[arm-allstar] UCA222 info --was:RPi GPIO COS/PTT

Sat Jan 28 08:09:36 EST 2017

David
Thanka for that info. I will look into this.
Josh W4ZZK

On January 28, 2017 12:48:26 AM CST, David McGough <kb4fxc at inttek.net> wrote:
>
>Hi Josh,
>
>I've used UCA222 devices at Field Day for HF digital modes a couple of
>years now and around the shack.  They have worked well for me, with far
>superior audio quality to the bargain basement CM1xy fobs.
>
>I've got one hooked to some JBL LSR305 monitors with a JBL PSW-1200,
>via a
>10 foot USB extension cable. No problem. (And shockingly good audio!)
>
>I've got medium-power (110W class) VHF and UHF gear nearby, high-power
>HF
>in the other room.
>
>The caveat I've found is to make sure to break-up USB ground loops,
>they
>will cause major grief. I've found these isolators work very well. At
>Field day, this isolator made the difference between being completely
>functional and totally useless:
>
>http://us.hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=69
>
>
>73, David KB4FXC
>
>
>
>
>On Wed, 25 Jan 2017, "Josh W4ZZK via arm-allstar" wrote:
>
>> Just a note about the Behringer UCA222
>> I'm an Audio Engineer and Production Manager in AL/MS/TN market, and
>> have "played" with these little boxes for several years.  The newer
>> 222's are quite better in manufacturing than the older ones.  Hard to
>> believe, but since Behringer had been bought up by Music Group, their
>> QC has went up some in this device's pro-sumer market... even by
>leaps
>> and bounds in the commercial/professional sector.
>> 
>> Do note that these 222 boxes are VERY susceptible to RFI. For
>example,
>> I attempted to use it as a "receiving" sound card for a few Online
>> Streams at a local EMA office.... typical install scenario....
>> computer, radios, and this box all were in a rather active RF
>> environment. (HF VHF and UHF).  I don't know if I simply had a unique
>> scenario on my hands, but there would be some times where it would
>> "lose sync" with the computer, like I had disconnected the USB cable.
>> That meant restarting the streaming app to regain sync.  Remoting in
>> to the PC again and again to resync the device got old pretty
>quickly.
>> Perhaps there were more RFI choking and eliminating I could have
>done,
>> but I exhausted all feasible, and "affordable" options before going
>> with individual $3 CM108 Cards, which work GREAT.  Maybe some way to
>> bleed off transient voltage from active RF environments would work...
>> I don't know.  But, in their normal operation, the little 222 boxes
>> are halfway decent. Very simple audio interface. Would love to see a
>> schematic of it, and know how we could go in the future with using
>> that box.
>> 
>> Josh Hatton W4ZZK
>> Muscle Shoals, AL
>> w4zzkjosh at gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 11:16 AM, "Doug Crompton via arm-allstar"
>> <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:
>> > Jim,
>> >
>> >   The Raspberry Pi has no direct audio input, no A/D so anything
>direct
>> > would not be possible. The USB works fine on the Pi with thousands
>of nodes
>> > out there using it.
>> >
>> > The two approaches I mentioned (FOB mod and Nano) are both good
>choices.
>> > The Nano gives you the option of using unmodified FOBS, like the
>ones you
>> > have with blobs, for audio so don't throw them out. It also gives
>the
>> > future option of using better, albeit more expensive, sound devices
>like
>> > the Behringer UCA222. Devices like this give two channel input and
>output
>> > which opens up a lot of new possibilities.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *73 Doug*
>> >
>> > *WA3DSP*
>> >
>> > *http://www.crompton.com/hamradio
><http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*
>> >
>> > On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 9:29 AM, "Jim Kinter Jr. via arm-allstar" <
>> > arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Thanks David, and my condolences.
>> >>
>> >> I have been curious for a while now why no one uses the built in
>audio
>> >> system (not just this project)? Is it that buggy?
>> >> A while back, I built a Pi Echolink (svxlink) link node (it used a
>USB fob
>> >> as well), using VOX for COS and a GPIO for PTT.
>> >> It worked for the most part, but sometimes the PTT would get stuck
>> >> (Murphy's law- at the worst possible moment, like when still 1.5
>hours away
>> >> coming back from a hamfest in north Texas & it is deadkeying the
>local
>> >> repeater--called the house and had daughter unplug the powerpole
>connection
>> >> feeding the whole thing). That might have been an RFI thing
>causing it, as
>> >> I had it in a plastic box, so I wonder if a metal
>enclosure/ferrites might
>> >> have helped....
>> >>
>> >> I just think, why did they include such things (sound and GPIO) if
>they
>> >> dont work? :-)
>> >>
>> >> thanks again, and Ill have a look at the Nano solution.
>> >>
>> >> 73
>> >> Jim
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> At 12:13 AM 1/23/2017, David Lang wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> On Sun, 22 Jan 2017, "Jim Kinter Jr. via arm-allstar" wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> Greetings,
>> >>>> I have been searching over the info on the site and mail list,
>and cant
>> >>>> seem to find if any instructions are available for using the
>Pi's GPIO for
>> >>>> COS/PTT yet.
>> >>>> I have found where it said it will be included in a future
>release, and
>> >>>> some other instructions with config settings, but nothing more
>definitive
>> >>>> (which pins to use for what, config settings for those pins,
>etc).
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I friend of mine is using this setup on his repeater with URI,
>and Id
>> >>>> like to use what I already have without spending $100 a pop on
>URIs per
>> >>>> setup (I already have a few Pi's at my disposal)
>> >>>> I had bought a half dozen USB sound FOBs, but all were blobbed
>(they
>> >>>> were cheap, so I even attempted to mine down into one blob to
>see what I
>> >>>> could see, probably effectively destroying the one FOB/losing
>$2).
>> >>>>
>> >>>> So is this capability available yet, and if so, where might I
>find more
>> >>>> info?
>> >>>>
>> >>>
>> >>> It is not yet available, they have decided to not use the GPIO
>pins
>> >>> directly, but to run things through an arduino nano, so it's a
>$20 option
>> >>> instead of a $100 option.
>> >>>
>> >>> hardware details are available at:
>> >>>
>> >>> https://sites.google.com/site/radiofarmprojects/home/hamvoip
>> >>> -nano-interface
>> >>>
>> >>> https://hamvoip.org/hamradio/Nano_Allstar_Interface/
>> >>>
>> >>> support for this is not yet in any release of the allstar
>software, but
>> >>> they were planning a release in December that was postponed due
>to a death
>> >>> in the community. They were planning to have this support either
>in that
>> >>> release or within a couple of weeks after.
>> >>>
>> >>> David Lang
>> >>>
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >>
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>> >> 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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>> >
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>> _______________________________________________
>> 
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>> 
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>> 