WinRad ExtIO_Si570.DLL.

The ExtIO_Si570 WinRad DLL will control the frequency setting of the SoftRock V9.0 or Softrock ensemble over the USB port. It can be used with all the SDR programs that support the ExtIO definition, HDSDR is the most pupular SDR program on the moment that support the ExtIO. It also managed the band pass filter if it is present and is capable of handle the special frequency settings in WinRad for using the 2m (and other) modules.
Also my changed firmware can be handled by this DLL.

To download the lates version of ExtIO_Si570 goto CFGSR.

Installation:

For starting / using the DLL go in WinRad to the menu "ShowOptions" / "Select input" and click "SoftRock V9.0 Si570".

The program is in development on the moment, please check for new releases. That can be done by clicking on the version in the General tabblad.

Functionality

This tabblad will display the USB manufacturer, product and serial number of the device. When the WinRad "Start" button is pressed the USB connection to the device will be opened until WinRad "Stop" button is pressed.
By mouse click on the "Version 0.7" string a Internet web page will be opened to check for the latest download version.

If not only the USB VID and PID is sufficient to distinct between devices, the USB manufacturer, product and serial number can be specified. If empty, every value is accepted.

The Si570 I2C address will be needed in some call's (old firmware only).
Every Si570 device will only handle a specified address range, it depends on the type of the Si570 chip. The software will keep the Si570 within the frequency range.
The new firmware will start with a know frequency that can be specified with the Startup setting.
To reset the device to the default settings, press "Factory default"
The Smooth tune value is the max frequency change without stopping and starting the Si570 chip. The data sheet tells it must be not more than +/- 3500 ppm (Parts Per Million). On the 40m band the max range is 2 * 3500 * 7 = 49KHz
To Reset only the Si570 chip, press the "Reset Si570". The chip will start to output it factory default frequency.

The LO calculation can be done in two places, in this DLL and / or in the firmware (you need my firmware V15.10 or higher). Calculating the LO can be difficult and will be supported by the DLL. Only the offset and multiply factor for the total and the DLL has to be specified, the offset and multiply factor for the firmware will be calculated.
If the startup frequency will be out of range then the user will be asked to change it.

If the band pass filter is enabled it will select one of the 4 filters. At every frequency change it will check if the correct filter is still active. Selecting a filter that fits best is done by the following steps. First the frequency is checked by the four filters, if there is only one matching filter that one is selected. If there is more than one filter it will select the filter with the smallest bandwidth. If there is no filter matching, it will select the nearest filter (up or down).
Check that you use only one BPF algorithm!

The automatic band pass filter will select the correct filter done in the firmware. My own firmware will only support this function (not included the original firmware).
Check that you use only one BPF algorithm!

Calibration can be done in this program by two ways, Calibration A and B.

• The Si570 chip is calibrated at the factory within 1.5ppm of it factory startup frequency. So entering the "Factory startup frequency" can be used to calibrate the internal crystal value. For the most Softrock V9 the Si570 used 56.32MHz as the startup frequency. Calibrating the chip this way will set it at +/- 85Hz.
• The internal crystal value can also be calibrated by receiving a station with a know frequency. Tune to the station, enter the "Real" frequency and hit "Calibrate".

If you want to calibrate with a frequency counter follow the next steps. First Reset the Si570 (TabBlad "Si570", button "Reset Si570") so that the output is the default factory startup frequency. Then measure the Si570 output frequency and use that value (MHz) in the "Calibrate A" procedure.

To reset the internal crystal value to 114.285MHz press "Reset". And to copy the crystal value in Hz press "Ctrl-C" button.

Download.

The program ExtIO_Si570.dll and CFGSR.exe are almost the same, both are now based on the same set of C++ code.
To download the ExtIO_Si570.dll you can install the CFGSR utility and it will also install the ExtIO_Si570.dll (it is in the "CFGSR pe0fko" menu item "ExtIO_Si570"). After installing the CFGSR you can copy the ExtIO_Si570.dll file to the directory where the Winrad.exe / HDSDR.exe (or other clone) file is kept.

File last modified on Monday, 09-Apr-2012 16:06:16 CEST My BitCoin address: 1MqQWXdaBAmYFNqXnQLd5cxG6KkvLj9LPK