[arm-allstar] USB Fobs Not exposing/responding to PTT (Doug Crompton)

Thu Nov 24 18:00:32 EST 2016

So I blew in the Arch Pi2 image:
Linux barf3 4.1.19-5-ARCH #1 SMP Tue Mar 15 19:59:28 MDT 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux
Tried the fobs again - no joy.  I can only conclude that at least one variant doesn't really have or emulate the CM108 chip, and the other with some labelled variant of a CM119 isn't compatible either.
Otherwise there must be some not clear reason how/why additional hardware, cheap or not, for detecting or setting a couple of 'GPIO' bits would be necessary when the pi board has it's own I/O.
Sorry for hitting the wrong forum.

Message: 5
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:02:04 -0500
From: Doug Crompton <wa3dsp at gmail.com>
To: ARM Allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org>
Subject: Re: [arm-allstar] USB Fobs Not exposing/responding to PTT
Message-ID:
    <CAMp6vsvnH7rViZpTG0UpxB-m6qdXjPkcn2cO01OqrCStmSer4Q at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Well based on your uname output you are on the wrong forum! We use
Archlinux not Debian.

But as far a hardware is concerned it is the same no matter what version
you are using. The current FOB that works and is not potted (at least not
at last buy) is listed at the hamvoip.org web page in the howto section - A
simple USB FOB mod.

The next hamvoip update will include the capability to use a Arduino Nano
to derive all GPIO signals for two nodes. This will allow the use of
unmodified sound FOBS. So don't throw away the potted FOB, eventually you
will be able to use it. There is also a project under way to produce a
board to plug a nano into which gives all the connections to go directly to
a radio. Nano's are very inexpensive, about the same price as a FOB, <$3.

*73 Doug*

*WA3DSP*

*http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*

On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 11:00 PM, NO1PC via arm-allstar <
arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:

>
> I have a few USB fobs resembling the one shown in the document titled "USB
> FOB to DB25 Interface"
> Unfortunately the chip itself is potted die-on-board so access to
> signalling lines is limited to the additional components on board, which
> should seem simple enough to get to Pin 13 that feeds the Red LED to
> extract a PTT signal.
> (I am able to assert COS- to Volume down and get received audio "to the
> net" experienced with WebTransceiver.)
> Unfortunately metering 'every' available connection and toggling
> WebTransceiver's Key/Transmit, none of the signal lines on the board
> react.  I could imagine one line or the other might be open-collector and
> I'd have to add a pull-up to see a transition, but with the LED still
> in-circuit I'd think that would react.  (The Green LED works as heartbeat
> just fine.)
>
> Before I head to the local Frys and buy 1-2 each every fob they have to
> gut to see if I could get to the chip pins directly (or try to be patient
> and wait for Amazon)...
> ... I'm sitting here looking at a fully functional micro with a LOT of
> GPIO pins available...  wondering why, aside from the IRLP s/w and
> interface options available... doesn't an AllStar implementation leverage
> the on-board signalling?
> I see there is Python code around to work with the GPIO, but not quite yet
> sure how or if I could create and call PTT and COR (and CTCSS) sense
> scripts within the AllStar configuration - ???
> I know it would split out the radio audio v PTT/COS wiring harness just a
> bit vs the cute USB thing, but what the heck - buffer/interface parts on a
> small perf board tied to the GPIO pins and done?  No?
> Am I missing something?  Code- and instructions-to-be?
> Using Pi 3 Model B v 1.2
> BTW, uname -a yields: "Linux barf3 3.18.0-trunk-rpi2 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian
> 3.18.5-1~exp1.co1 (2015-02-02) armv7l GNU/Linux"
> _______________________________________________
>
> arm-allstar mailing list
> arm-allstar at hamvoip.org
> http://lists.hamvoip.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/arm-allstar
>
> Visit the BBB and RPi2/3 web page - http://hamvoip.org

------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2016 21:31:02 -0800
From: Tom Hayward <tom at tomh.us>
To: ARM Allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org>
Cc: no1pc at yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [arm-allstar] USB Fobs Not exposing/responding to PTT
Message-ID:
    <CAFXO5Z3PaUQ_qbPYYq_t6iLtkPDLZZwf1fEPLyEKOL=BwimQzg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

It's nice to hear I'm not alone. I bought a FOB via the Amazon link at
https://hamvoip.org/hamradio/usb_fob_simple_modification/. The board
layout matches the hamvoip.org photos. I hooked up to pin 13 and I
don't see any change of state there. I even wrote a little program to
exercise each of the FOB's GPIO pins and hooked them up to the
'scope--never did get any of them to respond. The audio paths worked
fine. I ended up using the FOB to send discriminator audio to DSD to
decode digital voice modes and bought a couple URIs for Allstar use.

My hunch is that a number of products are being sold under the single
Amazon listing, so if you're unlucky like me they might ship you a
non-GPIO variant.

Tom KD7LXL

On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 8:00 PM, NO1PC via arm-allstar
<arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:
>
> I have a few USB fobs resembling the one shown in the document titled "USB FOB to DB25 Interface"
> Unfortunately the chip itself is potted die-on-board so access to signalling lines is limited to the additional components on board, which should seem simple enough to get to Pin 13 that feeds the Red LED to extract a PTT signal.
> (I am able to assert COS- to Volume down and get received audio "to the net" experienced with WebTransceiver.)
> Unfortunately metering 'every' available connection and toggling WebTransceiver's Key/Transmit, none of the signal lines on the board react.  I could imagine one line or the other might be open-collector and I'd have to add a pull-up to see a transition, but with the LED still in-circuit I'd think that would react.  (The Green LED works as heartbeat just fine.)
>
> Before I head to the local Frys and buy 1-2 each every fob they have to gut to see if I could get to the chip pins directly (or try to be patient and wait for Amazon)...
> ... I'm sitting here looking at a fully functional micro with a LOT of GPIO pins available...  wondering why, aside from the IRLP s/w and interface options available... doesn't an AllStar implementation leverage the on-board signalling?
> I see there is Python code around to work with the GPIO, but not quite yet sure how or if I could create and call PTT and COR (and CTCSS) sense scripts within the AllStar configuration - ???
> I know it would split out the radio audio v PTT/COS wiring harness just a bit vs the cute USB thing, but what the heck - buffer/interface parts on a small perf board tied to the GPIO pins and done?  No?
> Am I missing something?  Code- and instructions-to-be?
> Using Pi 3 Model B v 1.2
> BTW, uname -a yields: "Linux barf3 3.18.0-trunk-rpi2 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 3.18.5-1~exp1.co1 (2015-02-02) armv7l GNU/Linux"
> _______________________________________________
>
> arm-allstar mailing list
> arm-allstar at hamvoip.org
> http://lists.hamvoip.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/arm-allstar
>
> Visit the BBB and RPi2/3 web page - http://hamvoip.org

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