NUE- USB Card Manual, ver 1.34
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Copyright 2009, Midnight Design Solutions, LLC
II. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
The USB Add-On card provides some powerful new capabilities to the NUE-PSK Digital Modem.
1)
REC MODE
-- Records QSOs to a USB flash memory device. The Ctrl-U command toggles REC
mode on to save all incoming and outgoing text from the QSO to the "thumb drive" plugged into the
rectangular USB port on the side of the modem. Additional commands allow you to specify the name of
the file being recorded on the flash device, as well as provide the ability to insert additional information to
the file as explanatory text for the QSO (e.g., date/time, event, etc.).
2) FLASH BOOTLOAD
-- Loads new modem software from a flash device. When activated from the
menu under the Select pushbutton, this function allows you to "bootload" a new software hex file from the
flash device to the modem processor. A suitable hex file is provided on this website and all you need to
do is download it to your flash device, insert it to the modem USB port, and select the Flash Bootload
operation from the Select menu. This operation eliminates the need to connect a serial adapter to P4 on
the modem when upgrading the software.
3)
PC BOOTLOAD
-- Loads new modem software from a computer. This new capability allows you to
connect the modem to a USB port on the PC using a suitable cable, and upgrade the modem software
from the PC. In effect, this function serves as a built-in serial adapter, thus eliminating the need for using
a separate serial adapter for upgrading the modem software. Just dial up this function in the Select
menu, activate the same "prog" program on your PC as before, and watch your modem software get
upgraded.
4) Built-in USB printer port --
Provides for realtime printing of the Tx & Rx data streams (the same, raw
Rx and Tx QSO data, as seen on the LCD.)
[Software support not yet available ... popular printer
protocols will come in later software releases after initial deployment of the USB card.]
5) Built-in Real-Time Clock/Calendar (pcb traces only)
-- Provisions have been made on the board to
support a PIC controller in order to maintain current date and time, ultimately for use by the modem and
in the recorded data going to the USB memory stick. Other than the schematic and board layout
supporting the PIC circuitry, this feature has not yet been designed - it is hoped that others will help out
by adding to the Open Software modem project. The task involves designing the PIC software and hooks
in the modem's dsPIC software ... a separate Modem RTCC requirements document is available for those
wishing to help with the project.
Important Note
... The modem software containing these features is version 1.33c (or beyond) and you
must have this loaded in order to realize these new capabilities. Also, it is necessary for the USB card to
be programmed with the "C01" version of firmware instead of the "A01" version we specified with earlier
modem releases (like v1.30c2). See the next section "Programming the USB Card" next for more
details on this.
Please refer to the Schematic in Appendix A for the following discussion.
The USB board plugs into the main board by means of a mating female connector to the modem's P4
"Field Programming" pinheader. Minor and easy mods are required on the modem PCB to supply 5 volts
to the P4 connector (instead of 3.3V), and to bring two extra control lines out to a new connector that
plugs into the USB card. The USB card is the same y-dimension as the modem board, and it extends 1-
1/8" in the x-direction over to the left edge of the enclosure. The board sits even with the main board,
supported by two standoffs on the left side and a 4-position SIP female header on the bottom that
extends out the right side of the board to plug into the existing P4 connector.
