Software
Connecting to the computer
The LP-100A provides a RS-232 serial port. The serial settings are 115,200 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. The required cable is a straight through
(not crossover or null modem), with a male DB9 at one end and a female DB9 at the other. With typical motherboard or bus card provided serial ports,
there are no settings required in the computer or driver, just in the application which controls the LP-100A. In the case of the provided software such
VCP and Plot, these settings are automatic except for com port selection. Any free com port from 1-15 is acceptable.
If your computer doesn’t have a serial port, which is becoming increasingly the case, there is a simple solution as long as the computer has a USB port,
which is usually the case. A number of USB to serial adapters are available on the web or at computer/appliance stores. The LP-100A has been
successfully used with a number of these. I can personally vouch for the Keyspan USA-19HS, although I don’t know if they have a driver yet for the 64-
bit version of Microsoft Vista. An inexpensive converter that some have reported good results with is the Y-105 from ByteRunner, www.byterunner.com.
They cost $8.69 plus shipping as of this date, and provide full handshaking (not needed for LP-100A, but useful for some rigs and devices), but no
obvious Vista support. This adapter uses the Prolific chipset, which may not be supported in the future. You may need to download a different driver than
the one supplied with this unit when using XP. Search the internet for ICUSB232. ByteRunner also sells an adapter which uses the well supported FTDI
chipset for about $18, model USB-COM-CBL. Drivers for almost any platform should be downloadable from FTDI. I have been asked about a USB port
for the LP-100A, and it would be easy to do, but since all ham software has native RS-232 com support, and older machines don’t have USB ports, I
think a RS-232 port with an inexpensive USB adapter where needed is the most flexible choice.
The LP-100A has been used successfully over the Internet using serial device servers such as those offered by Lantronix and Digi. I have personally
used several of the Lantronix models with no problems.
Virtual Control Panel (VCP)
VCP is provided for computer or remote operation of your LP-100A wattmeter. VCP allows you to control the basic functions of the LP-100A, and it also
allows you to monitor the LP-100A parameters remotely.
There are three views for the VCP, selectable under the Style pulldown. The two shown above, plus one which shows all but the setup info. The Menu
choices provide the following functionality…
Style: Selects among the three views mentioned above
Upgrade: Launches the MCLoader program. This program can also be launched manually by adding a shortcut to the program.
Help: A work in progress.
The setup controls include Com port selection, callsign entry and a polling rate slider, adjustable from 50 msec to 5 sec. The normal setting is 80 msec,
which gives an update rate of 12 samples per second. On slower computers, or over the internet, you can use a slower rate.
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