FLEX-6000 Signature Series – Maestro User Guide
Page 111
Copyright 2019 FlexRadio Systems. All Rights Reserved.
27 USB CABLES
27.1 USB CABLES OVERVIEW
The USB Cables feature provides a means to control external devices such as amplifiers, antenna
controllers, and tuners via USB to Serial data cables connected to the USB ports on the back panel of
the radio. Band data generated by SmartSDR appears on the cable in a form acceptable to the
external device.
This feature is limited to FTDI USB cables which contain embedded circuitry that translates the USB
signals and protocol to one of several serial or parallel data protocols. In some cases, data flow is
bidirectional with a wide selection of speeds and signaling levels.
FlexRadio carries two FTDI cables that can be used to interface with many devices:
• FTDI USB to Serial Cable DB9M (UT232R-200). For most configurations, only Pins 2, 3, and 5
will be used.
• FTDI C232HM (C232HM-EDHSL-0). This parallel data cable has an output of 10 pins that can
be used for interfacing to other devices in BIT and BCD modes (described below).
The cable that is used to interface with an external device will vary for each device. One of the above
cables may be sufficient for operation in many cases, while for other devices a proprietary cable or
custom-made cable may also be needed. Detailed information for many commonly used devices is
provided in the USB Cables Interface Guide available in the Downloads section of the Flex Radio
Systems website.
Three main types of cables are supported, CAT, BIT and BCD, described below. In addition, a
preconfigured cable type is provided for Down East Microwave 2 and 4 meter Low Drive Power
Amplifiers: See http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/product-p/2mldpa.htm for more information.
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