If you find PowerSDR is freezing up, you may have a DPC Latency issue:

DPC latency has to do with real-time background processes.
When you open windows Task manager you will see all the programs and processes that run in the background.
So even if you have a high number of cores, it can still happen, do to a faulty driver, or a bad program, or virus.
Also, hard drive activity can cause latency as well (I switched to a Solid-State 1Gb drive a couple of years ago.).
There is only so much background time available in order to keep a process running in real-time.

Programs that can help find out what your PC is doing:

Windows Task Manager (right click in the windows tray to select): Show all the Apps and Background Processes running with the CPU,Memory, HDD, network loading.

FlexRadio.exe (windows control panel): View DPC latency in time.

WhySoSlow.exe: You can generate a report showing what might be causing it.

Latency Monitor (LatMon.exe): Test for DPC latency

Process Explorer (procexp.exe) will show you all code running (this can be scary when you see it) and how much CPU time.

Autoruns.exe or CCleaner.exe: You can see what exactly gets loaded at Startup  

___________________________________________________________________

CPU % not functioning or Temp & Volts not working:

Click Start, type "cmd" in the Search box.
Right click cmd.exe, and select Run as administrator.
At the prompt, type lodctr /R and press ENTER. (note the "R" is a capital letter)
This will repair the PerfMon pointers (those are stored in the registry).
You should see this message if the process was successful:
Info: Successfully rebuilt performance counter setting from system backup

If this results in an ERROR, then try the following:

Type: C:\Windows\SysWOW64>lodctr /R

You should see: Info: Successfully rebuilt performance counter setting from system backup store

Then type: C:\Windows\SysWOW64>winmgmt.exe /RESYNCPERF

This will hopefully fix a Windows PerfMon issue.

____________________________________________________________________

NOTE: FT8 & JTAlert-x have a rather large penalty on your CPU in a crowded band (like 80m and 40m) trying to decode 20 or so signals simultaneously. The more signals to decode, the higher CPU. My old 4 core cpu maxed out at 100% decoding on 40m and running PowerSDR at the same time.

I decided to upgrade my desktop motherboard to an AMD Ryzen 6 core (12 thread) and 16gb of DDR4 is more than enough horsepower to run everything and anything, and allows PowerSDR to run at 30fps and the analog meter movement to run at 40msec with 3 - 6% cpu.

link to Upgrade to the latest version of Win10 (should be free if you have the key from a prior version of Windows):
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

"Change Active Hours" (Win10)
In Windows 10, go to "Windows Update" and change your "Active Hours" to reflect your time on the radio to prevent a windows update during the time your using PowerSDR.

Privacy Settings (Win10)
UnderWindows 10 you will want to turn all the new privacy settings and "how updates are delivered" to OFF (block) . Otherwise your computer will be allowed to constantly send data not only back to Microsoft & others, but allows others to use your computer as an "Update server".

Microsoft "Store" (Win10)
Open Windows STORE app. In the upper right corner ... click and select setup. Turn off automatic updates of Apps,otherwise Windows 10 will be constantly downloading and installing apps while PowerSDR is running.

Microsoft monitoring (Win10)
Turn OFF "Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry" (huge drive and cpu usage hog that can start running in the background at any time while running PowerSDR) (text procedure to disable it here)

Turn OFF the following Windows "Task Scheduler" items:
---- Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (huge drive and cpu usage hog)
---- Customer Experience Improvement
---- Power Efficiency Diagnostics
---- Windows Defender (start hard drive scans manually yourself when you want )
---- Media Center (Since it Windows 10 no longer allows the program to run)

Turn OFF the following Windows "Services":
All the "Diagnostics ..." services including: policy, service, system, Tracking (assuming all your components are working)
Lfsvc: Geolocation service windows 10
Fax: fax
Homegrouplistener: Homegroup HomeGroup continuously scans your network for files, printer, devices, data
Homegroupprovider: Homegroup
Media Center: continuously scans your network.
WMPNetworkSvc: Windows Media sharing
Windows Search (indexing) continuously updates its index files every single time a file is created, which keeps the CPU(s) & Memory & HDD busy.

Turn OFF network Printer SERVICE: HP and others have poorly written network printer Services that will continuously eat up CPU & Network.

Turn OFF MSCONFIG STARTUP programs that check themselves for updates (i.e. java, adobe, apple. do the update checks yourself). You can use free CCLEANER.exe to find them and disable them.

Schedule your Virus Checker program to update itself & scan at off hours. Dont run the virus scanner when you are using the PC.

Many Virus scanner program do background optimization without your knowledge. Usually the only way to quiet them down is to put them into Gamer Mode or Silent Mode.

Disable Windows automatic updates. Do the checks yourself.

Leave your computer ON, set for HDD & monitor to turn off after 20min of no use. This way the OS doesnt spend time after start-up to do housekeeping.

Some Video card drivers(i.e. Nvidia) include Gamer previews that download and update without your knowledge. You will want to make sure you check the "Task Manager" to see any programs that are running and delete them. If you have an NVidia card you will want to check this link to turn off the Nvidia PowerMiser feature: here

Run "Task Manager" (right click on the task bar and select "Start Task Manager" then click on the "Show processes from all users". This will show all the hidden processes that require ADMIN privileges to stop. Check them to see if any sneaky programs are running.


IF YOUR VIDEO CARD IS POOR: Go to System Properties-> Advanced ->Performance Settings-> Visual Effects->Adjust for best performance (to turn off the graphics extras that you probably dont need)

To speed up your computer, get a new Solid-State Hard drive, and a Gamers video card.

To Enable/Disable Windows Services: Click on the Start button and type "services" in the search window.
Click on Services (local).

FINALLY:
Right CLICK on the task bar (bottom of the screen) and select "Start Task Manager", then click on the "show processes for all users" down at the bottom.
Its good to print this screen out for future reference when your computer starts to "act" up.
Kill rogue programs that are running in the background (like java update scheduler, ituneshelper,etc.).
Also, check the "Task Scheduler" to make sure Windows or other programs dont run a schedule task while your operating.

The QuickAudio file names now contain a sequential index value + Mode + freq + date + time of the recording
Every time you hit the REC button a file "SDRQuickAudioXXX.wav" is created in the folder:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.8.0\QuickAudio\
(Right Click on the PLAY button to open this folder)

and (Wave->MP3 folder) an "SDRQuickAudioXXX.MP3" is created in the folder:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.8.0\QuickAudioMP3\
Click on the "Wave" button then "MP3 Folder" button to open the MP3 folder directly.

The file location of the "MEMORY" scheduled recordings (MP3), and the orignal "Wave" folder recordings is:
%userprofile%\music\PowerSDR\

PowerSDR "MEMORY" data, and DX Cluster data files:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\

PowerSDR Database files (look for your radios serial number in the file name):
(original) %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.7.2\
(new ke9ns) %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR v2.8.0\

Griffen PowerMate Drivers are now Written directly into PowerSDR ke9ns v2.8 (setup->general->user interface).
If you are running PowerSDR ke9ns v2.8 then skip this section.
This section and these files may be useful to other SDR users not running PowerSDR ke9ns v2.8

I wrote 3 programs (below) that Force the Griffin Powermate Knob to send Frequency change commands to PowerSDR no matter what you doing on your computer:
1) AutoFocuses the PowerSDR window and sends Keyboard Shortcuts AND also allows Remote Knob Operation (but without the AutoFocus)
2) Sends CAT commands to a COM port connected to PowerSDR
3) Same CAT commands, but with a Signal Strength Meter added.

NOTE when using any of these programs:
Do NOTrun the PowerMate program you normally use with the Knob (look for the knob image in your tray). Windows should install the Griffin driver automatically.


1) PowerMate/PowerSDR using keyboard shortcuts (i.e. PowerSDR only)
NOTE:This version now allows remote operation over a "Remote Connection" but does not autofocus the PowerSDR window on your "Remote Connection". BUT, if you are running it locally, it will still auto focus to PowerSDR.
Do NOTrun the PowerMate program you normally use with the Knob (look for the knob image in your tray). Instead download this zip file, unzip the folder and keep the 2 files together. Simply run the .EXE file (but in ADMIN compatability mode). Just minimize to the Tray and leave it running all the time PowerSDR is running. You will need to have .NET 4.0 framework installed.
This will work with the new PowerSDR 2.7.2 ke9ns revisions, BUT you must run "PowerSDR", then run "Ke9ns PowerMate", then its OK to open the DX spotter window. It must be done in that order using this version.

2) PowerMate / Flex Radio CAT commands
This PowerMate version does not change Window Focus, it simply opens up a COM port that links back to the CAT for your radio.
I use ZZAD/U commands for VFOA with 3 selectable step rates: (100hz,1khz,or 10hz).
I use ZZRF for the RIT function (+/-10hz steps). I could not use ZZRU/ZZRD for RIT because DDUtil gets caught in a loop.

Download this zip file, unzip the folder and keep the 2 files together. Simply run the .EXE file (dont need ADMIN permission). You will need .NET 4.0
The default is COM7 (you can select 1-16). You will need to use a program like "vspMgr" to create virtual COM port pairs (i.e. virtual COM6-COM7 pair), and DDUtil to link 1 side of each COM pair back to your CAT rig. (i.e. set RCP1 in DDUtil to COM6)

3) Flex Radio CAT commands RX Signal (with Powermate)
Download this zip file. This version (again dont run PowerMate Editor) can work with or without the PowerMate (but you still need to install the driver). The meter skin is called Met2.jpg and is replaceable. Just keep the skin in the same folder as the .exe and .dll files. Now the Meter movement is smoother and the needle is smoother.

The meter image is my tribute to the TR7.

Below is a short youtube iphone video I took showing the above ke9ns powermate software running.

You can copy the default "Skin" to use as a starting point for creating a new "Skin".
Skins under V2.7.2 or V2.8.0 are found in the following location (Click on the START button and enter the following in the search window): %ProgramData%\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR\Skins\
Highlight the "Default 2012" folder and press CTRL C, then CTRL V
You will now have a new Folder called "Default 2012 - copy"
Right click on folder and rename it your call sign (ie. KE9NS)
Navigate into the new FOLDER inside the "Console" folder. These are the files you can change.

In my KE9NS example I changed the "picDisplay.png" file which is the background of the Panadapter.
Started from scratch with Adobe PhotoShop.
1) Create a new picDisplay.png file with a canvas of 1000 x 550 (the standard skin is a 100 x 50 image, but that will be too blurry if we add a call sign).
2) Pick a background color (use the eyedropper tool to pick a color from some other image), and use the paintbucket tool to fill the canvas.
3) Now add a background lighting enhancement, so click on Filter->Render->LIghting Effects->have fun. The image on the left is virtually lit from the bottom right. The image on the right is virtually lit from 3 sources above the skin (like on old radio with light bulbs over the dial).
4) Now add your callsign to the image in the upper left corner. Pick your Font (i used LCDMono) and size (i used 72pt) and Opacity I added a lensflare (Filter->Render-> Lens Flare) just to the callsign.
5) Next, I replaced the slider(s). RX2 sliders are slightly smaller,so there are 2 sizes.
6) Since the slider we are creating is round,and all image formats save files with 4 sides, we need to create a cavnas with on opaque background (i.e. a see through background), it shows up as a checkerboard pattern in Adobe.
7) I found some knob images on the web and scaled them down to fit.

I have now also included a background without the call sign but with a robinson projection.

The slider replacements are slightly larger than the original 20 x 20 and 16 x 16. My Slider(s) are 22 x22 and 19 x 19 (see below)

Click here to download the "Skins" (without my callsign)

At this point go to PowerSDR -> Setup -> Appearance -> and select the new "Skin".

The Panadapter will now look like the photo at the top of this page.
At this point its best to shut down PowerSDR and reboot your computer.

FireWire (IEEE 1394):

If you are looking for options to add FireWire to a newer mini-PC or laptop or Desktop, scroll down to "FireWire Solutions for mini-PCs and Laptops" for a few options.

(NOTE: Freezing is not generally related to FireWire, but means either your PC is underpowered or you have a bad driver. Search DPC Latency on this website instead)

If your FireWire is crashing (causing a PFN_List_Fault) Blue screen of death:

(1)
You can check on all the items listed below, BUT first as a test, disable all Virus protection (some programs will require fully uninstalled in order to disable). This includes the built in Windows Defender: By disabling the Win10/11 "Real-Time protection" and Win11 "Memory integrity". It has been noted that Windows defender "msmpeng.exe" can cause a large number of "Hard Pagefaults" while running PowerSDR. See if the PFN crashing goes away when you Disable Real-Time protection via windows Defender?

(2)
Make sure your Windows 10/11 Power Plan is set to "High Performance" power plan. Control Panel->Power Plan.

If you dont see a "high performance" listed under Power Plan:
Run "Command Promt" right click"Run as administrator" and copy/paste the following for "High performance":
powercfg -duplicatescheme 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

This is for Ultimate performance: copy/paste the following for "Ultimate performance":
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

Both these Power Plans are not for laptop battery usage as they disable all power saving features and keep all CPU cores running, but are needed for Real-Time Audio DSP

(3)
Open CMD prompt (run as Admin) bcdedit /set disabledynamictick yes for reduce possible DPC latency.

(4)
Open Regedit: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583
and set ValueMax and ValueMin both to 0 to prevent windows from shutting down any CPU cores. Or you can download "Parkcontrol" to prevent CPU core parking.

(5)
FireWire requires an IRQ (Interrupt Request) channel. Its best that the IRQ channel selected for your FireWire Card is unique and has no IRQ conficts with other devices on your PC motherboard. Your BIOS selects the IRQ for you.
Newer PC motherboards now use MSI and MSIx (Message signaled interuppts) for their onboad devices, and so usually have plenty of open IRQ available. Somewhat older motherboards support MSI but rely heavily on IRQ for their onboard devices, and so many onboard devices share and IRQ. You may or may not be able to run PowerSDR successfully with a shared FireWire IRQ.

Windows Device Manager->View->Resources by Connection->IRQ
NOTE: Negative IRQ numbers are MSI (Message signalled interrupts, as opposed to the original pin based IRQ). Devices that use MSI are not allowed to have conflicts. Modern PC Motherboard chipsets will have PCIe version 3.0 or better to take full advantage of this. This will leave plenty of room for tranditional IRQ devices.

Although windows permits IRQ sharing, your 1394 FireWire card cannot be allowed to share an IRQ.
Windows no longer allows for IRQ manual assignements.
And Modern BIOS configurations will usually NOT allow for manual IRQ assignments.

NOTE: Altering your BIOS is dangerous for the inexperienced, and may cause Windows to become inoperable.

Older BIOS configurations may have a "PnP operating system" checkbox to disable. Modern BIOS configurations may have a ACPI checkbox to disable.
The other possibility is to simply move the 1394 card to another PCIe Slot (Note: Any PCIe slot, large or small will accommodate the 1394 PCIe card).
Also sometimes simply using "Device Manager" to disable and then Re-enable, may cause Windows to assign a new IRQ#.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This procedure (below) is a last resort to free up an IRQ conflict on your FireWire Card:

This procedure involves moving PC devices from standard IRQ to MSI (Message Signaled Interrupts). MSI devices are not allowed to have conflicts and show up as negative IRQ values. By Freeing up standard IRQs, this might remove a FireWire Card IRQ conflict. Usually NVIDIA graphics cards can be moved to MSI. Along with Audio devices. Some devices listed as MSI capable will not work properly under MSI and can cause your Windows to no longer boot.

NOTE: This is not for the faint of heart. This procedure has the possibility of bricking your Windows PC. Always make sure you create a fresh "System Restore" point, also go into REGEDIT and make a backup copy to an accessible location (like your desktop). Make absolutely sure to create a USB "Recovery Drive" before attempting any IRQ MSI alterations. This way you should be able to boot the Recovery Drive and restore to a previous Restore point. If you dont see some devices already listed as MSI (no negative IRQ devices), then dont try this as your PC is too old.

MSI_util_v3 This is the direct download from my site, otherwise you can follow the links below incase there is a newer version. Drop it on your Desktop (nothing to install) and run in ADMIN mode

See: https://maxedtech.com/show-devices-by-irq-in-windows/
and See: https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/windows-line-based-vs-message-signaled-based-interrupts-msi-tool.378044/

This involves altering your Registry to move devices from IRQ to MSI (you can also increase priority levels) using a free program called "MSI_util_v3.exe" that must be run in ADMIN mode. This utility modifies your Registry.

Before (my PC):

After (my PC):

I did this even though my FireWire had no IRQ conflict.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(6)
If your having trouble getting your Flex-3000 or Flex-5000 to connect to your FireWire card, it may be the driver. You can try installing the Win7 based Legacy Driver instead of the default driver.


Download:
Legacy1394 x86/x64 FireWire Driver This version will create a folder:
C:\Program Files (x86)\1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)
With a x86 and x64 subfolders

If your Windows is x64 It will just place the drivers into the folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)
But if your Windows is x86 then the folder will be C:\Program Files\1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)

Go into either x64 or x86 folder (based on what version of Windows your running)

Then right click over the Legacy1394.inf file and select Install

Now when you open device manager and select 1394 FireWire->update driver->Browse my computer->Let me pick from a list, Legacy should now be in the list

x64 Win10 / Win11 PCs may require a "Signed" driver, but these were never signed. You may need to "Disable Driver signing" on you PC to allow switching your 1394 FireWire card over to "legacy"

NOTE: If you are having troubles running a Flex-3000 or Flex-5000 at 192k sample rate, try the Legacy Driver. And change the sample rate only from within PowerSDR: setup->Audio->Primary->Sample Rate

Device manager will list your FireWire card as: IEEE 1394 host controller (Either LSI, TI, or VIA 1394).

Flexradio.exe app Go into Flexradio app
1) set Operate Mode to "Normal". Click the DPC button to confirm the Firewire connection has low latency. If not, check your PC for un-needed and unused programs. You may need to reinstall the OS for a clean start. High latency will cause very strange audio issues. You will eventually see a few time the computer encountered high latency, hit the Clear button to make sure it doesnt happend that often.

2) Buffer size: Dictated by the PowerSDR -> Setup. So dont try and change it here.

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FireWire solutions for mini-PCs and Laptops.
(For those not running a Desktop PC which has a PCIe slot):

Luckily almost all the slots found on newer laptops, and mini-PCs are PCIe based slots with just smaller form factors.

m.2 PCIe slot (used in Mini PCs & new laptops, for wifi/bluetooth):
Its a 4 channel PCIexpress slot in a very small form factor. Its smaller than the original mini PCIe slot, but more capable. Mini-PCs are full blown Windows 11 PCs the size of a Sandwich. I have a Aerofara Tank56, Ryzen (12 logical cores), m.2 SSD, and capable of running 3 FHD monitors. I have tried using the M.2 slot for 1394 FireWire and it works great!

You can buy adapters that convert m.2 PCIe slots to standard PCIe x1 (where you could use a standard 1394 FireWire card).

OR

Convert a m.2 PCIe slot to a Mini PCIe slot and then use an 1394 card (like the StarTech.com LSI board shown below):

------------------------------------------------
Mini PCIe slot (used in mini PCs, and laptops for wifi card):

If you open up your laptop and find a mini PCIe slot (usually used for wi-fi cards), you can buy a 1394 FireWire card like this LSI 1394 miniPCIe card from StarTech.com (PN# MPEX1394B3), and run the cable to the outside of your laptop.
This LSI 1394 chip has worked well across multiple machines. I have yet to find a bad one.

Below showing PowerSDR running a Flex-5000 using the Above LSI miniPCIe 1394 FireWire card plugged into a new Windows 11 x64 Touchscreen 10.1" Embedded fanless Industrial PC. Note 3 mini-PCIe slots: 1) msata SSD, 2) LSI 1394 FireWire card, 3) Intel WiFi & Bluetooth card.

-------------------------------------------
ExpressCard Slot (used in Laptops):
I also use a StarTech.com EC13942A1 1394a FireWire ExpressCard (for my Windows Laptop). It works great.
Above is an 1394 FireWire ExpressCard for Laptop computers with ExpressCard slots (preferably ExpressCard 2.0). ExpressCard is really just PCI Express in a different format

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thunderbolt FireWire

Thunderbolt 2 (Left side), Thunderbolt 3 (Right side in a USB-C form factor). The Thunderbolt indicates that its not just a USB-C connector.

Example shown below:
FireWire on a modern Laptop (Lenovo 20ES P70 ThinkPad)
USB-C Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 (dongle)
Thunderbolt2 to FireWire 1394B (dongle)
FireWire 1394B to 1394A (cable)

As a LAST LAST resort (see photos above). If you simply cannot get FireWire to work properly on your PC (besides trying another PC), you might consider using "Thunderbolt" (which is backwards compatible with DisplayPort and FireWire).

It has been verifed that this "Thunderbolt" approach works.

First, check if your motherboard already has "Thunderbolt", either as its own Thunderbolt 2 (most likely if you have a mac) connector, or as a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (USB-C does not mean its Thunderbolt. It needs to state that it is Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB-C is just its connector).

If you do not have "Thunderbolt" you can purchase a "PCIe x4" card with Thunderbolt on it. That is the card requires a x4 or larger slot (not the x1 slot that most FireWire cards use). They also usually require PCIe 3.0 hardware on your motherboard.

New cards will most likely be Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (which will then require an Thunderbolt 3 to 2 cable.) This has the added benefit in that you gain high speed USB-C plug(s).
Used cards will probably have Thunderbolt 2 & DisplayPort & maybe Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) connectors.

2) Purchase an Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Firewire adapter. Windows 10/11 should find the drivers for this device.
3) Purchase an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Cable (if needed)
43) Purchase a 1394b to 1394a Cable (to interface from the Apple FireWire to the Flex radio)

NOTE: Thunderbolt 3 is not open source and can appear as a USB4 port. If your PC has a USB4 port, it maybe Thunderbolt 3 compatible, and so the above Thunderbolt to FireWire may work using a USB4 port. But Vendors of USB4 do not need to be fully Thunderbolt 3 complient, so your talking a chance.

NOTE: Thunderbolt 3 is now open source and can appear as a USB4 port. If your PC has a USB4 port, it maybe Thunderbolt 3 compatible, and so the above Thunderbolt to FireWire may work using a USB4 port. But Vendors of USB4 do not need to be fully Thunderbolt 3 complient, so your talking a chance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FireWire Chip Repairs

Repair of the Flex-5000 FireWire Chip (TI TSB41AB2PAPG4) 64pin HTQFP:

If you find your PC does not detect your Flex-5000 when you plug in the FireWire cable and you have determined the fault is in the Flex radio itself. There is a good chance that the TI TSB41AB2 chip has failed AND/OR possibly the DICE chip Applied Technology TCD2210 DICE chip in a 128 pin QFP (not shown)

1394 TSB41AB2 FireWire chip Before and After removal (note the heat sink ground plane connection under the chip)

Kaptan tape used to help protect parts round the chip.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES:

NOTE 1: Legacy 1394 OHCI FireWire drivers came about with Win8 when FireWire drivers changed to kernel-mode driver framework (KMDF). The new KMDF 1394 FireWire Drivers sometimes caused issues, prompting the "Legacy" driver (i.e drivers made before KMDF). But Legacy drivers are slower than the current standard drivers based on KMDF.

NOTE 2: Microsoft Win10 (Ver1803) put a limitation on 1394 FireWire related to DMA (Direct Memory Access). FireWire is currently prevented from DMA (i.e. DMA is disabled), in the hopes of preventing threats to Bitlocker. This Windows limitation was then passed along to all versions of Win10 (old and new), and 11. However it does appear that compatability issues have appeared due to this "DMA limitation" put on 1394. There is really no way to Disable this Microsoft Limitation (except a special kernal debug mode). I believe this DMA disable was poorly executed and caused FireWire issues beyond just DMA. I dont believe PowerSDR uses DMA mode, but this maybe some of the cause behind FireWire cards causing a PFN failure and not related to PowerSDR itself.

This is a Hidden menu function and requires an Array Solutions, Inc. Power Master 1 Calibrated SWR/Watt meter.

Focus on the PowerSDR window and press the following keys: <SHIFT><CNTL> F


!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT touch anything on this page unless you are willing to brick your radio if you mess up.
DO NOT touch the Input/Ouput side of this window ever.
Calibrations will NOT work correctly unless you are at Factory Defaults.
DO NOT run any other programs on your PC
ALWAYS HIT THE CLEAR ALL BUTTON FIRST on this page.
ONLY SELECT 1 BAND AT A TIME, TO BE SAFE.
Select 1 Band that you would not normally use, just in case you mess up. (like 30m)

PowerMaster:


This zip file contains a folder with the latest PowerMaster 1 firmware, manuals, and Windows PC programs to communicate with the PowerMaster via the serial port. Click to download PowerMaster ZIP File

"PowerMaster 1" emulation:
PowerSDR sends a special string of hex bytes: 0x02 0x44 0x33 0x03 0x31 0x33 0x13 to force the PowerMaster to transmit over its COM serial port at 38400 8N1 the following string (repeated as fast as you can and forever):
0x02+"D, 29.5, 0.6, 1.32,0;0;0;0;0"+0x03+"BE"
Where (in this example) 29.5 is the watts fwd, 0.6 watts ref, and 1.32 is the SWR.
The (5) 0's are not unused and the "BE" is a ASCII representation of the hex CRC8 byte.

However, PowerSDR looks for the following string (from the COM port repeated as fast as you can and forever): 0x02+"D,00123.4E"+0x13+0x0a
with 00123.4 being the watts detected by your external watt meter (PowerSDR grabs the the 3rd through 10th bytes only). And assuming your external Watt meter needs no correction, the powermaster.txt file correction values should be set to 0 watts.

Setup:
1) To run a PA calibration you need an "Array Solutions PowerMaster 1" meter (original, NOT the Powermaster II )
2) Connect the Serial port to your PC (I use a Serial to USB converter, then set the USB driver to COM1, an unused COM port)
3) Install and run the free Power Master basic PC program to verify you can communicate with your Power Master original.
4) Attach the Power Master coupler to ANT1, then to a 50 ohm DUMMY load capable of over 100 watts.
5) Attach a 25 ohm DUMMY load to ANT2 all by itself. [Take (2) 50 ohm DUMMY loads in parallel to get 25 ohms]. ANT2 is used very briefly during the SWR calibration, so you dont need a large capacity 25 ohm DUMMY load. I just used a high wattage 25 ohm resistor used in RF applications.
6) Export your current database to your Desktop, you will restore back when your done. (see Settings menu, bottom strip)
7) You must restore the PowerSDR to FACTORY DEFAULTS (see settings menu , bottom strip, left side)
8) You must create a empty text file called: production. (no file extension) in the hidden:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\FlexRadio Systems\ (this is to activate the grayed out buttons on this screen.
9) <CTRL><ALT>S to active the SWR button
10) You must create a powermaster.txt file in the C:\ProgramData\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR folder. Click here for a sample file. You insert the gain or loss values for your particular Power Master coupler. (its written in Pen on the HF coupler). But, the Power Master coupler gain/loss is generic for the entire HF band, where the powermaster.txt file breaks it down into each band. You may need to tweek each band value seperately.
The Powermaster coupler correction values will scroll onto the Production PA test right side window. They wont match the values in the powermaster.txt file because they are multipled by the built in PowerSDR gain/loss values for the Flex radios circuits.

Your Ready to start Calibrations:
11) Click Bias button will adjust the Driver and Final Bias values for specific Transmit Idle Amp values. No external equipment needed.
12) Click the Null Bridge button and a mV scale will pop up next to the Verify button, then manualy adjust the C45 var Cap on the power board inside the Flex-5000 for lowest mV value. The Flex will transmit around 40w to 60w through ANT1
13) Click on the ABORT button when you have the lowest mV reading possible.
14) Click on Clear All button
15) Click on only 1 band to calibrate (an unimportant band to start with)
16) Click on Run PA Cal button. The Flex will calibrate for 1w, 2w, 5w, 10w, 20w, etc. to 100w on ANT1
17) The Flex will then switch in ANT1 and ANT2 to calibrate the SWR for a 2:1 ratio
18) When finished, the PowerSDR will save new EEPROM data to the Flex (whether the Cal succeeded or failed)
19) I believe that if the Run PA Cal turns Yellow after the calibration of 1 Band; it passed. Green would be if all bands passed. Red means something failed.

The Verify button will try and output 100w on the selected bands as a pass / fail (I believe a 4watt deviation is allowed to pass). It doesnt need to be done on bands you just did a Run PA Cal on.

Warning:
The Power button (below the Run PA Cal button) causes PowerSDR to crash, dont touch it.
You may lose transmit capability on the band you just attempt to calibrate if the calibration failed to finish properly. You will need to shut down and start over.
If the calibration crashes, you will lose transmit on the band you were calibrating. You will need to shut down the flex and start over.
If the powermaster loses communication with the flex, you will need to shut down the flex and start over.
if you see a NaN for SWR, then the SWR calibration failed. Try again.
If the 100w PA calibration fails, the SWR calibration will likely fail. I believe this is a software glitch.
if the SWR fails, you can manually click the SWR button to run just the SWR test over again.

The calibration may not be able to properly calibrate a particular band to 100watts. This may be the due to incorrect gain/loss correction values in your powermaster.txt file, or something wrong with the radio. If the Run PA Cal routine finished you will still be able to transmit, you just will not be able to make 100watts at full power. The max watts out will be whatever the routine topped out at.

Below is a short youtube iphone video I took showing how do the PA Calibration.

Class A or Class AB modes
(This is for Flex-5000 only)
Press <CNTL><ALT> B: Image on right side lower right corner: This allows you to select Class AB or Class A

!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was kept hidden because Class A will get the finals very hot. Limit your output to below 30watts only.

The TOP number is the Driver transistor Bias level multiplier. (Default Class AB = 1)
The Bottom number is the Final transistor Bias multiplier. (Default Class AB = 2)

For "Class AB" operation: Driver = 1, Final = 2, now click the "Bias" button, to re-adjust PA Bias for Class AB.

For "Class A" operation: Driver = 2, Final = 4, now click the "Bias" button to re-adjust PA Bias for Class A.

The PA of the Flex-5000 is a PUSH-PULL MOSFET circuit, designed for Class AB operation where 1 MOSFET is Biased to operate mostly in the Positive region of the AC signal (>180deg), and the other MOSFET is Biased to operate mostly in the Negative region of the AC signal (>180deg). Together they cover the 360deg of AC signal. This configuration increases efficiency and reduces heat, but has a small amount of crossover distortion.
But due to computer controlled Biasing calibrations, this distortion is very limited and only becomes noticable when the output is applied to a high output external Amplifier.

!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In Class A, the Flex-5000 PUSH-PULL MOSTFET circuit is Biased so Both Mosfets operate in full 360deg of your AC signal, (conducting all the time). The advantage is that Class A eliminates the crossover distortion and supply ripple distortions that could lead to Harmonics on your signal when using Class AB
The major downside of this high Bias is the maximum efficiency is 50%. This means that 50% of the input power turns in to HEAT.
Driver current is almost 1.8A with no signal (Final is 4A with no signal)
Limit your output to below 30watts only.

CALIBRATION OF THE TRX (Transmitter and RX1)
<SHIFT><CNTL>P: Production TRX / IO test

!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT touch anything on this page unless you are willing to brick your radio if you mess up.
DO NOT touch the Input/Ouput side of this window.
Calibrations will not work correctly unless you are at Factory Defaults.

VERY IMPORTANT:
Turn OFF Setup->Display->Hi-Res PanaFall, turn off Auto Wtr/Pan. Set Spectrum max = -19, min = -140,
and Make sure the AVG is OFF, remove the ke9ns8.dat file from the database folder, and
Make sure to leave the console screen size as small as possible (do not maximize the console screen). Otherwise tests may fail.

(Clicking on "Run Selected Tests" with RX1 & ANT1 connected to a Dummy load will go through a series of TX and RX adjustments)

CALIBRATION OF THE RX2
<SHIFT><CNTL>R : RX2 Calibration menu

!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT touch anything on this page unless you are willing to brick your radio if you mess up.
Calibrations will not work correctly unless you are at Factory Defaults.

(Clicking on "Run Selected" with RX2 & Antenna RX1-tap connected to a Dummy load will go through a series of TX and RX adjustments)

<SHIFT><CNTL> I: Voltage & Temp

<SHIFT><CNTL>S: Preselector

<SHIFT><CNTL>C: EEPROM Calibration restore, save, reset

<SHIFT><CNTL>V: VU Calibration

Flexwire I2C.

ZZFY CAT command can be used to send a I2C command (address and 2 bytes of data). This can be used to program any I2C IC

The HERO preselector menu button sends a address = 0x40 with 2 bytes of data representing the Band and Ant selected from that HERO panel.

CNTL + ALT + U sends address 0x4c + data to trigger external relays. But its for use only with the XVTR screen

DEBUG SCREEN
<SHIFT><CNTL>D: Debug, check& set drive & final bias Amps, carrier Null, scanner

!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT touch anything on this page unless you are willing to brick your radio if you mess up.

(Clicking on the Q2,Q3,Q4,Q1 values will adjust the Drive levels and change the Transmit Idle Amp levels)

Test=?
Gen=?
Sig=?
Fan= PA fan on/off
Bias= I believe these values are set when you run the PA Bias calibration stated up above. This section allows you to override them.
Carrier Null: I believe these values are set when you run the TRX calibration state up above. This section allows youto override them.
Impulse= I believe these values are set when you run the TRX calibration state up above. This section allows youto override them.
XVTXEN=?
QSD = Quadrature Sampling Detector (receiver on/off)
QSE = Quadrature Sampling Encoder (on/off)
RCA TX1,2,3, = key TX1 ,2,3
Off=?
FPLED=?
CTS=?
External Ref= 10 mhz GPS ref ?
Int Speaker=there is none on the 5000a, although I see a provision on the PCB for an audio speaker amp.
Headphone =

Update your Radio's TURF Region:

Current source code can be found at: https://github.com/ke9ns/PowerSDR_ke9ns_v2.8.0/

This mod project was started 1/1/2016 by me, Darrin KE9NS and is based upon
the GPL Open Source PowerSDR 2.7.2 code provided by Flex Radio Systems, Inc.
With generous help provided by Flex Radio Systems, Inc. (Thank You!)

This Source code includes 5 project under the PowerSDR umbrella: DttSP written in C, PowerMate written in C++, PowerSDR written in C#, Inno Setup Compiler (to create the Full Installer), and Advanced Installer 14.5 (to create the incremental installer)

DttSP and PowerSDR code was provided by Flex Radio Systems, Inc.
PowerMate code was provided by Griffin, Clev R. Munke, and me Darrin ke9ns
PowerSDR modifications beyond 2.7.2 are provided by: me Darrin ke9ns, and dh1tw for the DJConsole code
SWL.csv file from eibispace.de (thank you)
SWL2.csv file of my own with additional short wave stations. It is automatically added to the SWL.csv list
dxloc.txt file initially from HRD (thank you), modified by me Darrin ke9ns
EN.dat file updated by the FCC at: https://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/data/complete/l_amat.zip Note: I_amat.zip is a large file and I only use the EN.dat file inside.
FCCDATA.dat file generated by PowerSDR itself from the EN.dat file. This file is to determine the US State.

Currently compiling under Visual Studio 2022 (VS2022) and NET 4.5.2
After you download and install VS2022, you must then download and install any VS2022 updates.
When you load the PowerSDR project in for the first time, VS2022 will attempt configure it with NET 8.
But you then must open PowerSDR "Properties" and select or install .NET 4.5.2 before attempting to compile.
Newer versions of .NET will compile but will not run properly on computers configured to use a comma delimiter.

You can run the build from within VS or directly from the VS project release or debug folders.

PowerSDR.exe and PoweSDR.config.exe are the only files needed in the PowerSDR build.
DttSP.dll is the only file needed in the DttSP build.
PowerMate.dll is the only file needed in the PowerMate build.
ALSO: vcruntime140.dll needs to be copied onto the target computer (PSDR program files folder, or download the free C++ VC2015 runtime installer)

Also, I have 2 installers: 1) a Full installer using "INNO Setup", and 2) An Incremental installer using" Advanced Installer"

Do a full rebuild the first time you open the project in VS, before doing anything else.

Things I needed to do before the PowerSDR would actually run:
1) Copy the project into the VS project folder. Make sure the Bin and Source folders are both directly 1 level down
from the PowerSDR_v2.8.0 project folder itself, otherwise the paths wont match up to the original project solution information, and it wont compile
2) Copy over the pal.dll from the Standard Flex PowerSDR program files (x86) folder, into the VS release & debug folders,
otherwise the PowerSDR messes up and will ask for a firmware update.
3) Copy over the TNF.dll file from the Standard Flex PowerSDR program files (x86) folder, into the VS release & debug folders.
4) Go into the VS PowerSDR "references" -> Browse, and add the TNF.DLL to the list. Navigate to the Relase folder you placed it in.
5) Go into the VS PowerSDR "properties" and remove the NO_TNF reference from the "Build" compile list (you need to do this 2 times: Debug and Release)
6) Copy over the ATU.dll file from the Standard Flex PowerSDR program files (x86) folder, into the VS release & debug folders.
7) Go into the VS PowerSDR "references" -> Browse, and add the ATU.DLL to the list. Navigate to the Relase folder you placed it in.
8) Go into the VS PowerSDR "properties" and remove the NO_NEW_ATU reference from the "Build" compile list (you need to do this 2 times: Debug and Release)
9) Rebuild the solution: Release or Debug. Now you will have a full working PowerSDR version that you can start your own modding
10) Remember PowerSDR C# is based on 96dpi resolution and Photoshop default is 72dpi, so images created on Photoshop will be too big unless you set the DPI to 96 and then select your canvas size in pixels.

The "//ke9ns add" call sign comment to indicate code I added
The "//ke9ns mod" call sign comment to indicate modifications to original 2.7.2 source code

PowerSDR open source code provided by Flex Radio Systems, Inc. is covered under GNU GPL Ver 2
This requires anyone who distributes this code to note its authors.

If you wish to add to this PowerSDR ke9ns project, as opposed to starting with the Flex 2.7.2 version, please contact me Darrin Kohn ke9ns@ke9ns.com

73
Darrin ke9ns.com

NOTE: v2.8.0 requires vcruntime140.dll. The Installer copies this file over, but If PowerSDR still fails to run,
you can download the Microsoft installer: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145

______________________________________________________

Because RX1 and RX2 are seperate and independant modules inside the Flex 5000, its easy to do cross-band FDX or SO2R.

Below is a short youtube iphone video I took showing Full Duplex Operation. Do NOT try Full Duplex on the same band. Be careful to test out your setup first at low power to make sure you have good isolation when transmitting. When you are sure that your 2nd receiver is not picking up your Transmitter, then start raising the power.

I have tested this out, and its possible to receive on 20m using RX2 (VFOb) using a Yagi tri-bander, while transmitting 100 watts on 80m using VFOa and a G5RV ant. Both antennas are around 100' apart. I found no change in the noise floor when transmitting. I believe this would work on any band combination as long as you use 2 different antennas and they are spaced far enough apart.

I was also able to receive on 40m (using a R7 vertical) while transmitting on 80m using the G5RV. Both antennas are around 100' apart. But you need to make sure not to overload the 2nd RX if you run any power.

You dont need the SO2R switch (described above) to make this work. The SO2R switch is only needed when you have more than 2 antennas and/or you have an amplifier. You simply to go the Setup Menu and set the proper switches.


Connect 2 antennas to the Flex and set the antenna swtich menu up properly for your configuration.
!!! Receiver2 must have its own antenna for FDX !!!

Go to Settings->General->RX2:
1) Uncheck "Auto Mute RX2 on VFOA on TX"
2) Uncheck "Disconnect RX2 RF Input on TX"
3) if you plan on Transmitting on VFOb (SO2R operation), then Uncheck "Auto Mute RX1 on VFO B TX" as well
!!!! Make absolutely sure to put back the switches on this menu when your done!!!

4) Now select one band for VFOa and a different band for VFOb
5) Test it out at low power to make sure you dont overload RX2 (or RX1 if transmitting on VFOb for SO2R operation)
6) You may see the noise floor go up if your TX and RX frequencies are close

I have not tried FDX on the same band (Flex says its possible on the 6000 series)

I am not sure how to configure logging software for SO2R (Flex has a procedure for the 6700)

!!! Make absolutely sure to put back the switches on this menu when your done !!!

Flexwire I/O connector is a DB-9 female serial type connector wtih pin 3 blocked so you dont try to plug a serial bus into it.

DB-9 connector view from back of radio:
( 6-7-8-9 )
(1-2-3-4-5)

1: Ground
2: Line In
3: Blocked
4:/INT1
5: Ground
6: IIC CLOCK (SCL)
7: IIC DATA (SDA)
8: +13.8vdc out (1A max)
9: Line Out

IIC bus uses pin 5,6,7 low speed (100khz) bi-directional synchronous data bus. IIC bus allows multiple devices on the same bus where each device has an address 8bits long.

Important NOTE: example: 8bit address 0x46 = 0,1,0,0, A2,A1,A0, 0 = (01000110)
(bit0 determines Read/Write but its still part of the address byte)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KE9NS added I2C (IIC):
Setup->General->User Interface->I2C Band Output checkbox

Upon band change, PowerSDR will send 2 IIC command strings:
(For PCS9534 I2C port replacement chip)
1) 8bit Address 0x42 Register 0x01 Value = <DATAA>
2) 8bit Address 0x42, Register 0x03, Value = 0x00

<DATAA> (below)
2200m = 1, 630m = 2, 160m = 4, 80m = 8, 60m = 16, 40m = 32, 30m =64, 20m = 128

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

(For PCA9534 I2C port replacement chip)
1) 8bit Address 0x44 Register 0x01 Value = <DATAB>
2) 8bit Address 0x44, Register 0x03, Value = 0x00 (all output)

<DATAB> (below)
17m =1, 15m = 2, 12m = 4, 10m = 8, 6m = 16, reserved = 32, reserved = 64, reserved = 128

------------------------------------------------------------------------

(For MPC23017 I2C 16bit port replacement chip):
8bit address 0x46, register 0 & 1 to 0 (all output on PortA & B)
8bit address 0x46, register 0x12<DATAA>
8bit address 0x46, register 0x13 <DATAB>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UCB (FlexWire Button) using PCA9555D IC

Open on XVTR page, you will find a FlexWire button OR
<CNTL> + <ALT> + U: "UCB" Universal Control Board Configuration page

Note: When FlexWire Button is "Yellow" then the IIC output is active

See page: k3tuf.com/FW.html , for info on FlexWire and UCB

This is used in conjunction with the XVTRs menu and the VHF+ button on the main PowerSDR screen
On the XVTR menu enable a item and give it a UCB Line Number. This corresponds to the above screen. You then select which relays activate for each UCB line number. The VHF+ button on the main screen is how you access this new band.

UCB transmits via IIC bus the following 4 sets of 3 bytes (PCA9555D):
0x4c, 0x06, 0x00
0x4c, 0x07,0x00
0x4c, 0x02, (low 8bits value of line#)
0x4c, 0x03, (high 8 bits value of current line#)

ZZFY CAT command can be used to send a I2C command (address and 2 bytes of data). This can be used to program any I2C IC

---------------------------------------------------------------

The HERO preselector menu button sends a address = 0x40 with 2 bytes of data representing the Band and Ant selected from that HERO panel.

Current HERO Preselectors have a USB connection to CAT and no longer need the I2C output.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KE9NS Amplifier control using IIC

Activate the feature from:
Setup->General->Options->Use IIC FlexWire for External AMP Control,
and Setup->General->Options->IIC FlexWire AMP ON/OFF checkboxes.

Upon Band Changes the following 6 bytes of data are transmitted via IIC bus

Older W6PQL LDMOS RF Filter Design (address 0x4E)
0x4E, 0x01, <DATA>
0x4E, 0x03, 0x00

Current W6PQL LDMOS RF Filter Design (address 0x4A)
0x4A, 0x01, <DATA>
0x4A, 0x03, 0x00

<DATA>:
1 = Select bands: L/MW, 160m, 120m (no relay needed with W6PQL design filter board)
2 = Select bands: 90m, 80m, 61m, 60m, 49m
4 = Select bands: 41m, 40m, 31m ,30m

8 = Select bands: 25m, 22m, 20m, 17m, 16m, 15m, 14m (Address 0x4E only)
16 = Select bands: 13m, 12m, 11m, 10m (Address 0x4E only)
and


8 = Select bands: 25m, 22m, 20m, 17m, 16m(Address 0x4A only)
16 = Select bands: 15m, 14m 13m, 12m, 11m, 10m (Address 0x4A only)

32 = Select bands: 6m
64 = Remote ON/OFF (used N.C. contact... 64 relay on = remote control)
128 = Selected bands: VHF/UHF (bit7 is turned OFF)

<DATA> bit6 (64) is SET only if IIC AMP ON/OFF checkbox is set and on an HF/6m band

See my SS AMP page for controller board circuit

Look at the top line of v2.8 PowerSDR. It will contain the Model#, Serial#, and Turf "Region" of your Flex Radio.
Current list of "Regions":

US = USA, CA, ROW
UK
Europe = Germany, European Union, IARU1
UK_Plus = UK+ (adds 60m band)
Italy
Norway = Norway, Czech Rep.
Denmark
Latvia
Slovakia = Slovakia, Malta
Bulgaria
Greece
Hungary
Belgium
France
Russia
Sweden
IARU3 = China, Australia, New Zealand
Japan
Italy_Plus = Italy+ (40m band)
ES_CH_FIN = Spain, Switzerland, Finland
Netherlands
EU_Travel
Luxembourg
IARU2 = Central & South America
Australia
China
_______________________________________

The TURF region determines your Band Privileges (where you can transmit)
The TURF region is programmed into the Radio's EEPROM

Once you update the TURF Region of your Flex Radio, cycle power,
Run PowerSDR setup->General->Options. Click on "Update BandText" button
This will update the "Band Text" that appears just below VFO-A and VFO-B to match your "Region"

NOTE: If you just added 60m band transmit to your Flex and you run into trouble, search this webpage for:
60m update to IARU Region 1

NOTE: Firmware updates provided in PowerSDR software will NOT disable your "Extended" or MARS operation.
So dont worry.

_______________________________________

MARS / SHARES operation (Extended operation)

The Flex-1500, Flex-3000, Flex-5000 can be made to operate in "Extended" or MARS/SHARES mode.
SHARES=SHared RESources High Frequency Radio Program
(see https://www.cisa.gov/shared-resources-shares-high-frequency-hf-radio-program for details)
MARS=Military Auxiliary Radio System (and AFMARS Air Force MARS)
(see https://www.mars.af.mil/ for details)

NOTE: Firmware updates provided in PowerSDR software will NOT disable your "Extended" or MARS operation.
So dont worry.

If your Flex Radio has MARS (Extended) operation enabled, the top line of v2.8 PowerSDR will not only show your TURF Region but also show the word "Extended"