ELECRAFT K-Pod User manual

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K-POD OW NER’ S MAN UAL ERRATA
R e v . C - 1 , Oc t o b er 3 , 2 0 1 6
E 7 4 0 2 8 5E
MAKE THESE CORRECTIONS TO YOUR
MANUAL OR ADD NOTES TO THE TEXT TO REFER
TO THIS ERRATA AT THE PLACES INDICATED
1. Page 7, Note below “Controlling a K3S/K3 from the K-Pod. Change the note to read as follows:
Your K3Sor K3 must be equipped with firmware version 5.54 or later and your K-Pod must be
equipped with firmware version 1.06 or later. See your K3Sor K3 owner’s manual for how to check
and download the firmware. See Firmware Upgrades on page 3 of this errata to check and update
your K-Pod firmware.
2. Page 10, add the following:
Controlling the K-Pod LEDs and Auxiliary Outputs
Two commands control the K-Pod LEDs and the Auxiliary Outputs at the K-Pod AUX OUT connector.
These commands are added to the macros stored in the K3/K3S. The K3/K3Sstores the state of all K-Pod
LEDs and Auxiliary outputs so they are restored to their last condition after a power off/on cycle. So you
need not send them again once set, although you may include them in your macros to be resent to ensure
the LEDs or auxiliary outputs are in the desired state.
When testing these commands by executing them directly in the K3 Utility Program Command
Tester/K3 Macros window, a delay of up to 2 seconds may occur before the change is reflected at the
K-Pod, instead of the about 200 ms normally experienced when the command is part of a macro
executed by pressing a switch at the K-Pod.
Place the command at the beginning of a macro string to be sure it is acted upon even though the K3
may be in the process of a lengthy operation such as a band change.
Controlling the K-Pod LEDs
By default LEDs 1, 2 and 3 indicate the rocker switch position, VFO A, VFO B and RIT/XIT respectively.
LED 4 is always under user control.
KPLED4ON; turns LED 4 on, and KPLED4OFF; turns led 4 off.
The command KPLEDROFF; overrides control of LED’s 1, 2 and 3 so you can assign them to other uses
like LED 4. Note that you can reassign all three LEDs or leave all three controlled by the rocker switch;
you cannot reassign only one or two of them.
Once you have overridden the rocker switch control of the LEDs with KPLEDROFF; you can control
LEDs 1 through 3 with the command KPLEDnON; or KPLEDnOFF; where n is the number of the LED 1,
2 or 3.
Use the command KPLEDRON; to resume rocker switch control over LEDs 1, 2 and 3.
Controlling the K-Pod Auxiliary Outputs
Three auxiliary outputs are available at the ring connections on the K-Pod AUX OUT connector referenced
to the shield (ground). Each output can handle up to 50 Vdc and sink up to 100 mA.
Output 1 is the tip connection, output 2 is the first ring behind the tip and Output 3 is the second ring. Each
output is controlled independently

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In the off state each output is a high impedance (open drain) circuit. When turned on each output is a
closure to ground that can be used to activate a relay, etc.
To turn an output on, use the command KPOUTnON; where n is the output number 1, 2 or 3.
To turn an output off, use the command KPOUTnOFF; where n is the output number 1, 2 or 3.
Examples
1. Control an external device such as an external antenna switch, amplifier, transverter, etc. with
Auxiliary Output 1 and have a K-Pod LED light when it is on.
As described earlier, a macro in position 1 through 8 will be enabled by a tap on the corresponding K-
Pod switch and a macro in positions 9 through 16 will be enabled by a hold of K-Pod switches 1
through 8. So you can have the same K-Pod switch turn the function on and off with a “tap”and off
with a switch “hold”. To do that the macros to turn the external device on and off must be assigned
macro positions 1 and 8, 2 or 9, 3 and 10, and so on.
Turn on the external device with Auxiliary Output 1 and light LED 4 by tapping F1 on the K-Pod:
KPOUT1ON;KPLED4ON;
Turn off the external device and LED 4 by holding F1 on t he K-Pod:
KPOUT1OFF;KPLED4OFF:
If you want to use LEDs 1, 2 or 3, you must shut off control of the rocker switch of those LEDs, so the
macros would be:
KPOUT1ON;KPLEDROFF;KPLEDnON;
And
KPOOUTOFF;KPLEDnOFF;
Where n is 1 through 3 corresponding to D1 through D3 on the K-Pod.
To restore normal operation of LEDs D1 through D3 with the rocker switch, send:
KPLEDRON;
2. Turn the K3/K3SRIT function on and off at the K-Pod and have LED D4 on when RIT is active.
The process is identical to Example 1 except instead of a command to turn an Auxiliary Output on and
off, you use a command to activate RIT.
Turn RIT and LED 4 on,
RT1;KPLED4ON;
Turn RIT and LED 4 off,
RT0;KPLED4OFF;
You can put both commands on the same K-Pod switch and use other LEDs as described in
Example 1.
Any function you control at the K3/K3Scan be associated with an LED in the same way. Also, you
can combine functions, controlling a function at the K3/K3Sand an output, such as:
KPOUT1ON;RIT1;KPLED4ON;
To turn on RIT at the K3/K3Sand activate Auxiliary Output 1. Similarly,
KPOUT1OFF;RIT0;KPLED4OFF;
To turn RIT and Auxiliary Output 1 off.

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Firmware Upgrades
New features and improvements are available to K-Pod owners via firmware upgrades as they become
available..
Please visit the Elecraft K3 software page (www.elecraft.com) to obtain our free firmware download
application, K-Pod Utility.
Connecting the K-Pod To your Computer
Be sure you have the K-Pod Utility program installed on your computer, but do not run the Utility Program
until instructed to do so.
Connecting the K-Pod to Your Computer to Update Firmware.
When you insert the USB connector, the green ON LED should light and
LED D4 should blink. D4 may blink slowly at first until your computer
recognizes the K-Pod, then D4 will start blinking rapidly. The K-Pod is
ready to receive firmware. If D4 is on steady, you did not have both the
F1 and F4 switches depressed when you plugged in the USB cable.
Start the K-Pod Utility program on your computer. On the main screen
near the center is “Installed in K-Pod”giving you’re the version of the
firmware currently installed and under “Available”the version of any new
firmware.
To update your firmware, click on “Copy New Files from Elecraft”.
When the download is complete, click on “Send New Firmware to K-Pod”to update the K-Pod. When the
download is complete, you can reconnect the K-Pod to your K3/K3S.