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Serial Connection for K2

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Tom Field

Serial Connection for K2

I just completed the KPA100 and KIO2 mods for my K2. I have a new Dell
desktop running Windows 8. I don't have a serial port on the machine. What
is the recommended conversion from serial to USB?

Tom F.
KI6NRD
Elecraft K2 #7432
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Serial Connection for K2

Tom,

Use a USB to serial adapter with an FTDI chipset - the Prolific chipset
does not like to run at the slower rate required by the K2.

I have also had success with a Keyspan adapter.
If you want to go 'first class', use an Edgeport USB to serial converter
- I have a 4 port model that works flawlessly. Note that this is
usually referred to as a 'converter' rather than an 'adapter' - it is
often used in commercial environments and is quite robust - those termed
'adapter' are usually intended for the consumer market, and the relative
price indicates that fact. When I bought mine, they were selling on
Ebay for a very low price, someone had a big pile of used ones that he
was selling off.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 11/5/2013 8:08 PM, Tom Field wrote:

> I just completed the KPA100 and KIO2 mods for my K2. I have a new Dell
> desktop running Windows 8. I don't have a serial port on the machine. What
> is the recommended conversion from serial to USB?
>
> Tom F.
> KI6NRD
> Elecraft K2 #7432
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

tomb18

Re: Serial Connection for K2

Hi,
I see ebay has some 8 port Edgeports for $50.
I’m looking to cut down on computer generate noise in my shack. Currently I have 6 or 7 usb to serial adapters. I reduced noise quite a bit as shown on the P3 using some ferrite cores but the whole mess is now quite a sore sight. Not only that you need longer cables to wrap through those cores.
So here’s a few questions: is it better to run one high quality USB cable to a device such as an edge port and then run serial cables from there or have many usb to serial converters and extensions?
Anyone have a source for properly shielded USB cables?
Thanks

On Nov 5, 2013, at 8:54 PM, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Tom,
>
> Use a USB to serial adapter with an FTDI chipset - the Prolific chipset does not like to run at the slower rate required by the K2.
>
> I have also had success with a Keyspan adapter.
> If you want to go 'first class', use an Edgeport USB to serial converter - I have a 4 port model that works flawlessly. Note that this is usually referred to as a 'converter' rather than an 'adapter' - it is often used in commercial environments and is quite robust - those termed 'adapter' are usually intended for the consumer market, and the relative price indicates that fact. When I bought mine, they were selling on Ebay for a very low price, someone had a big pile of used ones that he was selling off.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 11/5/2013 8:08 PM, Tom Field wrote:
>> I just completed the KPA100 and KIO2 mods for my K2. I have a new Dell
>> desktop running Windows 8. I don't have a serial port on the machine. What
>> is the recommended conversion from serial to USB?
>>
>> Tom F.
>> KI6NRD
>> Elecraft K2 #7432
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

John Lemay

Re: Serial Connection for K2

I similarly spent ages hunting down noise from my PC and associated cables.

There are USB leads available which have a transparent outer sheath, which
"show off" the silver plated screen. I thought this was just a gimmick, but
it turns out they were quite effective. Remember you'll probably need
ferrites on both ends of the run with a minimum of one turn through each
ferrite. For many purposes, just clipping a choke on the cable is not
effective - depending on your frequency of interest and the level of noise.

Good luck !

John G4ZTR

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Tom Blahovici
Sent: 06 November 2013 06:28
To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Serial Connection for K2

Hi,
I see ebay has some 8 port Edgeports for $50.
I'm looking to cut down on computer generate noise in my shack. Currently I
have 6 or 7 usb to serial adapters. I reduced noise quite a bit as shown on
the P3 using some ferrite cores but the whole mess is now quite a sore
sight. Not only that you need longer cables to wrap through those cores.
So here's a few questions: is it better to run one high quality USB cable to
a device such as an edge port and then run serial cables from there or have
many usb to serial converters and extensions?
Anyone have a source for properly shielded USB cables?
Thanks

On Nov 5, 2013, at 8:54 PM, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Tom,
>
> Use a USB to serial adapter with an FTDI chipset - the Prolific chipset
does not like to run at the slower rate required by the K2.
>
> I have also had success with a Keyspan adapter.
> If you want to go 'first class', use an Edgeport USB to serial converter -
I have a 4 port model that works flawlessly. Note that this is usually
referred to as a 'converter' rather than an 'adapter' - it is often used in
commercial environments and is quite robust - those termed 'adapter' are
usually intended for the consumer market, and the relative price indicates
that fact. When I bought mine, they were selling on Ebay for a very low
price, someone had a big pile of used ones that he was selling off.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 11/5/2013 8:08 PM, Tom Field wrote:
>> I just completed the KPA100 and KIO2 mods for my K2. I have a new Dell
>> desktop running Windows 8. I don't have a serial port on the machine.
What

>> is the recommended conversion from serial to USB?
>>
>> Tom F.
>> KI6NRD
>> Elecraft K2 #7432
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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Mike Furrey

Re: Serial Connection for K2

I had a converter with the prolific chipset and the driver created such
problems in my computer that I had to reload the OS in my Win7 laptop! I
found the Sabrent brand (They advertise FTDI chipset on the package) that
worked flawlessly (used two with a single driver installed to control K3
from a Win7 laptop) BUT the noise output with them was very high ... So now
shopping around for ones with shielded cables. Anyway ... for the moment ...
back to my HB Win2000 machine with real serial ports and NO issues. I am
looking at Don's suggestion with the Edgeport unit.

My 2 cents.

73, Mike WA5POK

--------------------------------------------------
From: "John Lemay" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 3:49 AM
To: <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Serial Connection for K2

> I similarly spent ages hunting down noise from my PC and associated
> cables.
>
> There are USB leads available which have a transparent outer sheath, which
> "show off" the silver plated screen. I thought this was just a gimmick,
> but
> it turns out they were quite effective. Remember you'll probably need
> ferrites on both ends of the run with a minimum of one turn through each
> ferrite. For many purposes, just clipping a choke on the cable is not
> effective - depending on your frequency of interest and the level of
> noise.
>
> Good luck !
>
> John G4ZTR
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Tom Blahovici
> Sent: 06 November 2013 06:28
> To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Serial Connection for K2
>
> Hi,
> I see ebay has some 8 port Edgeports for $50.
> I'm looking to cut down on computer generate noise in my shack. Currently
> I
> have 6 or 7 usb to serial adapters. I reduced noise quite a bit as shown
> on
> the P3 using some ferrite cores but the whole mess is now quite a sore
> sight. Not only that you need longer cables to wrap through those cores.
> So here's a few questions: is it better to run one high quality USB cable
> to
> a device such as an edge port and then run serial cables from there or
> have
> many usb to serial converters and extensions?
> Anyone have a source for properly shielded USB cables?
> Thanks
>
> On Nov 5, 2013, at 8:54 PM, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Tom,
>>
>> Use a USB to serial adapter with an FTDI chipset - the Prolific chipset
> does not like to run at the slower rate required by the K2.
>>
>> I have also had success with a Keyspan adapter.
>> If you want to go 'first class', use an Edgeport USB to serial
>> converter -
> I have a 4 port model that works flawlessly. Note that this is usually
> referred to as a 'converter' rather than an 'adapter' - it is often used
> in
> commercial environments and is quite robust - those termed 'adapter' are
> usually intended for the consumer market, and the relative price indicates
> that fact. When I bought mine, they were selling on Ebay for a very low
> price, someone had a big pile of used ones that he was selling off.
>>
>> 73,
>> Don W3FPR
>>
>> On 11/5/2013 8:08 PM, Tom Field wrote:
>>> I just completed the KPA100 and KIO2 mods for my K2. I have a new Dell
>>> desktop running Windows 8. I don't have a serial port on the machine.
> What
>>> is the recommended conversion from serial to USB?
>>>
>>> Tom F.
>>> KI6NRD
>>> Elecraft K2 #7432
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>>
>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

tomb18

Re: Serial Connection for K2

In reply to this post by Tom Field

That sounds like a better solution. UnfortunTely the eBay 8 port USB to serial does not have a case.
Thanks

-------- Original message --------
From: Matt Zilmer <[hidden email]>
Date: 06/11/2013 09:29 (GMT-05:00)
To: Tom Blahovici <[hidden email]>
Cc: [hidden email],[hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Serial Connection for K2

Hi Tom,

I run a Win7Pro laptop with a ton of USB devices here in the shack.
There is a single 16-port USB hub to the laptop. One of the
peripherals is a 4-port Edgeport. I found that the only ferrite
needed is at the laptop end of the A to B cable for that hub.
Everything else is dead quiet. The hub is quite sturdy, with a metal
chassis that I've connected to the shack ground.

The above replaced a number of hub "chains" and several USB to serial
adapters (plus the other peripherals chained onto inline hubs). For
EMI issues, this was unmanageable and I replaced all this crazy USB
cabling with a single hub because I had quite a time diagnosing the
various RF noise sources (probably all were hub-based).

The ferrite also protects the laptop against RFI. On certain MARS
bands, 11 MHz in particular, high output transmissions could cause the
laptop to reboot. Not so any more.

Ferrite recommended is Laird Technologies, available from Digikey.
240-2508-ND is the DK part number. The largest core (19mm I.D.) can
accept 3-5 turns of a USB cable with a Type A connector on the host
end.

Hope this helps your situation.

73,
matt W6NIA

On Wed, 06 Nov 2013 01:27:59 -0500, you wrote:

>Hi,
>I see ebay has some 8 port Edgeports for $50.
>Im looking to cut down on computer generate noise in my shack. Currently I have 6 or 7 usb to serial adapters. I reduced noise quite a bit as shown on the P3 using some ferrite cores but the whole mess is now quite a sore sight. Not only that you need longer cables to wrap through those cores.
>So heres a few questions: is it better to run one high quality USB cable to a device such as an edge port and then run serial cables from there or have many usb to serial converters and extensions?
>Anyone have a source for properly shielded USB cables?
>Thanks
>
>On Nov 5, 2013, at 8:54 PM, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Tom,
>>
>> Use a USB to serial adapter with an FTDI chipset - the Prolific c

Phil Kane-2

Re: Serial Connection for K2

In reply to this post by Don Wilhelm-4

On 11/5/2013 5:54 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

> When I bought mine, they were selling on Ebay for a very low price,
> someone had a big pile of used ones that he was selling off.

I second the suggestion on the Edgeport - I use a 8-port version even
though my Dell E-series laptop docking station does have a "real" serial
port. The "low priced" ones were boards without cases, and I spent
quite a bit of time and effort to try to get the manufacturer to sell me
a case as a "piece part" but with negative results I finally bought a
plastic food container of the approximate size and used the Dremel tool
to cut the appropriate window in the container. At ,least I have a
decent converter!

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon
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tomb18

Re: Serial Connection for K2

In reply to this post by Tom Field

In my case I am considering to move in this direction to reduce all the noise sources in my shack. The last thing I want is an unenclosed board. Does anyone know if the end closed boards are in metal or plastic boxes?

-------- Original message --------
From: Phil Kane <[hidden email]>
Date: 06/11/2013 14:01 (GMT-05:00)
To: Tom <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Serial Connection for K2

On 11/6/2013 8:12 AM, Tom wrote:

> UnfortunTely the eBay 8 port USB to serial does not have a case.

Looks like I'm not the only one that found that out. The manufacturer
refused to sell me a case as a "piece part" and I resorted to using a
plastic food container that I had to modify to create a window for
accessing the ports. If I had access to a woodworking or metalworking
shop I would have made the proper case for it.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon
______________________________________________________________
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