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I installed HSDR last month on my desktop PC and it works fine with my softrock. I am trying to reproduce my setup in my shop with another pc, and I am having the same issue with 2 different PC, one with W10 64 bit an Intel NUC and one with an older XP laptop. On both units, the output from the USB sound device to the Softrock is dead. Everything else works properly. I can swap the speaker device and the Softrock I/Q output and the speaker still works, but not the I/Q output. Therefore, all the hardware is OK, and there is a software issue. Does anyone have an idea of what could be amiss?
Thanks,
Howard

On 19/01/2021 20:22, Howard Fidel wrote:

I installed HSDR last month on my desktop PC and it works fine with my softrock. I am trying to reproduce my setup in my shop with another pc, and I am having the same issue with 2 different PC, one with W10 64 bit an Intel NUC and one with an older XP laptop. On both units, the output from the USB sound device to the Softrock is dead. Everything else works properly. I can swap the speaker device and the Softrock I/Q output and the speaker still works, but not the I/Q output. Therefore, all the hardware is OK, and there is a software issue.

Howard,

What Softrock? An Ensemble RXTX? Do you mean it will not TX?
Apart from setting the correct sound devices in HDSDR I do not see how software can be involved.
Windows 10 settings can be difficult, XP usually simple.

73 Alan G4ZFQ

Alan:
Yes RXTX. It is definitely software. Everything works, it sets the RXTX to transmit, but no audio comes out of the sound card to the RXTX. The display shows the audio from the mic. The exact same hardware works fine on 1 of my PCs but not the others. It is snot the sound card, I tried several, and they all work when sending the sound to the speaker but not when programmed to send it to the RXTX.
Howard

it sets the RXTX to transmit, but no audio comes out of the sound card to the RXTX. The display shows the audio from the mic.

Howard,

If you connect a speaker instead of the Softrock TX input you hear nothing?
In my experience if HDSDR shows TX audio then it is being sent to the selected soundcard. My first thought is that something is not configured correctly. The wrong device selected, wrong settings in the Windows audio panels.
What devices are you using?

Does the Softrock actually go into TX mode when HDSDR shows TX? I have a LED showing the presence of S12v.
Other possibilities are sound drivers.
I have known partial working of a USB device cured by removal and re-insertion and reconfiguring.

73 Alan

I hear nothing connecting to the input line. It is not a driver problem since that works. When I swap the input line with the speaker the speaker always works. The softrock goes into TX mode and transmits if I use the audio test on the PC to send sound to that output. Somehow HSDR is sending the signal to the wrong device, though I can't tell which one.

Howard

I hear nothing connecting to the input line. It is not a driver problem since that works. When I swap the input line with the speaker the speaker always works. The softrock goes into TX mode and transmits if I use the audio test on the PC to send sound to that output.

Sorry I do not think I understand.

Somehow HSDR is sending the signal to the wrong device, though I can't tell which one.

I have never known HDSDR to send audio to the wrong device unless I myself have set it to the wrong device.
Device descriptions in the drop-down can be confusing. Rename them in the Sound Control Panel if that will help.
And you are certain your audio settings in Windows are correct?

73 Alan G4ZFQ

Yes everything is correct. I have the built in pc for the mic and speakers and the USB device for both RXTX connections. Receive works fine. If I swap between the PC and the USB, so usb has mic and speaker, then that works fine, and the same issue occurs in transmit, receive is fine. As I also said, if I go to device manager, put the RXTX in transmit, and send a test tone to the TX output audio device, it transmits.

Howard,

Sorry, I can add no more. It does not seem possible to me.
I hope someone else has the answer.
Something else that I've heard of but not experienced is a sound device not working full duplex.

73 Alan G4ZFQ

Hello Howard,

From our studies we have discovered that there are problems with certain motherboard chipsets relating to the number of USB devices. This manifests itself as an inability to support a large number of audio endpoints, in the instance of our Scottie Globemaster SDR? we require four, two for the Globemaster and two also for the Plantronics headset which we recommend for our product.

Interestingly we have uncovered a similar problem on Linux, so it *may* not be OS related. The USB bus has plenty of bandwidth, it appears to be a limitation in some computer hardware and/or software to manage large numbers of endpoints. Unfortunately the issue is your computer rather than your GUI software or your Softrock hardware.

It may interest you to know that I have more than one PC that cannot satisfy the above requirements. and these are fairly recent machines !

On the Linux front it may interest you that the entire range of RPi products, including the RPi4 have serious USB design issues, they also are unable to handle two full duplex USB devices!

That is why we do not use the Raspberry Pi range !

On the other hand the Odroid N2 SBC has a correctly designed USB system, one that works as you would expect. With the Odroid, you just select your group of sound devices and you are there. How good is that !!!!

I hope the above helps to steer you in the right direction.

Regards

Ed GM3SBC

Ed:
Thanks! That makes sense. I would have never guessed that is an issue. I have a couple more PCs I can try now that we understand the issue. I as also thinking of building another SDR with the PI, so that is also a very useful input. I never heard of the Odroid N2 SBC, I am looking into it. Have you tested the Odroid N2+?


Howard

PS to everyone else that tried to help, thanks for you effort.

Hello Howard,

I do not have an Odroid N2 + , but it does look like a worthwhile upgrade from the N2.

However, be mindful that the brilliance in electronic design is selecting the parts that perform the functionality that YOU require at the level that you require. Whether it be a new Transceiver, or the new latest and greatest PC,? do not be drawn into lots of performance numbers, unless the performance numbers are really in the areas that you require.

Every design is different, there is no design that is perfect. So when you go and buy a PC for Ham Radio it can be a bit of a lottery. It would be fine if you could go into the shop with your Softrock etc and load up your software and see if the USB actually works !!!

I was gutted when I purchased my SamSung Win7 i5 Core Laptop and found that the USB did not work ! It just could not handle two full duplex USB !

The Raspberry Pi with its FOUR USBs ?, well you might get one USB to give you full duplex, but don't ask for two. It's almost like in the old days, when you bought a transformer to operate your door bell, it was stated as a 12 Volt 0.3 Amp unit, the problem was you could not get the 12 Volts and the 0.3 Amps at the same time !

To be honest, there are some rooky designs that have been in place out there for many years now. It would appear the designers / manufacturers have no interest in any rectification of their design deficiencies.

The Odroid N2+ has many shortfalls for sure, as does the original N2, BUT, the question is can it perform to the required standard, all the major functionality that you require for your specific application(s) ?

That is all it needs to do. No more.

On our Scottie Globemaster SDR project we spent many many months on qualification testing with specific Hardware, Software and Firmware before eventually approving the entire package for release to purchasers. The Odroid N2 was one piece of hardware that made the grade and was approved and recommended by us for use with our SDR.? If you change anything, all bets are off !

Regards

Ed GM3SBC

Ed:
Thanks for the detailed explanation. The Scottie is a nice product, I wish I new about it earlier.

Howard

Ed:
I will probably order the Odroid soon. They are out of stock at the moment. However, do you know of a USB audio device with a stereo mic input? Everything I have seen is mono. I did find some audio mixers such as the Pyle family that have stereo outputs.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Howard

Hello Howard,

Nice to hear you again. I have ordered the Odroid N2+ , they will be in stock at the end of February.

I am not exactly sure what your application is but for the Headset on my SDR I use the Plantronics 628 USB unit. It is a mono microphone with the two ear pieces. So that gives you the TX modulation and RX reception side.

If you are going to use the Softrock SDR then, yes,? you need to have the I and Q Audio Channels. You could have a look at Amazon, they have a ' *TechRise External Sound Card. USB Audio Adapter'*. It is described as an external Stereo card. I would not expect the greatest performance at that price , but it could be ok !

I hope that helps.

Regards

Ed GM3SBC

Ed:
I will wait to hear from you on the Odroid N2+ to make sure it also works properly. The Techrise is not a stereo input, only stereo output. The only option I have found for stereo input is mixers such as the Pyle. I actually purchased one, but it failed, so I never got to evaluate it. For some reason I have S9+ noise with the sound card in my PC that I have been using for RX. I even have this noise level when I unplug the cable from the RXTX so it is not coming in from the RXTX but is a sound card/pc issue.

Thanks,
Howard

Hi Ed:
Just following up with you to see if you have gotten your Odroid N2+ and checked out its operation.

Thanks,
Howard

Hi Howard,

No, I have not heard from the company yet. I may start inquiring to find out the status.

I shall let you know asap.

Regards

Ed.