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LP-Bridge Software Page
Overview:

LP-Bridge provides two main functions... to link PowerSDR to the K3 for interactive control, and to allow multiple applications to talk to the K3 at the same time.

PowerSDR Linking... The following functions are currently linked between the K3 and PowerSDR: VFO A, Mode, IF Offset, TX/RX. The links are bidirectional, meaning that any change made on PowerSDR will be reflected at the K3, and vice versa. In addition, LP-Bridge provides links for VFO B, K3 bandwidth and Preamp/Attenuator settings to allow the vertical scale in PowerSDR to be re-adjusted whenever the K3 preamp or attenuator are activated. These have not been fully implemented in PowerSDR yet, however. The VFO B linking is partially done and will be released shortly along with any bug fixes from the current release. It is going to be a killer feature for split operation.

Rig Sharing... LP-Bridge is unique in this regard, going far beyond what any other com port sharing application does. LP-Bridge actually creates a mirror K3 in memory, with constantly updated data about the current state of the hardware. Multiple programs can query the mirror about status for almost any supported command, and receive an instant response just as though they were talking to a real K3. Commands sent other than queries, are passed on to the K3 with the proper timing. Most of the traffic from an application is polling queries, so the mirror removes the burden of responding to those from the K3. The mirror also emiminates the possibility of multiple polling commands colliding with each other trying to communicate with the K3, since they are intercepted by the mirror. The normal polling for K3 status is handled entirely by LP-Bridge. Data requiring constant updating is polled for rapidly, and lesser used functions broadcast their status from the K3 to LP-Bridge. Some commands are intenionally blocked altogether. For this reason, the K3 Utility should not be used with LP-Bridge.

Download:

Warning: If you are using microHam Router, it appears that there is a conflict between Router drivers prior to version 7, and LP-Bridge (both programs use Eltima drivers). You must upgrade the Router software to avoid this conflict. This is easily done in the Help section of Router.

LP-Bridge is beta software. You should understand this when you use it. There may be bugs, and some things that are not finished yet, but it is solid in my testing. Report any bugs or feature requests to my email. It is also wise to monitor the LP-PAN User's Group for up to date feedback.

Before installing, make sure you are logged in as Administrator, or that your user account has admin privileges. This will save headaches, especially with Vista. Normally, if you are the main or only user, your default account will be Administrator or have these privileges. Click on one of the links below to either open and run the installation program, or save to your downloads folder, where you can open and run it. Choose the "full" version the first time you install LP-Bridge. Choose the "update" version if you are just updating the program. If you ever uninstall LP-Bridge, you will have to use the "full" version again.

LP-Bridge_0978_full.zip
This is the current "release" version with all supporting files.

LP-Bridge_0982_update.zip
Requires K3 firmware release version 2.38. When first running this, you will have to re-select your com ports since I save them a different way now, and you may have to reset other values like program names, polling and CW pitch.

LP-Bridge_0983_update.zip
Requires K3 firmware release version 2.46. Supports a number of new K3 commands, and also supports HRD v4.1 Build 1989

Software Version History

Once unzipped, click on the program folder, then click on setup.exe to start installation. Accept the default installation directory. The virtual port drivers in LP-Bridge are different for each operating system. During installation, LP-Bridge Installation will detect your OS and install and register the correct versions. LP-Bridge will run on Windows 2000, XP, XP64, Vista and Vista64. You will see a command console open up during installation to run the registration programs, and you will see messages that the registration was successful for the two drivers. Click OK on the two registration messages when they appear. Click Finish to finish installation. You will see a message asking you if you want to reboot. Click yes, console will close and your PC will reboot.


If asked at any time about replacing newer files on your system with older ones from the LP-Bridge installation, always keep your newer existing files. After the reboot, you can start LP-Bridge from the Start menu, or create a shortcut for your desktop.


Setup & Operation:

When LP-Bridge first starts, it will be in Setup mode, shown below in reduced size in the Setup View section. After you have set your preferences, you can collapse the display to show the Normal mode, which is the top half only. The bottom left section provides "terminal" windows which show the traffic to and from the K3 in the case of the serial port, or connected applications in the case of the virtual ports. The windows contain the last 100 commands sent and received between the port and its target. This can be invaluable in troubleshooting. The "Setup" section allows setting preferences such as polling speed, calibration tables to adjust the PowerSDR scales, DSP BW tracking, etc. Grayed out functions are not yet implemented. The "DDE Diagnostics" section in the bottom right allows troubleshooting the DDE link to PowerSDR. For users with older PCs, hiding setup will use a little less CPU, or LP-Bridge can be run minimized for minimum peocessor load.

Here is an overview of the sections of LP-Bridge, what they do and how they are used. The pictures are 2/3 normal size.

Normal View

Menu Bar... Along the top of the window. There are three pulldown menus.

File: Only has one choice, "Exit". You can  also exit cleanly  by using the X in the upper right of the LP-Bridge window. Your curent settings are saved on exiting.
 
Setup: Can be set for "Show" or "Hide". Normally, it is left on Hide unless you want to change a setting or run diagnostics on a port.
 
Help: "Web Help" will display a link to this page. "About" displays version and copyright data for LP-Bridge.

K3 Port... This is the area where you select the port that your rig is connected to. The K3 must be set for a baud rate of 38,400, which is the maximum connection speed for the rig. Click on "Connect" to connect to the K3. If the connection is succesful, the button name will change to "Disconnect". Click on "Disconnect" to disconnect. If you have a virtual port open when you try to disconnect, you will get an error message to close the virtual port first. If there is a problem connecting to the rig, you will also get an error message. Check cabling and K3 settings if this occurs. If connection is successful, the row of boxes grouped under the "K3 Status" heading will fill with data. This is mostly the data that is linked to PowerSDR, but can also be used to verify proper connection to the K3. The current firmware versions loaded into your K3 are also shown. The "Auto Connect" checkbox is grayed out for now, but will eventually allow LP-Bridge to automatically connect to the K3 when the program starts.

Virtual Port 1-3... This is the area where you select the ports that LP-Bridge will provide for connecting various applications to the K3. Ports can be any port that is not already used on your system. When selecting a port to use, you must avoid all real and virtual ports which already exist, such as those used by USB adapters, devices such as microHam, etc. Select a port number and click Connect. If the connection is succesful, the button name will change to "Disconnect". If not, you will get an error message. If there is no connection to the K3, you will also get an error message to connect to the K3 first.

Applications which will connect to this port must be set for the selected port number (not the K3 physical port number). Additional settings should be 38,400 baud, 8-bits, no parity and 1 stop bit (38400,8,N,1). If the application has a polling rate, it should be set fairly fast. I use 200ms for most of mine, but if you have an older computer and it bogs down at that setting, a slower one can be used. Loggers which require minimal data can be set as low as 1 second. Programs which require interactive tuning, or have an S-Meter display should be to a fast setting.

Handshaking should be set how you would normally for connecting to the K3, ie. if you are using DTR or RTS for PTT or CW keying, you would leave these settings as they would be if connected to a K3. Keying signals from multiple applications will all key the K3 in parallel. It is assumed that only one keying application would be in control at any time.

Once again, "Auto Connect" is currently grayed out. There is also a choice for each virtual port to accept "AI1" (Auto Information) from the K3. VPort1 also allows using "AI2" for applications that require it. Some applications don't poll for data, so the K3 has to initiate the comms dialog using one of the Auto Information modes. Checking this setting provides a way for them to do that. If in your testing you find your application does not update when tuning the K3, try checking either "AI1" or "AI2". In my testing, I found that Logic8 requires "AI1", and N4PY's Pegasus requires "AI2". TRX-Manager can be set up to use polling or "AI2". Other programs I have tried that don't need these settings include CW Skimmer, DXLabs' Suite, N1MM, MixW, Logger32, Wintest, DX4WIN and HRD.

In addition, there is a little text box for each virtual port which will allow you to type a program name to help you remember which application is connected to that port. LP-Bridge will remember these titles.


Setup View

Terminal Windows... These let you view traffic to and from the K3 for the serial port, and to and from applications for the virtual ports. Each window shows the last 100 comm events, and can help you track down a problem. For instance, if an application is not polling for a certain command, or you want to verfiy that it is getting a response that is not being properly displayed. To scroll through the data, you must disconnect or stop the application from polling, at which point you can scroll through the lines and look for your problem.

Setup... This area provides a place to choose your settings. These include...

Preamp, Attenuator and CAL: Allow you to set the panadapter vertical scale offsets so that the displayed levels are correct whether the K3 preamp or attenuator are on or off. Not implemented yet.
 
On Top: Allows you to set LP-Bridge to display on top of other applications at all times.
 
Polling: Sets the polling rate for LP-Bridge. This largely determines the tuning "feel", and S-Meter update speed for programs which need this. The default is 200ms.
 
CW Pitch: This is a temporary control which provides a workaround to a K3 bug. Once this bug is fixed, the control will disappear. Enter your CW Pitch to match the setting on the K3. The LP-Bridge default is 600 Hz.

DDE Diagnostics... This allows testing of the link to PowerSDR. The K3 must be disconnected to use these. If the link is working properly, you can select modes, enter frequencies (in Hz, ie. 14150000), etc. to verify that PowerSDR follows your commands. PowerSDR should respond with return data in the DDE Rcvd Text window.

Again, once you have set the settings, you can hide the setup portion of LP-Bridge.


PowerSDR - IF Stage Setup

Refer to Scott, WU2X's website, for basic installation information of PowerSDR setup, and to the LP-PAN manual for specific settings relating to sound cards and PowerSDR usage. I will be adding a section to the LP-PAN manual regarding use of the sub-receiver in PowerSDR when it's ready as well.

Here is a picture of the settings specific to LP-PAN / K3 / LP-Bridge that you need to use...


One of the unique things that LP-Bridge does is automatic IF shift compensation for the K3. This requires that all of the IF Frequency settings be zero, which is the new default. New boxes are included for three functions...

IF Frequency Global... Allows adding a fixed offset to account for LP-PAN and K3 L.O. differences. In my case, it's -45 Hz. Just tune in a carrier in LSB or USB and adjust the Global setting so that the K3 and PowerSDR are zero beat. The offset will hold for all modes. Starting with run 3 LP-PANs, the offset will be about 6 kHz because of the intentionally offset L.O., BTW.

Default Modes... These determine which sideband is the default in PowerSDR for CW Normal and DATA Normal on the K3. The settings shown should be correct. When selecting CW Reverse or DATA Reverse on the K3, the opposite sidebands will be used.

Rig Control Program... Allows a choice of HRD or LP-Bridge. Every time that PowerSDR is switched from ON to STBY now, the links are re-established.

Important: The CAT section of PowerSDR has nothing to do with the K3 or LP-Bridge. It can be confusing, but all serial comms are between LP-Bridge and the K3, and all PowerSDR control is via a DDE link between LP-Bridge and PowerSDR.

73,
Larry N8LP




Software Version History:
Version
 Release Date
 Notes
0.9.8.3
 10-31-08
 Adds support for K3 firmware release 2.46
Adds support for HRD 4.1 Build 1989
Adds IF; and FB; outputs for the two Output Ports to support microHam band decoder
0.9.8.2
 9-25-08
 Fixed bug in Split mode for two Output Ports
0.9.8.1
 9-11-08
 Fixed bug that caused Output Port 2 to recall the com port number for Output port 1.
0.9.8.0
 9-7-08
 1. Fixed a bug where the position lines in config.ini were not being saved under certain conditions.
2. Changed the way ports are saved to eliminate the possibility of the wrong port being recalled
3. Fixed RX command problem.
0.9.7.9
 8-15-08
 Added output ports for SteppIR and other hardware.
0.9.7.8
 08-07-08
 Made a change to correct for an apparent intermittent K3 bug causing errors when polling a VPort for commands which use the K3 extended command set.
0.9.7.7
 08-05-08
 1. Changed polling in TX mode to reduce load on K3 which was causing problems with ALC algorithm in K3.
2. Added AI2 option for VPorts 2 & 3
3. Added error trapping and message for K3 port connection.
4. Fixed a couple minor bugs.
0.9.7.6
 08-03-08
 1. Fixed a problem with microHam Router and the way it and at least one other USB to serial adapter handled AI2 generated responses from the K3.
2. Re-enabled blocking of AI commands from V Ports
0.9.7.5
 08-01-08
 1. Fixed a problem with buffer overrun on microHam Router and other USB to serial adapters when polling for all the data to initially populate the virtual K3 parameters in LP-Bridge.
2. Fixed bug where polling was being unibtentionally be repeated twice each polling interval.
0.9.7.4
 07-30-08
 Initial alpha release of LP-Bridge