Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
Need the latest SmartSDR, Power Genius, Tuner Genius and Antenna Genius Software?

SmartSDR v3.8.20 and the SmartSDR v3.8.20 Release Notes
SmartSDR v2.12.1 and the SmartSDR v2.12.1 Release Notes
Power Genius XL Utility v3.8.9 and the Power Genius XL Release Notes v3.8.9
Tuner Genius XL Utility v1.2.11 and the Tuner Genius XL Release Notes v1.2.11
Antenna Genius Utility v4.1.8
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

USB Cable Question

JohnSweeney
JohnSweeney Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in FLEX-6000 Signature Series
I apologize for my question that is obvious to others, but I am a new Flex owner.  I am trying to interface a Flex6500 to an Expert Amplifier.  I have built the cable to connect between the Expert and the USB-Serial interface.  I went to the Flex 6500 manual to understand how to use the USB ports and it refers me to the SmartSDR manual.  I checked the SmartSDR manual and it refers me to the USB manual which I have.  I have 3 different USB-Serial devices.  When I plug them into the 6500, should they show up immediately in the USB cable menu in SmartSDR software?  I have tried all 3 cables and nothing shows up.  Does that mean they are not FTDI?  I have no way of checking them, but they work fine if I connect them to a Windows10 USB port.  Is there somewhere else in the software that I have to activate the USB ports?  Set up a CAT port?   The USB manual assumes the adapters are listed in the USB Cable menu, but nothing shows up.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Answers

  • Mark Wohlschlegel
    Mark Wohlschlegel Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    John you can buy a pre made cable from Bob. The distributor of spe in Texas. He built 2 for me one for my Yasushi dx 5000 and one for my 6700 Mark WC3W
  • Bill English
    Bill English Member
    edited January 2020
    John I bought a dual two in one off of Amazon for like 25 bucks and it works fine. It shows up at once and you have a drop down box to select what you want to use each one for. I did not have to install any drivers, it just worked. 
  • JohnSweeney
    JohnSweeney Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Thank you for all the replies!   Wow - what a group!  Turns out none of the 3 were FTDI.  I found a fourth one and it showed up immediately.  Thanks again for all the tips.
  • ctate243
    ctate243 Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Yep.  very important.  Genuine FTDI.  no exceptions.
  • JohnSweeney
    JohnSweeney Member ✭✭
    edited July 2018
    I have found that out, but I could not tell if the units I had were FTDI or not.  Once I knew that a good one would automatically show up, I would have known and would have ordered a new one.  Fortunately I found one at the bottom of the USB box that worked!
  • JohnSweeney
    JohnSweeney Member ✭✭
    edited July 2018
    Thank you for taking the time to reply!
  • JohnSweeney
    JohnSweeney Member ✭✭
    edited July 2018
    Mark - thank you!

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.

Comment As ...

Categories