FT817 keypad for serious QRP /P contesting

In August 2008, after a productive VHF contest outside at 2700 masl (8800 feet asl), I felt the need to add an external keypad to my FT817 so that some controls would be readily accessible.

After a few months of software and hardware development I am announcing an alpha version of my keypad!

It is based on Atmel's ATtiny2313 microcontroller, uses very few components and does almost everything I wanted it to. Functions have been tailored to what I needed most last August, and the current release does the following:

• direct frequency dial
• mode change
• VFO toggle

To be tested (tonight):

• Presets QSYs to QRP frequencies (16 of them)
  

Still being studied:

• Output power control
• VOX on/off control
• Meter mode control
  

but I am afraid these last will not fit into the 2313 program memory. So a modular approach might be suggested: functions are loaded as needed by the operator depending on the activity type (contesting, SOTA, ragchewing, ...).

Given the 4x4 keypad layout of the top table (see below), key functions are depicted below per each function.

Frequencies are entered with leading zero-padding to 100's of MHz: 007030 for 7030 kHz, 014060 for 14060 kHz, 0035C for 3500 kHz, 028# for 28 MHz, etc etc.
Mode switching is a star "*" followed by another key (see the Modes mapping).
Frequency presets are accessed with pound sign "#" followed by another key (see the Presets mapping).
VFO toggle is a single key press, as well as should be other functions under development (power, vox and meter).

Keypad Layout
1	2	3	A
4	5	6	B
7	8	9	C
*	0	#	D
Main Menu
1	2	3	VFO Toggle
4	5	6	PWR cycle
7	8	9	VOX toggle
to Mode	0	to Presets	Meter mode
Frequency dial
1	2	3	end
4	5	6	end
7	8	9	end
end	0	end	end
Usage:
014060 = 14060 kHz		144305 = 144305 kHz
014# = 14000 kHz		007C = 7000 kHz
Modes
CW	CW	CW	CW
AM	FM	CWR	CW
USB	LSB	CW	CW
CW	CW	CW	CW
Presets
1843 CW	3560 CW	7030 CW	10116 CW
14060 CW	18096 CW	21060 CW	28060 CW
14285 USB	50090 CW	21285 USB	28500 USB
144300 USB	50150 USB	432200 USB	29500 FM

A LED blinks at each keypress. The current consumption is about 10mA and the device can be powered directly from the ACC socket (where the commands are sent).

This keypad is not meant for a home-based station, where some excellent computer programs can do this and a lot more. It is an operator's aid when having fun on the field.

The same code might work with other Yaesu transceivers, like the FT857.

Interested?