New interface, gen.'07 see text below.


* * * Crazy PA Tuner * * *
crazy power amplifier tuner



Help page for the

wecontrol logo by ik0vve

The software that drives an almost crazy idea,
but not only.



How_To transform any manual linear amplifier in an automatic one.
quasi automatic :-)


Introduction.

This software has been written by Max IK0VVE .
The latest version and the terms of use you find at : www.ik0vve.net/software

The progam drives 2 Stepper Motors (SM) via the LPT port of a PC.
If you still use an LPT printer as me, get a two ports DB25 switch.
The following link brings you to the hardware page.

These help pages cover the use of the WEController software in the Radioamateur field where one or two knobs are to be rotated
back, forth and get their positions memorized .

The software after the many feedbacks to the Author by me and other Hams has become a Multi Use program ,
as the original version intended for only one mode has been improved to work in 3 different ones . For now!

Furthermore the software interfaces to external software so the motors can be driven also by other programs.
These programs are : Ham Radio de Luxe a well known rig's interfacing soft , Logger32, the best free Ham Log, for me, thank you Bob for the help.
And the famous contest logger program N1MM.
Further programs will be interfaced as the need will occour.



Even if the software is very easy to use, I will give here a brief description of the “Tune&Load” part relative to my project,
but being it QUASI identical to the COIL_Tuner part.


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The main menu window can be divided in 4 parts : Motor1, Motor2, Memories and Options.

we-controller window .
Click here to view an external menu window during the scrolling of the article

Beside the above 4 parts here follows a short description of the FILE-FUNCTION-CONFIG-? command row.

  • File
    • Load Config : loads a personalized cfg
    • Save Config : saves a " " cfg
    • Exit . . . . . .: Guess what ?!
  • Function
    • Coil Tuner : coil tuning section.
    • Tune & Load : Amplifier or whatelse Tuner section.
    • Satellite Rotor: Satellite section.
  • Config
    • General Settings : Save\Load stepper positions,Change Consolle & Text colors, Keyboard commands, Enable Alarms.
    • Tuner connection : connection settings to link external programs.
    • Satellite connections : sat.conn.
  • WEC Server : in development.
  • ? = Help


Part 1 & 2 .
The motor parts 1 and 2 are identical.
Each motor part can be divided into 2 sub-parts: Input Fields and Motor Consolles.

  • The Input Fields marked by the big yellow circle, carry the values that let the motors turn .
      By clicking with the mouse on the "orange-asterisc" we knob you access into the relative input function. ENTER accepts the value.
    • FAST\SLOW are the fields where to enter by test&try the values for the fast and slow speed rotation as one needs and prefers.
      • my working values are 100-150 for the fast and 20-30 for the slow speed.
        *** Too fast value will led to loose the step impulses ***.
    • STEPs. Here you enter the steps value per revolution of the motor in use.
    • DOTs/r :This value sets the correspondence between the stepper's DOTs scale and you rig.
      • Depending on the reduction gears of the PA and the pulleys ratio.
      • My DOTs/r setting is +or- 30 to have the same number in the DOTs counter and the linear's scale.
      • Or how many DOTs you will see in the display for each motor revolution.

  • The Motor Consolles 1&2 in the large yellow square.
    • The green rectangle (I like it so... you can change the colors in the Config-menu) carries the following commands:
      • TUNE\LOAD: in the black squares run the leds either CW or CCW indicating the motor action by the software;
        I have also added a simple led-display on the front panel to indicate the motor's rotation.
      • DOTs:000,0: the steps counter display.
        • A further function comes on by clicking on the dots numbers in the little yellow square.
        • This is a manual input for the DOTs value.
        • It is usefull if for any reason the DOTs value does not correspond anymore with the amplifier's scale
          or one needs to put temporarily another value without going to store it in the memories.

          • manual_dots           Click here to view an external menu window during the scrolling of the article.

      • < stop > buttons : clicked by the mouse let the motor rotate either left , right or stopping it.
        • The motors can be rotated also by pressing the keys on the keyboard.
          Look into the config menu , any key combination can be choosen.
          Pressing the SHIFT key with the motor keys puts the speed to FAST-mode.
      • Fast Slow buttons : if clicked during the motor rotation you get the speed increments set by the stepper's values in the -IF- fields.
      • White Led : the limit switch Led, but not used in my project.

Below the green consolle there are some more commands:

  • Reset TN\LD (Tune or Load). When clicked the DOTs value is resetted to 0 (zero).
    • This function is used to syncronize the DOTs value and the beginning of the linear amplifier's scale.
  • Half stepp mode: unchecked puts the motor in full-stepp(FS), checked in half-step (HS).
    • Depending on which brand of motors you have HS mode is much more precise, reduced noise, but some lesser rotating power .
  • Manual\Memory window. Here is shown whether the motor is used manually or by the memories.

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Part 3.

The Memories : Basic and Advanced use.
The memories are one of the MUST of the whole WEController project.

  • Basic:
    Turning the steppers is quite an easy task, but changing the bands back and forth meant that one needed a memory bank
    to keep the Knobs position values memorized.
    Look at the small yellow circle in the WEController window.

    10 memories are present, each one has 3 fields :
    The upper one is the description, the middle one is the relative memo_caller_button and the lower one is the input field.
    Resting the mouse over any memo number a sticker will appear whit the memorized values .

    • Inputting the values.
      • double click on the horizontal asterisk,, you are presented with a first window which tells what values are set
        and what are the new values to be memorized.
      • By clicking OK you go ahead and the input field comes on with the button description,which can be changed or leaved.
        The button description must be in the form of band = 20, 20m, 20 m, 20 meters (m20 is not OK)
        or FREQUENCY mode = 14.150 Mhz (only the first 2 numbers 14.xxx are recognized,the rest of the string is only mnemonic).
      • Click ENTER to save the new values.

  • Advanced :
    Fast_Memory_Store (FMS).
    This feature is located in the OPTIONS part of the window. It may be checked = ON or unchecked = OFF.
    At the present time it works only if the WEController is coupled to one of the external programs.

    It has the following function:
    Should we need to move on the same band far away from the WE_Con\RF_PA tuned position we need to retune.
    Usage : when WEController is coupled to an external software say Logger32 and we have the need to retune the amplifier having FMS_ON
    just press the key SHIFT + the motor CW or CCW keys to retune, when we leave the SHIFT key the new values are stored directly into the actual Memory position and a wav notice is given.
    The FMS must be ON otherway the software would resycronize the steppers to the preset values every time we try to retune the steppers manually.

  • Under the memory nr. 10 is the motor OFF button.
    Its use has become unnecessary after the introduction of the motors Auto_OFF function.
  • The status Bar shows:
    The software Mode, the IP and its opened port, the PC's name. The external program coupled.The name of the loaded cfg file.


=.=.=.=.=.=.


Part 4:

  • OPTIONS.
    Here are grouped more features togheter. This part is also divided in two sub-parts :
    Motor-controls and Fast-Memory-Store on the left,
    External Software syncronization on the right.

    • Options Left.
      • AUTO\Off & 4sec Input : here you can define if the motors after its rotation should be blocked and the delay before the OFF .
        This feature blocks the motors so they do not rotate during the OFF periods on possible SWR\RFI impulses.

      • 10 Memory Speed Ch : this value sets a sort of REVERSE SQUELCH.
        If the DOTS values between the memories are larger than 10 (as shown here) then the motors rotate in fast mode.
        This feature is usefull when changing from bands whose DOTs values are very distant and getting the repositioning quicker.
      • Fast Memory Store : described in the advanced memory part.
    • Options Right.
      • Here are grouped the commands to get WEController connected to the external programs.
      • Connect : I\O on or off.
      • Manual or Automatic : here you choose how to work with the motors when the WEController is connected to the external program.
      • Freq.: here is shown the CAT frequency.


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New dic.'06: interface .
A more flexibile interface has been added to the Cra_PA_Tun\We_Controller project.

This a www.velleman.be product model K8055 of Belgium , has the possibility to interface up to 4 cards, multiplying the
possibilities to extend the control to more equipment.

wecon usb function


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The software will get more functions as they will be needed.
Any suggestion will be appreciated.
Feel free to write to my email on ic8pofATyahooDOTcom (copy,paste and correct),
or to Max's email : ik0vveATik0vve.net.


Back to the IC8POF's Crazy PA Tuner crazy power amplifier tuner hardware page,

or goto to Max's IK0VVE wecontrol logo by ik0vve software page.



v1.4- marzo\aprile\maggio 2006 , gennaio '07 - rev.lug.08