Preview No. 9 (build 158) was made available earlier this evening. Changes in this Preview are primarily additions to Set mode support for the Expert 1k-fa amplifier but there is a cosmetic change to the LCD+Buttons window for all amplifier models.

The sections below present a description of the changes and these are followed by a gallery that contains Expert Controller Plus, LCD+buttons window, images for the Expert 1k-fa. Selecting an image generates a larger image.

This Preview is available, immedietly, to those who have previously expressed interest in Expert Controller Plus and the previous Preview should be automatically updated by Apple Test Flight. For others who would like to try Expert Controller Plus, help with testing and/or provide feedback, drop me a message using the Contact page on this website. I will add you to the group of testers. Note: To run the App you will need to install the Apple, Test Flight App, available for free from their App Store.

Expert 1k-fa

Support for SET now includes configuration for Antenna, CAT, Manual tune and Backlight display. With these additions, the entire SET configuration area is now supported. Support for the Alarm history report has also been included in this Preview.

So, assuming Expert 1k-fa support works – See Testing below – Expert Controller Plus now has full support for the full range of SPE Expert amplifiers.

LCD+Buttons Window

SPE Expert Controller uses a single ‘Display’ button which, depending on Standby/Operate mode, either performs the function fulfilled by the CAT button or the Display button in the SPE, Windows Term software. Until this Preview, Expert Controller Plus used the same approach. Howerver, as of this Preview, there are now two buttons: ‘CAT’ and ‘Display’. The two-button approach allows the UI design to be shared between the Expert 1k-fa and all other Expert amplifiers. The size of the window has not increased to encompass the new button; instead buttons have been rearranged and the ‘Backlight on/off’ button labels changed from text to icons as illustrated in the example below.

Testing

Preview releases of Expert Controller Plus are available to anyone who wishes to either have sight of the software or be involved in testing. Being invoved in testing enables you to provide feedback and to suggest features/changes that you’d like to see in the App when it gets to public release. For the Expert 1k-fa especially, this is of major significance as I don’t have access to a physical Expert 1k-fa so all software implementation has been accomplished using SPE documentation and a simulator I’ve also developed. But testing against ‘real’ Expert 1k-fa amplifiers is needed. Without it I have no way to know for sure whether Expert Controller Plus is actually working with that amplifier model. So if you would like to be involved in testing please do get in touch using the Contact form on this website.

What’s next

Next, I plan to create several short YouTube video’s that provide an overview of Expert Controller Plus. These will detail how it differs from the regular Expert Controller, its capabilities, setup and operation.

Andy

In the coming weeks I’ll be creating several video’s that tour the features and operation of SPE Expert Controller Plus. Once complete I’ll upload them to my YouTube channel and link them from this website.

UI Changes

At the top of windows such as the LCD window, Buttons window, LED window and LCD+Buttons window a drop-down list permits selection of the Connection for which information is displayed in the window. That drop-down list now works, selecting the first active Connection if only one Connection exists or ‘None’ if there are multiple active Connections. It also now automatically returns to ‘None’ if the Connection is stopped.

A ‘Support’ page has been added to the Application settings window. This details the location of the log file and underlying database which will be useful in future support scenarios.

There are other minor changes such as adding the small coloured icon that represents the state of a Connection in more places.

Expert 1k-fa

All features are being implemented as per my reading of the SPE Communication Protocol Specification V2 as I don’t have access to a physical Expert 1k-fa. Implementation is being tested against my Linux Expert 1k-fa Simulator and that gives me confidence that code should work with a ‘real’ physical Expert 1k-fa. If anyone would like to try this Preview with their Expert 1k-fa please drop me a message.

Preview No. 4, includes support for the various warning messages that an Expert 1k-fa can display. The image below presents just one of those.

As mentioned above, in SET mode configuration there is no support for options Antenna, Cat, Manual tune or Backlight. Selecting these is not recommended and will likely result in a need to close and restart the application. Other options in SET Mode appear to work well and can be navigated using the -/+ buttons as expected.

If you try this Preview with an Expert 1k-fa, ensure you select the Expert 1k-fa when creating a Connection. See the circled area in the image below.

Last week I had other commitments so available time has been a little constrained. However this afternoon I’ve released Preview No. 3 as it contains some important bug fixes and usability improvements.

If you would like to try preview releases of SPE Expert Controller Plus please drop me a message using the Contact page of this website. Just a reminder Previews provide an insight of the application during its development; they are not intended to be complete or fully working.

a) Sleep and Awake. Connections and Groups can now be slept and awoken without Start/Stop of amplifier connections. There are some constraints on what is possible. So, Sleep sends the Off command and if connected using a serial/usb interface the RTS signal is de-asserted regardless of how it’s configured for the Connection. Wake only wakes a serial/usb interface connected amplifier and only when the Connection is configured so that ‘Raise RTS on Connect’ is selected/ticked.

b) The ‘Enabled’ toggle for each Connection is now recognised. Connections not enabled no longer appear in the list of Connections that may be started/stopped.

c) The RF Information and Health Information windows have been removed as they repeated information available elsewhere in the App.

d) Numerous small changes and bug fixes.

Andy

This morning Preview 2 was released to those who have requested to be part of the preview and test programme for SPE Expert Controller Plus. If you would like to join that programme, drop me a message using the Contact form on this website.

Preview 2 changes are primarily for the Expert 1k-fa. Functionality for other amplifiers remains pretty much unchanged. For the Expert 1k-fa support has been added for Standby, Operate, CAT Report and Firmware report modes. Other Expert 1k-fa functionality such as ‘Set’ configuration is yet to be implemented but is on the roadmap.

Implementation of functionality to support the Expert 1k-fa would ideally have used a real/physical amplifier however, as that is not available, a simulator was developed as described in earlier news postings. Against this simulator the actual Windows SPE Term application for the Expert 1k-fa was tried and found to work well. Thus I have confidence that my reading of the interface specification and implementation are good. However only by testing with a real/physical amplifier will that be known for sure so, feedback from those Expert 1k-fa testers is much appreciated!

Next on the list are some of the defects and issues that I know exist; I’m expecting subsequent previews will include changes that are noticeable to all models of Expert amplifiers. One of the changes I’m considering is removal of the Health and RF Information windows as I’m not convinced they add ‘value’ to the application as the information is pretty much available elsewhere. Let me know what you think about that.

Andy

The LCD, LED and button windows of SPE Expert Controller Plus appear to be working but other windows such as RF Information and Health need further work. The ‘Set’ configuration option is not yet implemented and there is no support yet for Alarms/Warnings. So there are still key capabilities yet to be implemented but with Standby, Operate, Tune, Cat and Firmware reports working support for the Expert 1k-fa is coming together.

Support for all other Expert amplifiers is well advanced although there are still capabilities to add plus, overall, there are a good number of defects that need resolving.

Preview 2 is getting close and I’d expect it to be ready by the end of next weekend. Fingers-crossed. 🙂 Assuming the Expert 1k-fa support actually works when connected to a real/physical Expert 1k-fa I expect to spend time fixing known defects and smoothing some of those rough-edges for Preview 3. Subsequent previews will add some of the missing Expert 1k-fa capabilities.

The images in this post are of the SPE Expert Controller Plus, LCD and Buttons window – I really need a better name – captured tonight to communicate how the Expert 1k-fa is looking.

If you would like to try a Preview of SPE Expert Controller Plus, drop me a message using the Contact form on this website.

Finally, thanks to those who are already running and providing feedback.

Andy

The first ‘Preview’ release of SPE Expert Controller Plus is now available to those who have expressed interest in my new macOS application. If you would like to give it a try, drop me a message using the Contact form.

This first ‘Preview’ was built on 18-Sep but has taken several days to transit the notoriously painful Apple App Store review process – anyone who has submitted Apps to the App Store will know what I mean – so, as I write this, there is already a later build that contains much improved support for the Expert 1k-fa which I will release in the coming days. For those trying the ‘Preview’, Test Flight should notify you when an update becomes available.

This next build should present the Expert 1k-fa LCD panel just as it looks on the amplifier and how it looks for other Expert amplifiers within the App already. For now capability is limited to sending all commands and just the main Standby and Operate displays but I expect to enrich this later. However, it’s difficult to test without access to an Expert 1k-fa.

As not having multiple physical Expert amplifiers including a 1k-fa is a challenge to development, I’m going to pause further work on the new App whilst I develop a simulator that will allow simulation of any Expert amplifier. It doesn’t need to be a fully capable simulator that reflects all functionality just sufficiently capable to test interfacing and, for the 1k-fa, the LCD display. It will be a Linux application using a TCP socket server design so that it can easily support multiple connections and thus simulate multiple amplifiers. Later, as the need arises I’ll add USB/serial support.

Once the simulator is done I’ll be in a much better position to test and further develop SPE Expert Controller Plus.

Andy

The last couple of weeks has seen significant further work on a new version of SPE Expert Controller which I’m calling SPE Expert Controller Plus as it supports simultaneous management of multiple SPE Expert RF amplifiers, including the original 1k-FA on macOS.

SPE Expert Controller Plus is a complete redesign and rewrite of SPE Expert Controller. Its internal architecture is very different with a focus on efficiency to support multiple amplifier connections using different interface protocols and message standards. Its user interface is also different; with new windows for common features such as the amplifier LCD, the amplifier state LED’s and push-button controls.

The images below were captured when connected to my Expert 1.3k-fa and should give a ‘flavour’ of how SPE Expert Controller Plus should eventually look. There is still much to do such as completion of the serial interfacing subsystem – it’s currently using the network / TCP/IP subsystem, and inclusion of Expert 1k-fa message support, although the framework for this is already in place.

Once it’s progressed some more, my thinking is I’ll make an early release – a ‘preview’ – available to anyone by request. It won’t be a fully working app but it will allow the curious to give it a go and let me have some feedback. That ‘preview’ is still a few weeks away so don’t request it just yet! I’ll post another ‘News’ update when it is available.

I anticipate the app will continue to mature for some time during its ‘preview’ but that will be followed by a private Alpha then Beta test phase and finally a public Beta test phase before full public release on the Apple App Store. All ‘preview’ and test releases will be accomplished using Apple Test Flight which is available from the App Store free of charge. Once complete, it is SPE Expert Controller Plus that I plan to port to ipadOS.

There is no upper limit on the number of amplifiers that can be simultaneously managed within the app; As I’m seeing low CPU usage with just one connection I’m thinking the upper limit will be how many amplifiers a ham has! In order to test SPE Expert Controller Plus I’m going to need multiple simultaneous amplifier connections but, as I have just one amplifier, that poses some issues. So, I’ll be creating a 1k-fa simulator and an ‘others’ simulator. Work hasn’t started on these yet but I’m thinking they will be command-line, Linux apps which support a TCP/IP network stack and socket server initially, followed later by USB interfacing. The TCP/IP, socket-server approach will allow multiple instances of an amplifier to be easily simulated. Using simulators should get the app to a stage where it appears to work but that’s not a substitute for testing using real, physical amplifiers so I’m hoping one or two hams will help with such testing when the time comes.

Andy