying interval and then deassert it after keying is complete Tail Some amount of Tail Time must be set for Lead In to work If Tai...
Page 22: ...l Catch call Send Msg 10 Send Msg 10 7 Home Home 7 Home Send Msg 7 8 Up WPM 8 WPM Send Msg 8 9 PgUp PgUp 9 PgUp Send Msg 9 Send Msg 11 Send Msg 11 Send Msg 11 4 Left S N 4 S N Send Msg 4 5 5 5 Toggle Tune Send Msg 5 6 Right S N 6 S N Send Msg 6 BackSpace BS BS Send Msg 12 Send Msg 12 1 End End 1 End Send Msg 1 2 Down WPM 2 WPM Send Msg 2 3 PgDn PgDn 3 PgDn Send Msg 3 Enter Enter Enter Send Exchg S...
Page 23: ...ilter ESC Start command entry INSERT Pause Transmit DEL Cancel Message Backspace Delete letter on left in Tx Window PGUP Scroll display up View older text PGDN Scroll display down View newer text TAB Toggle display view swap Rx and Tx HOME Return display view to input line BEG END Move display view to oldest line ENTER Various functions depending on current mode Windows Key Show Tx Progress CTL AL...
Page 24: ...WPM X Z Easy beacon Znn string nn cycle time Table 6 Buffered Command Table Escape and Control Key Command Chart Esc Description CTL Description C Set Configuration Menu B Send 73 de MYCALL D Dump Display Menu C Fast Catch Callsign H Show Help Menu D Decrease Weight K Edit Key Mapping Menu E Send 8 Error Dits L Clear Rx Tx Windows I Increase Weight M Show Message Menu L Clear Current Window O Set ...
Page 25: ... must be re opened and the value set back to what is was In either case once the item is saved control is returned to the main configuration menu To leave configuration press and hold the encoder until the menu is replaced by the K45 main window Configuration Menu 1 1 TxWPM 5 AutoSpac 2 Weight 6 WordSpac 3 LtrSpc 7 Pdl Samp 4 KeyComp 8 Pdl Hang Figure 21 Configuration Menu 1 1 TXWPM Set the Speed ...
Page 26: ... Paddle Sample Time Adjustment This adjusts the delay from the start of a dit or dah to when K45 latches the next paddle press Normally the K45 waits one dit time before latching a new dit or dah This delay can be adjusted to be greater or less than one dit time If the delay is too short the operator could inadvertently send an extra dit or dah If the delay is too long the next dit or dah could be...
Page 27: ...vent transmitter keying Sidetone is still active when transmit is muted The up down arrows will cycle through four options which are 1 Select Port 1 Tip Output Key Ring Output PTT 2 Select Port 1 Tip Output Key Ring Output Off No PTT 3 Select Port 2 Tip Output Off Ring Output Key No PTT 4 Transmit output muted 5 PTT Lead Set PTT Lead In Delay Time 0 99 Lead In is entered as a two digit number whic...
Page 28: ...uld always leave the ratio set at 1 3 which is the universal standard Increased Dit Dah Ratio Normal R Decreased Dit Dah Ratio Max Value Allowed is 66 Min Value allowed is 33 Figure 27 Dit Dah Ratio Timing 2 1stExtn Set 1st Element Extension The K45 addresses problems often encountered when keying older transceivers with slow break in response Due to a slow receive to transmit changeover time the ...
Page 29: ... to hear than others due to hearing loss 7 ST Freq Set Sidetone Frequency not applicable to accessory sidetone board The K45 sidetone will operate over a wide range of audio frequencies The user enters a specific frequency and the K45 will match that frequency as close as it can Usually the resulting frequency is within a few percent of the request For example an entry of 840 Hz will result in a s...
Page 30: ...r until the Practice Menu disappears and a practice session will start 5 Serial Set Serial Number For contesting the ability to send and keep track of a serial number is indispensable This command allows you to preset the serial number to any 5 digit number from 00001 to 99999 Any non numeric value entered will be ignored Once the serial number is set you can increment decrement and send the seria...
Page 31: ...ven a small USB charger will work fine Use a good quality USB charger one with good voltage regulation Power On Off The K45 will power up as soon as it is plugged into a USB power source It can be put into a low power standby mode by the ESC O command or by holding the encoder button down for 3 seconds after the configuration menu appears In standby mode the display backlight is turned off and oth...
Page 32: ...tored in EEPROM the next time you power up the K45 it will start up the way you like Initially all message slots are cleared but as you load messages they are automatically saved in EEPROM There are two display views that must be understood before we go any further The initial view is the receive display which will show characters decoded by the built in CW decoder If you press the TAB key the dis...
Page 33: ...he K45 does not have an internal speaker so there will be no audio to listen to An option is to use a splitter cable and feed one side to a speaker and the other side to the K45 This will work to some degree but since the level is dependent on the AF gain control you may have to adjust the CWR gain every time you change the radio s AF gain So bottom line use line out if possible SignaLink TM or si...
Page 34: ...e status line as CT n where n will be the threshold level setting For best results set the threshold just above the point where random band noise triggers letter decoding Threshold can also be adjusted in Configuration Menu 4 CWR Thrsh CWR Inter letter Spacing Allowance Another challenge is trying to copy poor sending technique letters that are run together poorly constructed or varying widely in ...
Page 35: ...ify the selection by pressing a capital Y DO NOT PRESS Y UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO UPGRADE All three devices are upgraded using one application on the PC namely K45pgm Figure 35 K45 PGM Main Dialog Box The app is divided into three groups one for each controller each updated separately The procedures are slightly different for each controller The K45 upgrade will be described first in detail follo...
Page 36: ...ual Rev B 0 3 8 2023 Page 36 On K45pgm click OpenK45 and the current F W revision is displayed Click K45 Update Click Load Hex File and navigate to select the update file ending in K45 After File has loaded Click Update K45 PIC The new image will be installed ...
Page 37: ...ick Open WK3 and it will report the WK3 s current version Click WK3 Update Enter file name Click program When programming is done WK will send an R Then press encoder to reboot WK It is now ready to go no power cycle is needed PSoC Upgrade On the PC Start K45pgm and set the com port On the K45 enter ESC U 3 Y must be capital Y On K45pgm click Open PSoC the current PSoC rev will be displayed Click ...
Page 38: ...e and Windows CH340 Driver zip from https www k1elsystems com WKminiRevB html and copy them into the new folder Unzip the Windows CH340 Driver zip file Now plug WKmini into your PC and wait to see if Windows Update will automatically search for a USB driver This usually doesn t happen but if it does click Skip obtaining driver Windows will then look on your local hard drive for the driver and will...
Page 39: ...e Correlation Demodulation Decode Speed Range 10 to 45 WPM Tuning Indication 10 Level LCD frequency bar graph auto squelch Gain Settings Eight gain levels Noise Filtering Eight Digital low pass filter settings Inter element Spacing 10 Noise threshold levels ASR Mode Automatic display buffer toggle CWR Processor Cypress CY8C27243 24 PSoC Processor Support and Warranty The K 45 is fully warranted to...
Page 40: ... Window s 5 Figure 2 Display Dump Setup Menu 5 ESC H ESC Help Menu 5 Figure 3 Escape Command Help Menu 5 ESC K Key mapping Menu 6 Figure 4 Key Mapping Menu 6 Table 1 Punctuation to Prosigns Defaults 6 ESC L Clear both display windows 6 ESC M Message Launcher Menu 6 Figure 5 Message Launcher Menu Example 7 ESC O Start Low Power Standby 7 ESC P Practice Mode 7 ESC R RTTY Setup Menu 7 ESC S Serial Nu...
Page 41: ...1 Buffered message commands 11 Figure 9 Buffered Command List Menu use Up Down to view them all 12 List of Buffered Commands 12 Jump to message Buffered 12 Call a message Buffered 12 Decrement Serial Number Buffered 12 Increment Serial Number Buffered 13 Reset Speed Buffered 13 Set an HSCW Speed Buffered 13 Key down for nn seconds Buffered 13 Merge Two Letters into a Prosign Buffered 13 Send Seria...
Page 42: ...24 Appendix A Configuration Menu Layouts and Descriptions 25 Configuration Menu 1 25 Figure 21 Configuration Menu 1 25 1 TXWPM Set the Speed in WPM 25 2 Weight Set Keying Weight 25 Figure 22 Weighting Timing 25 3 LtrSpc Set Extra Letterspace in Percent 25 4 KeyComp Set Key Compensation 0 to 32mSec 25 Figure 23 Compensation Timing 26 5 AutoSpac Enable Disable Autospace Mode applies to paddle input ...
Page 43: ...Level 30 3 Volts Show Logic Supply Voltage 30 4 CW Prac Practice Launcher 30 5 Serial Set Serial Number 30 6 ShowRevs Display Firmware Revisions 30 7 Word Wrap Set Word Wrap On Off 30 8 WinKeyer WinKeyer Mode Launcher 30 Appendix B K45 Modem Quick Start 31 Interconnection Diagram 31 Figure 31 K45 CW Keyboard Hookup Diagram 31 Which Keyboard to Use 31 Power Supply 31 Power On Off 31 Internal Sideto...
