When you press the Key the display shows that you are transmitting and you hear the relay click.?
In my ubitx I have a built in sound card with a usb cable for sound control. I have a dpdt switch that I can switch it from ssb/cw to digital like ft8. It controls both mic input and speaker output.
Large heat sinks were installed with a fan and custom shroud. Running full power with out an antenna didn't overheat the transistors.?
Lastly I designed a linear regulator to power the radio and power it with an old laptop power supply. I power the finals directly with the laptop supply.?
_Dave_ AD0B