Difference between revisions of "Tracker3"

Revision as of 10:14, 27 March 2013

The Tracker3 is the successor to the Tracker2 APRS tracker/TNC. It is based on the Freescale MCF51JM128 microcontroller, with a 32-bit ColdFire CPU core running at 48 MHz.

Tracker3 official product page

Tracker3 Hardware Variants

There are presently three products in the Tracker3 series:

OT3m - Standalone version in metal case with telemetry inputs and solid-state relay

T3-301 - Integrated 5-watt VHF transceiver

T3-135 - Plug-in board for Alinco DR-135T

This page covers material common to all variants. For hardware information specific to a particular variant, see the links above.

User's Manual

A preliminary Tracker3 manual is available now.

USB Support

The rear panel of the OT3m includes a standard USB 'B' connector. The USB functions of the Tracker3 are identical to those of the OpenTracker USB.

The USB port on the OT3m can be used for configuring the tracker with the otwincfg utility, accessing the command prompt, and connecting to a PC in KISS interface mode.

When the USB connection is in use, the tracker draws its power from the host system - no other connections are required for configuration of the unit.

Note that the OT3m does NOT act as a host device - the USB port is only used for connecting to a PC, and cannot be used to connect a USB GPS receiver.

Windows

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and 7 require the INF file linked here to properly recognize the device.

For help on installing the INF driver for the device, please see the Windows INF File Installation article.

Linux

Most Linux distributions should recognize the OT3m automatically and assign it a name like /dev/ttyACM0. If the device isn't recognized, try the following:

sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x134a product=0x9000

Mac OS X

OS X should recognize the OT3m and assign a name starting with /dev/cu.usbmodem. If prompted to set up a dial-up device, hit cancel.

Other Operating Systems

The OT3m is a USB CDC ACM serial device with VID 0x134A and PID 0x9000. Most modern operating systems should include class drivers for this type of device.

Configuration

The tracker should always respond to the otwincfg utility, regardless of the operating mode. If otwincfg is already running when the tracker is connected, it should automatically detect and connect to the device. If the operating system assigns a COM port number higher than 16, you'll need to change it manually in the device manager.

A single setting controls the USB port mode. This setting appears as the 'USB KISS' checkbox in the port setup box in otwincfg, and as the command USBKISS from the command prompt. Setting USBKISS ON or checking the checkbox will set the port to KISS mode, for use with host programs like AGWPE and UI-View32. If the host program sends a KISS exit command, this option will be disabled and the USB port will return to command prompt mode.

You can access the command prompt through the USB port exactly like you would through the serial port, using the terminal program of your choice. Note that baud rate settings are ignored on the USB port.

When the tracker is connected to a PC using the USB port and the USBKISS option is off, the command prompt will be accessible only through the USB port and not through port A as usual.

Hardware Configuration Flags

Some hardware-specific behaviors are controlled by a configuration byte at location 0x002FFF in the tracker's flash memory. Normally there should be no need to change this configuration byte.

Bit 0 - Reserved
Bit 1 - Invert serial RX polarity
Bit 2 - Invert serial TX polarity
Bit 3 - Reserved
Bit 4 - Reserved
Bit 5 - FC-301/D radio present
Bit 6 - KYL-600 series radio present
Bit 7 - Reserved

The hardware configuration byte may be set using the PATCH command, in the form PATCH 002FFF01nn, where nn is the new value of the byte. For example, PATCH 002FFF0106 sets the TX and RX invert bits.

Scripting

The Tracker3 includes a simple scripting engine for automation and customization. See also Script_Examples.