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-
- W P S ( W i s p P o w e r S a v e r )
-
- Software and hardware for power saving during unattended
- satellite opertation with the WISP package.
-
- (Free for Radio Amateurs, No Commercial Usage)
-
- Walter Crauwels, ON4BCB (ex ON1AOT)
-
- 04/01/97
- Introduction:
- ------------
- As many Wisp users, unattendent satellite earth stations have always theire
- PC,tranceiver,powersupply,rotor controller,TNC,PA,etc.. powered up, 24h/24h,
- even if there is no satellite above the horizon for hours.
-
- This costs you a lot of electricity over the year,and this is absolutly no
- good for your equipment. (i think we all agree !!!)
-
- Therefor i designed a solution called WPS (Wisp Power Saver (C) )
-
- WPS is a hardware circuit using a microcontroller which will switch off
- all your equipment during the time that there is no satellite above
- the horizon.
-
- As soon as there is a satellite, WPS will wake up your complete hardware
- system (PC,tranceiver,powersupply,rotor controller,TNC,PA,etc..) a few
- minutes before AOS.
-
- After LOS of the satellite it will shut down (sleep) your system after a user
- determinated time and wake's it up again before the next AOS.
-
- You will have to specify in WPS.INI if you are using GSC 16 or 32 bit.
-
- If WPS becomes popular we can ask Chris to implement the WPS.EXE directly
- into future versions of GSC.
- So you only will need the hardware.
- So as we all know Chris is verry busy,so let's write some mail to Chris
- if you enjoy WPS.
-
- Copyright
- ---------
- WPS hard and software is copyright protected.
- WPS may be passed freely to others for the usage in Amateur Radio.
- It is not permitted for the Program to be used commercially
- or to be sold commercially.
-
- A guarantee for a correct functioning will not be given. The User
- has no right of recourse, in the event of a Malfunction of WPS and/or
- their connected equipment to WPS.
-
- Quick Start
- -----------
- - If you receive WPS.ZIP it will contain the following files:
-
- WPS.DOC This documentation file
- WPS.INI The initialisation file
- WPS.EXE The .EXE file
- WPS_SCH.HPG WPS hardware schematic in HPGL format
- WPS_SCH.PCX WPS hardware schematic in PCX format
- WPS_SCH.JPG WPS hardware schematic in JPG format
- WPS_PCB.HPG PCB layout in HGPL format
- WPS_PCB.PCX PCB layout in PCX format
- WPS_PCB.JPG PCB layout in JPG format
- WPS_SLK.HPG PCB layout in HPG format
- WPS_SLK.PCX PCB layout in PCX format
- WPS_SLK.JPG PCB layout in JPG format
- WPS.BOM Parts list
- HISTORY.TXT Version history
-
- MSAFINX.DLL Visual Basic DLL files
- VBDB300.DLL
- VBRUN300.DLL
- THREED.VBX Visual Basic VBX files
- MSCOMM.VBX
-
- Hardware setup and testing:
-
- - Assemble the PCB and power it up (a green led will flash 3 times)
- - Connect a RS232 FULL wired DB9 cable to the WPS hardware or make a cable:
-
- DB25: (PC) DB9: (PC) DB9 (WPS hardware)
- Pin: 2 3 3
- 7 5 5
- 8-20-6 1-4-6 -
- 5-4 7-8 -
-
- - Use a small RS-232 Terminal program and set it for:
- - 9600bd,8bits,no parity,1 stopbit,
- - Comport where WPS is connected to.
-
- Send in capitals: WU@0001 <return>
- Look directly to your WPS led, it will flash 2 times if it receives
- the correct string,then it will wait 45sec,the led wil become RED,and
- will become green again after 1 minute.
- If you passed these tests, your hardware is working properly.
-
- Setting up the software:
-
- * GSC 16bit under WIN95 or WIN3.11 *
-
- - Copy the following files to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
- - MSAFINX.DLL
- - VBDB300.DLL
- - VBRUN300.DLL
- - THREED.VBX
- - MSCOMM.VBX
- - Copy the following files to the C:\WPS directory. (This MUST BE C:\WPS
- due to a problem in Shedule events from GSC16bit)
-
- - WPS.EXE
- - WPS.DOC
- - WPS.INI
-
- - edit WPS.ini and set:
- - your comport number and the path where Wisp.skd will be found
- (the file name wisp.skd will set WPS for GSC 16bit)
- - set the SleepAfterLos time (This is the minimum time when WPS will shutdown
- if no satellites are visible (Default: 180 Min)
- - set the WakeUpBefore AOS time (Time before pass to wake up your system)
- (Default 10 Min)
-
- Example for GSC 16bit:
-
- [global]
- FileName=c:\wisp\wisp.skd 'Name and path of the shedule file(wisp.skd = 16bit GSC,wispsc~1.dat = 32bit GSC)
- TZ=60 'Difference in minutes between UTC and local Time
- SleepAfterLOS=180 'in minutes (default 180 Min)
- WakeupBeforeAOS=10 'in minutes (default 10 Min)
- CommPort=2 '1 = com1; 2 = com2 ...
- Comm=9600,N,8,1 '9600 bps;no parity;8 databits;1 stopbit (do not change)
- ExitWindows=1 'Exit Windows 0/1 (default 1)
-
- - add the following to your autoexec.bat as last lines:
- set TZ = LOC-1
- WIN
-
- - RUN WPS.exe after every pass, setup a Schedule event in GSC
- Name: Wisp Power Saver
- Program C:\WPS\WPS.EXE
- Time: 2 Min
- Run: After Pass
- Associate: All Satellites
- Satellite: None
- Activate: Yes
- Run Minimised: NO
-
- - Connect a Relay to the open collector output from your WPS hardware
- This relay will switch your equipment on or off
-
- - Quit GSC and start up again
-
- * GSC 32bit under WIN95 or WINNT *
-
- - Copy the following files to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
- - MSAFINX.DLL
- - VBDB300.DLL
- - VBRUN300.DLL
- - THREED.VBX
- - MSCOMM.VBX
- - Copy the following files to the C:\WPS directory. (This MUST BE C:\WPS
- due to a problem in Shedule events from GSC 16bit)
-
- - WPS.EXE
- - WPS.DOC
- - WPS.INI
-
- - edit WPS.ini and set:
- - your comport number
- - the path where wispsc~1.dat will be found
- (the file name wispsc~1.dat will set WPS for GSC 32bit)
- - set the SleepAfterLos time (This is the minimum time when WPS will shutdown
- if no satellites are visible (Default: 180 Min)
- - set the WakeUpBefore AOS time (Time before pass to wake up your system)
- (Default 10 Min)
-
- Example for GSC 32bit:
-
- [global]
- FileName=c:\wisp\wispsc~1.dat 'Name and path of the shedule file(wisp.skd = 16bit GSC,wispsc~1.dat = 32bit GSC)
- TZ=60 'Difference in minutes between UTC and local Time
- SleepAfterLOS=180 'in minutes (default 180 Min)
- WakeupBeforeAOS=10 'in minutes (default 10 Min)
- CommPort=2 '1 = com1; 2 = com2 ...
- Comm=9600,N,8,1 '9600 bps;no parity;8 databits;1 stopbit (do not change)
- ExitWindows=1 'Exit Windows 0/1 (default 1)
-
- - add the following to your autoexec.bat as last lines:
- set TZ = LOC-1
- WIN
-
- - RUN WPS.exe after every pass, setup a Schedule event in GSC
- Name: Wisp Power Saver
- Program WPS.EXE
- Program path: C:\WPS
- Time: 2 Min
- Run: After Pass
- Associate: All Satellites
- Satellite: None
- Activate: Yes
- Run Minimised: NO
-
- - Connect a Relay to the open collector output from your WPS hardware
- This relay will switch your equipment on or off
-
- - Quit GSC and start up again
-
- Principle of Operation
- ----------------------
- As your PC boots, Windows will be started, GSC (16bit) will be running.
- After the first PASS WPS.EXE is called, it will check if there is a new
- pass within "Sleep after LOS" specified in WPS.ini
- ex: Current time is 20:00 , Sleep after LOS is 120 minutes
- If there is a pass within the next 120 minutes WPS will close and do nothing
- If there is no pass within the next 120 minutes WPS will send a time string
- to your WPS hardware.
- Then it will close all your open windows and exit windows.
- BE CAREFULL that there are NO DOS WINDOWS open, it is not possible to
- close DOS applications automaticly !!!
- ex: Current time is 20:00 , Sleep after LOS is 120 minutes, Wake up before AOS
- is 10 minutes, next pass will be at 23:45.
- WPS time string will be: 23:45 - 20:00 - 10 min = 215 min
- As soon as WPS hardware receives the time string, it will wait 45 sec
- and will power down your complete system.
- AT 23:35 (23:45 - 10 min) WPS will wake up your complete system,
- Your PC will boot and start all over.
-
- WPS hardware:
- ------------
-
- The WPS hardware consists of a Microcontroller which handles the time
- string sended by WPS.EXE.
- It is connected to a serial Port,trough a DB9 FULLY wired cable.
- It has a Bi-color led which shows the status (Sleep/Wakeup).
- The output is an open-collector type,so that you can connect a Relay
- or solide state relay to switch the mains of your equipment.
- WPS has a pushbutton to wakeup your equipment if it is sleeping.
-
-
- Where can i Get WPS ?
- -------------------
- WPS is NOT available as a kit, schematic's and PCB layout are included
- in the distribution file.
-
- You can only obtain a programmed micro controller by me.
-
- The price of the programmed microcontroller will be 10 US dollar + shipping
-
- Shipping: Benelux: 2 Dollar (50 BFR)
- Europe: 3 Dollar (100 BFR)
- World: 5 Dollar (150 BFR)
-
- I only accept cash money in US Dollar or Belgian Franks
-
- Anyone who has problems to get the other parts, should send me a message
- and i will see what i can do.
-
- Walter Crauwels ON4BCB
- Waversesteenweg 210
- B-2500 Lier
- Belgium
- AX25: ON4BCB @ ON1ANR-5
- Email: ON4BCB@mail.dma.be
- URL: www.bewoner.dma.be/ON4BCB
-
- Please particularly observe the foregoing Text! I make no financial
- gain, it is not possible for me to pay the postage and other costs out of
- my own pocket.
-
- A special thank goes to:
-
- Guy Roelant ON1BHM for writing my idea into an EXE file
- Erwin Wuyts ON7VN for future beta testing under WIN95 32bit
- Frank Saudemont ON4CCF for beta testing the soft and hardware under WIN95
- Julien Goethals ON6GJ for beta testing the soft and hardware under W3.11
- Willy Wittesaele ON1AWU for the first tests with the microcontroller
- Dirk Collone ON1AEI for the first software version
-
- Warning: !!!
- ------------
- IT is NOT good to switch electronic devices ON and OFF several times a day
- So do NOT set "Sleep After LOS" to fast.
- The idea of WPS was to switch off your system during the long periodes
- without passes (5 and 10 hours).
- So normally WPS will shutdown once a day, which is no problem, as we
- manually switch on our system 1 or 2 times a day.
-
- 73s from Walter, ON4BCB @ ON1ANR-5
-
-