Behringer CMD Micro DJ Midi Controller for use with Flex 6000

W4WHL

I wrote an application in the Processing IDE to interface the Behringer CMD Micro with the flex 6000 series radios.  The program utilizes the TCPIP API to interface with the radio.  This program is given free of charge with no expressed or implied warranty.  Please feel free to modify the source as you see fit.

Here is the latest alpha (possibly buggy) version for the CMD Micro.  This version has the following new features.

1.  Improved Frequency control - no more floating point errors (.0001+.0001 no longer = 3 LOL)
2.  New steps 1 -amber/10-blue/50- flashing
3.  Jog wheels x5 step when spun fast, for quick movements
4.  Vox key replaced with "Shift" button.  If shift is lit, the functions listed above the button/dial are available.  This opens up the possibility for more future functions.

Give it a test and report back!  Much more work to clean this up and add new features.  But before continuing, I would like this tested thoroughly.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ln4hq84g663808c/CMDMicroFlex6k_v2_0.zip?dl=0



William

DH2ID

William, I really like your programs very much. My CMD and notebook as it looks now:


Small, but works fine. Below are the TRX TS-2000X for V/U/SHF and HF digital modes and the IC-756Pro for CW and PACTOR/AMTOR and above the ID-5100 for D-Star
and the TM-D710 for APRS, the Flex-6500 and lots of TNCs... All controlled by
one notebook, a VAIO I7 QuadCore with 1 TB SSD and 16 gigs RAM.
73, Alex DH2ID

W4WHL

Here is a special version for people that use external tuner.  Only change is ATU and Tune are swapped.  https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pjm1jnkoiba23k/CMDMicroFlex6k_v2_0_ExTune.zip?dl=0

William

DH2ID

Thanks, it works! And thank you for using the shift key to set two functions for some keys.
Do you think that it is possible to set a second function to the mode knob to change profiles or bands?
73,Alex DH2ID

EA4GLI

Alex I love your gear.

I have had an Icom IC-756 and IC-756Pro2, both great radios. I am looking into a ts-2000 for sat and VHF-UHF work. Add a massive 28 inch 4K 60Hz monitor in the middle, the new Expert 1.3k and I am set.

I like your taste in equipment.

DH2ID

Hola Salvador, me gusta el TS-2000X porque esta muy bien por las ondas cortas tambien. I especially like the possibility to use it for all digital modes from 160m to 23cm. Saludos, Alejandro

EA4GLI

I am undecided between buying a new TS-2000, which is a 10+ year old technology and has the SO-50 birdie or try my luck with a couple of transverters and the flex radio. The advantage of the transverter is being able to use the 1500 which has been collecting dust since I have the 6300. The advantage of the TS-2000 is a fairly small all in one 100w radio which could be my portable rig and replace the 857d. The other advantage of the transverter is the utility regardless of the gear.

I also think that I want to upgrade from the 6300 to the 6700 before I purchase the TS2000 or anything else radio wise.... 

DH2ID

I have kept my 857d for mobile work, as it tunes the ATAS antenna. Of course the TS-2000 is "old technology" but it's noise reduction and DSP is great. And I don't like transverters.

W4WHL

Band changing is the next thing on my list.  Profiles are harder, as they are custom names.  Which profiles are you referring too? TX, MIC, Global?

DH2ID

Global and TX. But band changes would be sufficient. I use a lot of different profiles for digi, cw, ssb, fm, vlf and time signals, fax and rtty. All with specific TX settings. I think it would be a bit too complex to make all that changeable.

W4WHL

I can pull the profile list in the API, but I could only cycle them in the order they are discovered. . One possibility is a pulldown to select which profile to set to which key.  But this will be a bit of work.

DH2ID

I would appreciate that very much :-) BTW I will be at the HamRadio fair in June. http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/ Looking forward to meet some Flexers there...

W4WHL

For band changes, I was thinking of using Shift then mode dial.  This will be a fairly easy change, but profiles will be very complex.  Building pulldown menus is no easy task.  Maybe one day.  No time soon.

DH2ID

OK - shift mode for band change would be great!

Al K0VM

William,
  Thanks for your work..

AL, K0VM

KY6LA_Howard

I will be at Friedrichshafen too

Bob- W5TX

Question. Not familiar with Midi controllers. Are key/buttons labeled via software? If not how do you make labels. Like the idea.

Bob - W7KWS -

Hi William,

It gets better and better.  Thanks!  Glad you're back on the Micro.

I do have a couple of items I'd like to get your thoughts on.

1.  The switch back from 250 Hz. to 50 Hz.step size is very fast.  I've tried to turn the knob fast enough to keep it in 250 Hz. mode but it reverts during each every revolution.  If the revert delay time was just a bit longer it would probably remain in 250 Hz. mode during an entire trip from one part of the band to another.

2. I was wondering if you have had any thoughts on my earlier post regarding a swap of the two sides of the panel.  I don't know if you are right or left handed but I'm a rightly.  When I use my right hand to tune slice A on the left, my arm covers much of the panel.  If I could swap the knobs, I could use my left hand on the volume, AGC, PTT, Etc. without moving my right hand, saving a lot of movement.

Thanks for your consideration & thanks again for the software.  Great stuff.

Bob

DH2ID

Bob, I bought the Brother P-Touch 2430 and 6mm white on black Tape. 
The labels are very durable, stick to the buttons and look just great.

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-P-Touch-2430PC-Label-PT-2430/dp/B0096XTGOS

73,
Alex DH2ID

DH2ID

Howard, I will be there from Friday to Sunday, QRV on 434.900 simplex and hanging around the FRS stand, of course :-)

KY6LA_Howard

I usually hang around the FRS stand as well.. Be there Friday to Sat or Sunday.. Albeit I just got invited to a mobile DXpedition starting in OK Land on Sunday..

W4WHL

Bob,

The delay is a good idea, and I will experiment with that.  When you say switch sides I assume you mean swap vfo a/b/ the a/b buttons/ the vfo vol/ agct.  Anything else?

I am a righty, but use my left hand to tune.

This is not too difficult and I may incorporate in a future release.  Just let me know what buttons should swap with the dials.

William

W4WHL

All,

This version addresses the need to swap stuff around.  I'm not sure if this is a permanent solution, but it address the immediate need.



The var.txt file located in the data directory can be edited to swap certain functions.  However keep in mind, a jog wheel must be swapped with a jog wheel, a button for a button, and slider for a slider.

The current changeable functions are annotated by a number in the app window as seen above.

Here is the default settings in the vat.txt

vfoa=17;
vfob=33;
selecta=48;
selectb=49;
vola=18;
volb=34;
agca=16;
agcb=32;

If you would like to swap AGC and VOL

vfoa=17;
vfob=33;
selecta=48;
selectb=49;
vola=16;
volb=32;
agca=18;
agcb=34;

If you would like to completely swap Slice A controls to the right side.

vfoa=33;
vfob=17;
selecta=49;
selectb=48;
vola=34;
volb=18;
agca=32;
agcb=16;

When editing the var.txt file, do not add any spacing or reformat in any way.  Just change the values and save.

Give it a try and let me know. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fhy99o5d4o8r32y/CMDMicroFlex6k_v2_0b.zip?dl=0

and this version adds a delay in switching from 5x step back to 1x step.  This allows you to maintain the 5x speed better.  Try it out and report back if more delay is needed, or you just hate it.  LOL

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rv08z9aaxo0ixlp/CMDMicroFlex6k_v2_0c.zip?dl=0

William

Bob W7KWS

WOW! William, you are truly amazing. I'll try this and probably have to take quite a bit more time than you did writing it. Originally I was thinking just the knobs but you've given me a chance to try all kind of arrangements. The way you've done this appears to be universal. I can't imagine anything better than everything. Bob

W4WHL

Maybe I will make more buttons and knobs swappable, however there are limitations.  Only a few buttons have addressable LED's (PTT, Shift, STEP, A<>B, +RX).   So these buttons could only be swapped among themselves.  There is only one rotary encoder, so its functions will be static. 

I'm open to suggestions on what other buttons to make swappable with the above limitations.

I was thinking Step and Shift would be a good idea.  No reason to swap PTT, they are the same (there is no PTTA and PTTB, its just PTT).  Also swapping the filter buttons withe the NR<>NB may be a good idea also.

I also think I should make RF a shift function and HP volume the primary for that dial.  I'm also considering making NR and NB shift functions and Zoom primary.

When I add Band switching to the dial, would it be best to have band the primary and mode the shift?  Personally I think I would use band switching more than mode switching.

Looking for suggestions on all of this.

William

Bob - W7KWS -

William,

The knob swap works well. I'll try other buttons after I get home this afternoon.

I think a second look at the gear shift would be a good idea.  The timing seems longer than before but it still won't stay at 250 Hz. no matter how fast I turn the knob.

Are you reinitializing the timer frequently before it reaches zero if the knob speed is still above the "fast" threshold?

I haven't written software in 30-years, during the days of the 8080 and assembly language, but what I describe above is how I would have looked at it then.  I don't know if it applies to today's methods or not.  I hope this helps.

Bob

W4WHL

The answer to your question is yes, and I have played with the timings since and have found I need to go way higher on the delay.  The current version will not decrement the step until it receives 20 encoder ticks at the slower speed.  This was too low.  My current test version is using 100.  I also lowered the speed required by to switch speeds by 1.  I can now easily maintain x5 speed.  I will post this version later.  But have more idea to add first

Ken - NM9P

If the "Gear Shift" on the CMD Micro works like the one on my PL-1, it only works as long as your finger is on the metallic center part of the button.  If you "throw" it and let go, it shifts back into slow mode.  

In the code William wrote for the PL-1, there are two "Shift Levers" for the gear shift.

One is the touch sensitive plate on the knob.  When you touch it, it sends one code, when you release it, it sends a different code.  If you put your finger on this part of the knob, it takes the "Slowdown" part out of the routine.  It still increments at the selected step, but the step gets bumped more often for a given motion of the dial.

The second shifter is the velocity of the spin.  When the spin is above a set level, the step size changes by a factor of 10.  (from 50 to 500 Hz, for example)

But here is the snag.  If I read the code correctly, the X10 shift only engages if you are touching the touch-plate on the knob.  If you let go, the speed and step size change back to normal.

At least this is the way it appears to function at my station.

I actually like the way it functions.  Though a little delay after releasing the touch plate might be OK.

Ken - NM9P

Bob W7KWS

Hi Ken,

I think that William has switched from touch sensitive to speed sensitive. I personally prefer speed sensitive as I've attached taller knobs to the Micro. They really make tuning easier for me. They are aluminum so I can wrap the sides with shrink tubing depending which method William settles on but I'm enthused for speed sensitive. Probably because I've used other transceivers for so many years that do it this way.

Bob

Ken - NM9P

OK.  I kind of like the touch sensitive, because I could get sort of a "low - mid - high" speed shift depending upon where I grabbed the knob.  If I turned it by the top of the knob, it was at 50 Hz, but fairly fast, if I tuned by the rubber "nudge ring" then it was still 50 Hz, but with more precision at a slower rate.  If I turn the knob fast, using the top place, then it really tunes fast at 500 Hz steps.

But the beauty is... to each their own.  The programming is very flexible.  Once you learn the Processing language a little, it is easy to make changes and recompile a version that is exactly what you want.  After you look at the code for a while you start to get it.

I wish I had done this two years ago!  Thanks to William, I will be able to merge his ideas and my own and make the "perfect" controller.  ("Perfect" meaning that it is the way that I want it to be!  ha ha!)  

Ken - NM9P

W4WHL

It still has both