FlexControl Changes State

Geoff AB6BT · February 2023

Just recently my FlexControl has started changing states without any input from me.

What happens is that if I am in the tuning mode, that is no LED are lit, randomly the AUX1 led illuminates and the function changes to the mode assigned to AUX1.

I tap the knob and it reverts back to tuning mode.

Then after some time it switches back to AUX1. This can be a few minutes or a few seconds.

Any ideas out there?

Erika - KØDD · February 2023

I have had rf in the shack cause severe weirdness in the controls functionality. So much I thought it was broke. Its was my second flex control and was new. But then a month or two later it was flaking out.

I unplugged it, but noticed other strange things so much so I went through all of the computer leads with ferrite. Tada... then I just plugged mr flex control back in and he's been 100 percent... give that a try. Erika DD

Geoff AB6BT · February 2023

Thanks for the idea but this happens while I'm not even transmitting.

Erika - KØDD · February 2023

Geoff you might have dueling com ports on your computer, or a dirty USB connector... The final possibility is a broken wire in the cord. That's what I thought I had with mine, until I saw other weirdness getting into the computer through other port cables. THE FLEX CONTROL was the worst offender in my case. My station is a NEW DELL 8950 with all the latest and greatest, four monitors cordless keyboard and mouse, a lot of configured CAT = Virtual comports... While the issue was going on it was a great time to tighten up the shacks RF vulnerability... I rerouted everything, video, power, speakers. I separated everything into common groups. 120v power one group, video another, etc...

You might try to run the radio with another computer and flex control... The one thing when trying to clean up behavior with complex radio software and accessories, is you need to keep a totally open mind while trouble shooting. I have found, the one thing that can nearly always be certain of, IS.... The thing you know it can't be quite often turns out to be EXACTLY what the problem is... I wish you the best.

How did RF get into my shack? My 135 ft long doublet had window line running up to the antenna. Flexing at a support 20 ft below the top rope point caused one of the conductors to partially break and then burn off... All the tuning changed on the antenna on the tuner... but it was still able to be tuned... Good old Johnson KW box. I replaced my feedline with real open wire line. 16 ga conductors instead of 18 ga, and I don't have it secured to the tower supports any longer as a stress point except loosely at the bottom support.

I completely redid all the shack grounding from the ground rod in... to big copper bars... You might not be transmitting, but it might be returning to its correct state while receiving.

Geoff AB6BT · February 2023

Again thanks for the suggestion. It is not RF related. I have not transmitted this morning.

I just shutdown the 6400, and the PC, unplugged the FlexControl, restarted the PC, plugged the FlexControl back in, and started the radio.

The FlexControl shows the same contition.

Geoff AB6BT · February 2023

OK, here's what worked for me.

In the FlexRadio Systems folder there is a folder with 64-bit Drivers. In there is a folder for FlexControl.

In that folder there are install and uninstall .bat files.

I opened a command prompt as administrator and ran the uninstall.bat file.

I rebooted the PC and ran the install.bat file as above.

As of now, about an hour later, the FlexControl seems to be working normally.

FlexControl Changes State

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