Quick Startup Guide (Windows)
Quick Startup Guide for PCs Running Windows
Contents
USBIO Driver
Before connecting your HPSDR equipment you will need to install the USBIO Driver from the Flex Radio site. You will need to have administrator rights on your Windows system for this install to complete. During install make sure you check the box that allows this driver to be used by everyone, not just the current user. Once the install has completed reboot your PC even if the driver install does not prompt you to restart.
By default the installation program will install this driver on your system in this directory:
C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\USBIO Driver
(Note: HPSDR requires that your PC has USB 2.0 ports. USB 1.x ports will not work.)
.NET Framework
Currently, the HPSDR version of PowerSDR requires that your system have Microsoft's .NET Framework versions 1.1 and 2.0 installed. Most systems already have the framework, however, in case you need them here are the links:
PowerSDR Software
To use Mercury, you will need the latest released PowerSDR software from the "PennyMerge" branch of the open-source development tree. The repository is managed by Subversion, which is a popular colaborative software/firmware development tool for open-source projects. To access this software you will need to install and use a Subversion (SVN) client. There are several out there, however, TortoiseSVN for Windows XP can be downloaded from here:
Once TortoiseSVN is installed, follow these steps:
1: Create the following directory structure C:\HPSDR\PennyMerge (this is an arbitrary convention, but logical and easy to find)
2: Navigate to HPSDR Click Start and select Run... Type: C:\HPSDR then [Enter] You should see a PennyMerge directory in the window that opens.
3: Download the latest software Right click on the PennyMerge directory Select SVN Checkout... Type or copy/paste the following line into the "URL of repository" field:
svn://206.216.146.154/svn/repos_sdr_windows/PowerSDR/branches/kd5tfd/PennyMerge/bin/Release
Click OK
At this point, TortoiseSVN should begin downloading the most current released version of the PowerSDR client for HPSDR. Once it completes go to step 4.
(Note: To update to subsequent releases, you can right click the PennyMerge directory and select SVN Update...)
4: Copy the files to a working directory for better version control. This directory can be anywhere you like, but we recommend using C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\HPSDR\ . If you are updating an existing installation, make sure PowerSDR is not running before you write over the old version.
5: Create a PowerSDR desktop shortcut Open the working PennyMerge directory and locate the PowerSDR application file (PowerSDR.exe) Right-click on PowerSDR.exe then drag and drop it to your desktop Select "Create Shortcuts Here"
(Note: It is no longer required to start PowerSDR with the --ignore-pp-ptt flag.)
Board Installation
The current release versions (v1.1) of the HPSDR firmware requires some attention to the order you install the HPSDR board set on the Atlas buss. There are several arrangements that are reported to be successful, however, this order is one of the most common:
On Atlas J6 is next to the power connector, J1 is farthest away:
Slot J5: Mercury
Slot J3: Penelope (if used, open jumper J8 on Mercury, this disables Mercury's 10Mhz clock)
Slot J2: Ozy
(Note:As of 1/1/09 the firmware team is working on a fix for board order dependency)
(Note: Receiver audio is output from one of the two 1/8" stereo jacks on the Mercury board. The upper jack is at line level, the lower is suitable for headphones)
USB Device Detection
1: Connect your power supply to Atlas - Remember that poor supply voltages will cause you problems - be certain your supply is capable of supplying the right current and voltage during operation.
2: Connect Ozy to a USB 2.0 port on your PC or USB 2.0 hub.
3: Power up the Atlas - at this point Windows should detect there is a new USB device and pop-up the standard Windows driver installation wizard. Note: you may need to manually direct the wizard to the C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\USBIO Driver directory and install the correct driver.
4: You should see a USB device named "OZY Host Assisted Firmware Load" listed in your USB devices.
(Note: If there is a problem at this point, it needs to be resolved before moving on. There have been posts that eventually required corrections to power supplys, USB cables and/or hubs.)
PowerSDR Configuration
Double-click on the shortcut you created to start PowerSDR. When it first starts, it will go through a short system speed test.
The latest PennyMerge PowerSDR release features a Wizard to more easily configure HPSDR systems. If this is the first time PowerSDR has run the wizard should automatically start. Just answer the wizard's questions.
1: Select HPSDR radio button
2: Click Next
3: Select the hardware you have installed on Atlas (Ozy is assumed and Alex is the filter board set not yet generally available)
4: Click Finish
5: Select Setup from the main menu. (note that you can also restart the wizard here)
6: Select the General Tab.
7: Select the HPSDR tab (next to Hardware Config)
8: Select the correct 10MHz Clock Source for your system. (e.g. Mercury or Penelope if that board is installed)
9: Make sure Mercury is set as the 122.88 MHz Clock Source
10: Click Apply if you changed anything.
11: Select the Audio tab in the PowerSDR Setup window and confirm that the Sample Rate is 192000. (in later releases it will be possible to select a lower sample rate)
12: Click Apply if necessary - then close the Setup window.
Startup
At this point you should be ready to start up the system for the first time. Click "Start" in PowerSDR and you should be good to go.
(Note: it's normal to see a command prompt window open and start scrolling text. It is not normal to see errors during startup)
