HAMPod RotoReader
Revised 02/02/2016
Firmware: v1.12

OVERVIEW
  The HAMPod series of Amateur Radio station accessories are stand-alone, micro- processor based text-to-speech devices designed to provide speech output and  accessibility to common station equipment such as transceivers, antenna controllers and  rotor controllers, SWR/Power meters and other equipment capable of serial data  exchange. The voice synthesizer utilizes the popular "DoubleTalk" voice synthesizer and  is customizable to your personal preferences.


The RotoReader has been designed to work with antenna rotor controllers from several  manufacturers. Currently we support Green Heron, Any rotator when equipped with the  ERC4 or ERC-M controllers, Hy-Gain controllers when equipped with the ERC or Rotor-EZ  interface from Idiom Press, M2 Orion controller, and the Prosistel series "D" controller.  Others are being added as requested. The ERC series support more than 100 different  rotators from all major brands and it is possible to control 2 independend rotators  connected to 1 ERC-M which only uses 1 of the HamPod ports. The HamPod connects to  the antenna controller using the serial port and is able to read and control the antenna  position All without the need for a connected station computer or help from a fellow ham  or long-suffering partner! Features include the ability to save and recall 12 preset  headings for quick positioning. Quick and efficient direct heading entry through the use of  the 16 button keypad. One button heading status announcement, and more.


GENERAL DESCRIPTION
  The rear of the HamPod has two male DB9 serial ports and a DC input power jack. The  serial ports are identified as serial port 1 and serial port 2. The connector located next to  the power jack is port 1. With the RotoReader, you can connect two identical antenna   controllers and switch between them by using the keypad as described later in this  manual. Serial port 1 is also used to connect to a computer serial port using a null  modem cable to flash the firmware in the HamPod when an upgrade is available. See  Appendix C for upgrade instructions. The power jack accepts 9 to 12 volts dc and has a  positive center pin.  There is also a small hole at the lower left corner of the speaker grill  which provides access to a reset button inside the enclosure.  This hole is located within  the very bottom groove of the speaker grill and about one quarter of an inch from the left  end of the groove. You can use a paper clip to reach into the box to push this button. The  button is about one inch below the top cover. Be careful not to poke through the speaker  cone if you happen to be somewhere above the very bottom  groove of the speaker grill  area. This button will reboot the HamPod without changing any configuration settings.


CONNECTING THE HamPod
IMPORTANT!
A.  Do not apply power to the HamPod until you have connected it to your rotor controller.  This is because the serial port jacks on the rear of the HamPod are male connectors and  it is possible to short one of these pins to the grounded shell while trying to engage the  female end of the serial cable into this connector.
B.  Use a straight through, all pins wired serial cable.
1.    Connect the female end of the supplied serial cable to the RS-232 serial port on the  rear of the HamPod using the connector closest to the DC power jack.
2.  Connect the other end of the cable to the RS-232 serial connector on the rear of your  antenna controller.
3.  Connect the supplied 9 volt DC, 800MA wall power unit to the HamPod. This is a center  pin positive 2.1mm x 5.5mm coaxial power connector. You may also connect this using  your own cable to your shack 12 volt DC power distribution system if desired. There is no  on/off switch on the HamPod. The HamPod only draws about 20mA of current when not  in use.


KEYPAD
  The layout  of the first 12 keys of the 16 button keypad is similar to a standard 12 key  telephone keypad with an additional column of 4 keys to the right.  The 16 push buttons  keys are arranged as 4 rows of 4 columns and each key is capable of two different  functions depending on the current mode of the RotoReader. They are operated with both  a standard push or an extended longer push and hold action. A synopsis of the switches  and their functions are listed in Appendix A for reference. As previously mentioned, the  first three columns of keys are labeled identically to a standard 12 key telephone keypad.  The fourth column of keys are primarily configuration and modifier keys.

  In this document, the key labels are enclosed within square brackets. For reference, left  to right, top to bottom, the keys are labeled:

Row 1: [1], [2], [3], [A]
Row 2: [4], [5], [6], [B]
Row 3: [7[, [8], [9], [C]
Row 4: [*], [0], [#], [D]


  The keys are always pushed individually. Never is more than one key pressed at a time  to perform any function.

  There are four modes of operation for the keypad and are as follows:
1. Normal Mode. Used for direct entry of heading.
2. Preset Recall Mode. Used to recall save headings from up to 12 memory locations.
3. Preset Save Mode. Used to save headings into up to 12 memory locations.
4. Configuration Mode. This allows setup of voice parameters as well as HamPod options.


1.  NORMAL MODE
ENTERING A HEADING
Using the number keys, you can enter any value between 0 and 360. Leading zeros are  not required. After entering the heading, press the [ENTER] key to send it to your rotor  controller. An invalid heading will result in an error beep tone and clear the entry. If the  Keypad Timeout option is enabled, the HamPod will clear your partial entry and return to  normal mode it you exceed the timeout duration. With PST Series D controllers, there is a  default 3 second reverse delay built into the controller which does not allow commands to  be sent or acted upon by the controller at the end of rotation. So when using this  controller, you will hear a descending two tone beep when the rotor is at the end of  rotation and the controller has entered this delay, followed by the final stopped heading  after 2 to 3 additional seconds. When the rotor is moving, the [*] and [#] keys become:
[*] is used to quickly stop the rotor.
[#] is used to read the heading at the moment pushed. (no tenths digit is announced even  if it is enabled)

There are four special frequencies you can enter which will perform the following  functions:
A: Enter a heading of 666 and press the [ENTER] key. M2 rotor controller only. This will  send the "CAL" command to the rotor controller. There is no confirmation and this  command will be immediately sent.
B: Enter a heading of 777 and press the [ENTER] key. This will announce the product  information and the firmware version number currently installed.
C: Enter a frequency of 888 and press the [ENTER] key. This will allow an easy way to  perform a reset. Primarily useful when performing a update and flashing the firmware.
D: Enter a frequency of 999 and press the [ENTER] key. This will restore a restoration of  EEPROM to factory defaults and perform a reset. You can do this if the settings ever get  scrambled or if you just want to restore to the default settings. This does not restore the  12 Preset memory locations. Also note that at this time, the default rotor controller type  selection is for a Green Heron controller on port 1.  Therefore, if you are connected to a  different controller or using port 2, you need to change these settings within the  configuration menu before using your particular setup



  Listed below are  the assigned functions for each key. some keys have two potential  functions by either simply pressing the key, or pressing and continue holding the key  down for an additional .5 second.

In the listing below, each key is enclosed in square brackets.

In normal mode, the keys have been assigned the following functions:

[0] to [9] - Number keys: Used to enter an azimuth heading (0 to 360).

[A] - Preset Recall: Enter into Preset Recall mode.
[A+Hold] - Volume Up: Shortcut key to increase volume of the HamPod.

[B] - Preset Save Mode: Enter into Preset Save mode.
[B+Hold] - Volume Down: Shortcut key to decrease volume of the HamPod.

[C] - While not entering a heading, is the Bump Plus. Increments heading by value stored  in configuration Bump setting. Can also be disabled.
[C+Hold] - Configuration Mode: Enters Configuration Mode of the HamPod.

[*] - Stop / Clear: Immediately stop rotor while moving or clear an ongoing keypad  operation.
[*+Hold] - Not assigned.

[#] - Enter / Status: Used to initiate rotor movement to the specified heading or announce  current rotor heading when stopped or while in motion.
[#+Hold] - Enter / Status: Used to initiate rotor axis movement to the specified heading or  announce current rotor axis heading when stopped or while in motion (Only ERC-M by  Easy-Rotor-Control and Prosistel series "D" controllers).

[D] - Alternative key to clear an ongoing keypad operation. While not entering a heading,  is the Bump Minus. decrements heading by value stored in configuration Bump setting.  Can also be disabled.
[D+Hold] - Switch between serial ports 1 and 2 of the HamPod.



2.  PRESET RECALL MODE
There are 12 memories which can be used to store and recall predefined headings.
While in NORMAL MODE, pressing the [A] key enters into the PRESET RECALL mode.  After pressing the [A] key, follow it with any of the memory locations [0] to [9] or also the  [C] or [D] keys to load the heading from those locations. Then press the [Enter] key to  start rotation or the [Cancel] key to abort.
The [C] key is labeled as "Park 1" and the [D] key is "Park2". There is nothing special  about these two locations other than their labels.


3.  PRESET SAVE MODE
When in normal mode, pressing the [B] key will enter into the Preset Save mode. The  audio prompts from the HamPod will help walk you through the process. The sequence is  to enter a heading, press the [B] key to enter the Preset Save mode, then press one of the  12 memory locations you want to save to, [0] to [9], [C] or [D] key, then press the [Enter]  key to store the heading into that location. These values are automatically saved into  EEPROM so will remain after power is removed.


4.  CONFIGURATION MODE
  This mode allows changes to the various voice settings as well as modifying the options  which effect how the  HamPod operates and interacts with your connected equipment. To  enter Configuration Mode, press and hold the [C] key for 1 second. When you enter the  configuration menu, you are placed at the option you last viewed when you previously  exited the configuration menu.

The number keys are not used in this mode.
In Configuration Mode the keypad switches perform the following functions:
[A]: Step forward through the configuration options.
[B]: Step backward through the configuration options.
[C]: Increment the parameter values of the current option.
[D]: Decrement the parameter values of the current option.
These are circular menus and will cycle through once  the first or last choice has been  exceeded.

To exit and save your changes, press and hole the [C] key for 1 second. The settings are  stored in EEPROM and will remain even when power is removed.

To exit without saving your changes, press and hold the [D] key for 1 second. Any  changes you may have made will not be stored in EEPROM but those changes will still  remain in effect until you power off or reset the HamPod. If the key timeout function is  active and you don't press a key before the timeout occurs, you will exit configuration  mode without saving to EEPROM.


RotoReader CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
1. Key beep: enable or disable. This sounds a beep when a key is pressed.

2. Key Timeout Duration: Disabled and 5-30 Seconds. If enabled, and during most  multiple key operations, once a key is pressed,  this starts the key timeout timer and will  return the HamPod to Normal Mode if another key is not pressed before the set time out  period expires.
When disabled, the key timeout function is not used. If a value of 5 to 30 is selected, this  sets the length of time for the key time out period in the number of seconds selected.

3. Verbosity: on/disable. When enabled, some responses from the controller will  announce additional information such as labels and prompts along with the returned  data.

4. rotor Controller Type: Green Heron (v3.08.1), Green Heron using DCU-1 protocol, Idiom  Press Rotor-EZ, M2 Orion, Easy Rotor Control (ERC) using GS232B protocol, Easy Rotor  Control (ERC) using DCU-1 protocol, Prosistel series "D", Alfa Spid Azimuth serial  controller with serial port. Select the type of controller connected to the HamPod. This  instructs which baud rate and protocol to use with the controller. Current default is for the  Green Heron controller.

5. Override Baud Rate: If you need a baud rate other than the default for the controller  type selected, you can choose it here.

6. Retry Attempts: If a query is sent and the controller does not respond after a period of  time, a "Rotor Time Out" message will occur and the operation will be aborted. Setting  this to a value greater than zero will continue to query for data the number of times you  select before aborting. 

7. Motion Beeps: disable, or beep while turning. When the rotor is turning,a status query  is generated about twice every second.If the rotor is still in motion. an audible beep tone  is generated to alert you to this condition. You can choose to disable this feature or  choose the pitch of the beep tone. These 12 pitch choices are available in two volume  levels. The "Variable" choice will change the pitch of the beep by adding the heading value to a base audio frequency so you can easily determine the direction of rotation. 

8. Start Delay: This is the amount of time between the moment the rotor is commanded to  move and before the first status query takes place. This allows some time for the rotor to  get the load moving. A longer setting is required on systems using a Hy-Gain rotor when  the UnStick option is enabled. This give the rotor time to start in the opposite direction  before reversing and moving on to the desired heading. Time interval are in 100  millisecond increments and the total times range is from 0 to 2.5 seconds.

9. Stop Tolerance: Some controllers directly report their motion status (Green Heron, M2  Orion, ERC4, Prosistel) so  this setting is not used. With controllers that require the  movement status to be determined by evaluating heading readings, this value is used to  help determine when the rotor has stopped moving. While the rotor is in motion, a status  query is generated about once a second and the controller returns the current heading.  This heading is temporarily stored and compared against the previous heading from a  second ago. the difference is found and compared against the value selected with this  setting. If the difference is equal to or less than the value of this setting, the rotor is  determined to be stopped. This setting helps to compensate for some sloppy rotors that  return erratic heading values. Available values are 0 to 9.

10. Heading plus tenths: On / disable. When enabled and on controllers that support this,  the heading is announced with the tenths of a degree appended to the heading. While it is possible to use the Green Heron and Easy Rotor Control controllers with the DCU-1 protocol  they are not as effective as selecting the non DCU-1 protocol versions. 

11. Rotor Speed: (M2 Orion only) When connected to an M2 Orion controller, the rotation  speed is sent as part of the new heading command. Available values are 1 to 9. One is  slowest while 9 is the quickest.

The following four options are unique to the Rotor-EZ controller. These options are sent  to the controller as you modify the option while in the configuration menu, and every time  the HamPod is powered on or reset. This way, the Rotor-EZ card is configured with these  settings and will override the hard wired jumper settings on the Rotor-EZ board.

12. End Point Option: (Rotor-EZ only) Enable or disable this feature on Idiom Press  Rotor-EZ controllers.

13. Over Shoot Option: (Rotor-EZ only) Enable or disable this feature on Idiom Press  Rotor-EZ controllers.

14. UnStick Option: (Rotor-EZ only) Enable or disable this feature on Idiom Press Rotor- EZ controllers.

15. Jamb Protection Option: (Rotor-EZ only) Enable or disable this feature on Idiom Press  Rotor-EZ controllers.

16. Power On To Port:  (default is port 1) Selects which serial port is active when the  HamPod is powered on.

17. Reset and Flashing: Used to reset or flash the HamPod. When at this option, you can  press either the [C] or [D] keys to alternate between enabling or disabling the opportunity  to reset or flash. When the HamPod informs you to "Enter to Reset" or star to flash, you  can then press the [Enter] key to initiate the reset. If you do choose to reset, the HamPod  will perform a 3 second countdown before performing the reset process. This reset only  occurs on the HamPod and not your connected equipment. The other choice for this  menu item is to press the [*] key to place the HamPod into the flash mode where it is  waiting to receive new firmware from a connected computer via port 1. See Appendix C  for flashing instructions.

HamPod VOICE PARAMETERS
  There are nine parameters which effect the DoubleTalk voice synthesizer speech output.
Volume: 0 to 9. Default is 5.
Speed: 0 to 13. Default is 5.
Pitch: 0 to 99. Default is 50.
Articulation: 0 to 9. Default is 3.
Expression: 0 to 9. Default is 3.
Reverb: 0 to 9. Default is 0.
Formant Frequency: 0 to 99. Default is 50.
Tone: 0 to 2. Default is 1.
Voice: 0 to 10. Default is 0.

The last parameter in the above list is the "Voice" parameter and are predefined voice  configurations. Please note that many of these predefined "Voices" will override some of  the voice parameters such as pitch, tone, and reverb settings that you may have already  modified and will be changed when you select one of these alternate "Voices".

A list of all configuration parameters and their range of acceptable values are found in  Appendix B.


   APPENDIX A

RotoReader Key Pad Assignments

In normal mode, the keys have been assigned the following functions:

[0] to [9] - Number keys: Used to enter an azimuth heading (0 to 360).

[A] - Preset Recall: Enter into Preset Recall mode.
[A+Hold] - Volume Up: Shortcut key to increase volume of the HamPod.

[B] - Preset Save Mode: Enter into Preset Save mode.
[B+Hold] - Volume Down: Shortcut key to decrease volume of the HamPod.

[C] - While not entering a heading, is the Bump Plus. increments heading by value stored  in configuration Bump setting. Can also be disabled.
[C+Hold] - Configuration Mode: Enters Configuration Mode of the HamPod.

[*] - Stop / Clear: Immediately stop rotor while moving or clear an ongoing keypad  operation.
[*+Hold] - Not assigned.

[#] - Enter / Status: Used to initiate rotor movement to the specified heading or announce  current rotor heading when stopped or while in motion.
[#+Hold] - Enter / Status: Used to initiate rotor axis movement to the specified heading or  announce current rotor axis heading when stopped or while in motion (Only ERC-M by  Easy-Rotor-Control).

[D] - Alternative key to clear an ongoing keypad operation. While not entering a heading,  is the Bump Minus key. decrements heading by value stored in the Bump configuration  setting. Bump can also be disabled. If Bump is disabled, this key will now toggle  Verbosity Mode on and off. 
[D+Hold] - Switch between serial ports 1 and 2 of the HamPod.



APPENDIX B

Configuration parameter and value ranges:
------------------------------------
Volume: 0-9
Speed: 0-13
Pitch: 0-99
Articulation: 0-9
Expression: 0-9
Reverb: 0-9
Formant Frequency: 0-99
Tone: 0-2
Voice: 0-10
Key Beep: On / disable
Key Time Out: disable, 5-30 (in Seconds)
rotor Controller Type: Green Heron, Green Heron using DCU-1, Rotor-EZ, M2 Orion, Easy  Rotor Control using GS232B, Easy Rotor Control using DCU-1, Prosistel, AlfaSpid  Azimuth
Override Baud Rate: 1200, 4800, and 9600
Motion Beeps: disable, 10 pitch choices at 2 volume levels
Start Delay: 0-25 (100mSec steps)
Stop Tolerance: 1-9
Heading plus tenths: On / disable
Rotor Speed: 1-9 (M2 Orion only)
End Point Option: On / disable (Rotor-EZ only)
Over Shoot Option: On / disable (Rotor-EZ only)
UnStick Option: On / disable (Rotor-EZ only)
Jamb Protection Option: On / disable (Rotor-EZ only)
Power On To Port: Port 1 or Port 2
Reset and Flashing


APPENDIX C

FIRMWARE UPGRADE OVERVIEW
The procedure to flash the firmware is standard practice as with other devices that utilize  a bootloader. There are basically two components used for this procedure:
1.  The bootloader which is already resident within your HamPod.
2.  A Windows based computer running an application that communicates with the  bootloader and sends the new firmware to the HamPod.

The bootloader is a special application that resides within the HamPod and runs every  time the device is either reset or  powered on. This special application looks for a unique  command sequence over serial port 1 of the HamPod which is connected to your  computer which is running the companion Windows flash loader  application. Once the  bootloader begins, you have approximately 1.5 seconds to initiate the flash loader  application running on the computer. During that first 1.5 second window of  opportunity,the bootloader is in control of the HamPod and is looking for a connection  from the computer over the serial port. When a valid connection is established between  the HamPod and the application running on the computer, the flash loader application  then sends the new firmware to the HamPod. If no connection can be established, the  bootloader times out and the HamPod starts running as usual.

  An improved method to flash the HamPod has been added to the configuration menu.  This greatly simplifies the required timing synchronization  between the HamPod and the  flashing application running on the computer.
All previous methods for flashing the HamPod still exist but this new method is much  easier to perform since it automatically restarts the HamPod for you.

The following steps will walk you through the flashing process:
1.  Important! You must use a null modem serial cable for this connection. Connect a null  modem serial cable between serial port 1 of the HamPod (the connector nearest the DC  Power jack), and a serial comm port on your personal computer. The comm port on your  computer can be any serial port from COM1: to COM8:. The existing straight wired serial  cable provided with your HamPod can be used provided you also use the included null  modem adapter in addition to this cable.
 2.  Download and extract the ZIP archive update  firmware file to any directory of your  choosing on your computer. You may over write any existing files with a new firmware  update if you have previously performed this update before. This file can be found from  the appropriate page on the HamPod web site at the following URL:
http://www.HAMPod.com

The files contained within the ZIP archive are:
ds30LoaderConsole.exe : The command line flash loader application.
Flash_1.bat : Batch file when using comm port 1 on PC.
Flash_2.bat : Batch file when using comm port 2 on PC.
Flash_3.bat : Batch file when using comm port 3 on PC.
Flash_4.bat : Batch file when using comm port 4 on PC.
Flash_5.bat : Batch file when using comm port 5 on PC.
Flash_6.bat : Batch file when using comm port 6 on PC.
Flash_7.bat : Batch file when using comm port 7 on PC.
Flash_8.bat : Batch file when using comm port 8 on PC.
***.hex : the firmware file to flash to the HamPod (this file name varies depending on your  connected devices)
Other informational text files

3.  Once you extract the files into a directory of your choosing, simply run the appropriate  batch file for the comm port number on your PC that you have connected to the HamPod.  The batch file contains the command to launch the flash loader  application and also set  some necessary parameters for the program. When you start the batch file, the file will  open a DOS window, validate the new hex firmware file, and prepare to flash the HamPod  but will stop and wait for any key to be pressed on the PC before actually initiating the  flashing process. The text written into this DOS window by the flashing application should  be readable by most screen readers such as JAWS or Window EYES and will inform you  of its progress.

4.  Once the application on the computer pauses and is waiting for a key press, enter the  configuration menu on the HamPod with a long press of the [C] key. Scroll through the  menu items using the [A] or [B] keys until you reach the "Reset and Flashing Disabled"  menu item. Press either the [C] or [D] key to enable this item and you will hear, "Enter to  Reset or Star to Flash Firmware". Press the [*] key and the HamPod will enter flash mode  with the prompt, "Waiting for Firmware, Any Key to Abort". The HamPod is now waiting  and watching for the application on the computer to begin sending the new firmware. At  this point, if you press any key on the HamPod, it will exit flash mode and reset itself. To  initiate the new firmware transfer from the computer, press any key such as the Space  Bar on the computer and it will begin sending the firmware to the HamPod. When you  pressed the Space Bar key on the PC, the flash loader application tries to establish a  connection with the bootloader within the HamPod and if found, the HamPod will respond  with a "Flashing" announcement. This will take about 30 to 45 seconds to complete. DO  NOT power off the HamPod while the update is in progress!When finish, the HamPod  may restart on its own but sometimes you may need to power cycle the HamPod  yourself. The flash loader application on the PC will write a series of period characters to  the screen as it transfers the firmware file to the HamPod, When finished, it will report the  status of the update and wait for a final key press on the PC to terminate the flash  application and close the DOS window.

Note for users of older firmware:
  If you are using an older version of firmware, this new flashing method will not be  available and you must use one of the previous methods of synchronizing the HamPod  with the PC by performing an manual reset of the HamPod.  The easiest way to do this  that usually works is to start the flash loader application on the computer and press any  key when prompted to initiate the firmware download. You then have about 20 seconds to  reset the HamPod while the PC application continues to look for the bootloader to start  running on the HamPod. So at this point, you need to quickly reset the HamPod by use of  the reset button, reset configuration menu item, or removing and applying power to the  HamPod. In some cases an erroneous character will be sent to the PC by the HamPod  during the reset which might confuse the application running on the computer and it will  fail. If this happens, just try the procedure again or use one of the alternative methods to  reset the HamPod. 

5.  After a successful update, you can verify the new firmware has been installed by  requesting the product information from the HamPod as specified in the user manual for  your specific connected device.
6.   Disconnect from the PC and reconnect the HamPod to your equipment and enjoy the  new benefits and features of the firmware!

73 and Have fun with your HAMPod!


End of Document.