BCD536HP Discussion Thread

[gonzalu]

Are you sure you don't have those backwards?

Everything that communicates USB needs a driver. It may be built-in to Windows (as many mass storage drivers are), but the driver is there somewhere.

Serial, on the other hand, is a hardware standard, so no driver is required. It doesn't make sense a serial port would need a USB driver when no USB port is involved.

Joe M.

So USB is not a hardware standard? Hmmm, all this time I felt and touched USB parts I thought they were real... stupid me

 

[UPMan]

There is no standard way to implement every USB device (unlike RS232 which defines both the hardware and software protocol). For most USB devices you must create a unique driver that tells the host device (PC, MAC, etc) how to communicate with the client device.

Mass storage devices, however, have been mostly standardized and the driver is included with the OS. (That is what I meant by doesn't need a driver...actually the long form of the sentence is "you don't need a proprietary driver".)

 

[gonzalu]

The hardware interface is indeed a standard... There are a number of standard Usage Classes defined as well that cna be readily used and are implemented in Windows XP - 8.1 as well as Mac OS-X 10.4 and above to various degrees but for the most part, all relevant ones are included.

In our case as you mentioned here, Mass Storage... but also Audio and Video ...

I assume Paul that by custom drivers you were referring to any sort of command and control which would fall under proprietary command class to be defined by the manufacturer. Those are specific classes and indeed must be defined and developed by the manufacturer.

We can all agree USB has made it far more usable that plain old serial used to be, not to mention very fast.

 

[brennank]

Will drivers be required for hardware firmware updates, or is the firmware stored on the SD card as well?

 

[gonzalu]

Will drivers be required for hardware firmware updates, or is the firmware stored on the SD card as well?

Firmware updates are done via Mass Storage Mode... no special drivers needed ..

 

[redbeard]

The likelyhood that any recent product would ship with a USB 1 cable is virtually nil. I'm not even sure if anyone even makes a USB 1 cable anymore. USB 2 is being phased out in favor of USB 3 on virtually all recent systems, so at the worst I would expect Uniden to ship a USB 2 cable.

He's talking about the Uniden USB-1 cable that had a USB to serial converter in it. Not what revision of the USB standard a computer has. USB-1 does not mean USB 1.0. Notice the different text styling?

USB 3.0 is backward compatible with older revisions, as was 2.0. The cable has no bearing on what revision USB is in the computer.

You are completely off base here.

 

[kd7eir]

He's talking about the Uniden USB-1 cable that had a USB to serial converter in it. Not what revision of the USB standard a computer has. USB-1 does not mean USB 1.0. Notice the different text styling?

USB 3.0 is backward compatible with older revisions, as was 2.0. The cable has no bearing on what revision USB is in the computer.

You are completely off base here.

Other than mistaking his "USB-1" as referring to USB 1.0, I am not off base in the slightest degree. While USB 3.0 is backward compatible, USB 1.0 is not forward compatible. I am not off base in the least degree to say that a cable that was designed for USB 1.0 is NOT compatible with USB 3.0 in that it will not magically provide USB 3.0 speeds due to missing the 5 extra pins.

 

[Jay911]

Other than mistaking his "USB-1" as referring to USB 1.0, I am not off base in the slightest degree. While USB 3.0 is backward compatible, USB 1.0 is not forward compatible. I am not off base in the least degree to say that a cable that was designed for USB 1.0 is NOT compatible with USB 3.0 in that it will not magically provide USB 3.0 speeds due to missing the 5 extra pins.

Except that was never asked and is completely off topic for the discussion... why can't you guys take your non-536HP chatter elsewhere?

 

[Glockorola]

I hope it will be possible to easily transfer Favorites lists (with all associated data) from the HP-1 to the new x36HP. Would save a ton of re-work. Fingers crossed!

 

[Jay911]

I hope it will be possible to easily transfer Favorites lists (with all associated data) from the HP-1 to the new x36HP. Would save a ton of re-work. Fingers crossed!

You can do that now - the Sentinel software for the x36 (already released) will import .hpe files exported from HP1 Sentinel. You just have to (optionally) add quick keys for system/group/favorite list/etc.

 

[mass-man]

Thank you Jay911!!!!

 

[Glockorola]

You can do that now - the Sentinel software for the x36 (already released) will import .hpe files exported from HP1 Sentinel. You just have to (optionally) add quick keys for system/group/favorite list/etc.

WooHoo! Sign me up for a 536!

 

[Voyager]

There is no standard way to implement every USB device (unlike RS232 which defines both the hardware and software protocol). For most USB devices you must create a unique driver that tells the host device (PC, MAC, etc) how to communicate with the client device.

Mass storage devices, however, have been mostly standardized and the driver is included with the OS. (That is what I meant by doesn't need a driver...actually the long form of the sentence is "you don't need a proprietary driver".)

This is exactly what I was saying. too. You need a driver, but it's built-into the OS, and likely will be supported for many OSs to come. That's the really good news part.

The USB-1 required a non-stock driver that does not come built-into the OSs, so you had to add it to the driver list by means of an install.

As for the "serial port mode" of the HP series, yes, that may require a driver install (since you're back to essentially a USB-Serial converter), but I suspect the vast majority won't be using that, so they won't need to worry about installing it.

Joe M.

 

[Voyager]

So USB is not a hardware standard? Hmmm, all this time I felt and touched USB parts I thought they were real... stupid me

There is a difference between the terms "hardware standard" and "hardware". No, USB is not a hardware standard. That is why you need drivers to tell it what protocol to use when communicating with another device.

Joe M.

 

[Butelsoftware]

I think you are both correct but I think Gommert was referring to the serial port MODE of the HP-1 and not the serial port of a computer.

At least that is what I think now.

I was referring to serial port mode of the 536. When you plug a cable in the unit it prompts you to select a mode, either mass storage or serial mode. Serial mode requires the installation of a driver. Uniden calls this serial mode.

Gommert
Butel Software

 

[gonzalu]

There is a difference between the terms "hardware standard" and "hardware". No, USB is not a hardware standard. That is why you need drivers to tell it what protocol to use when communicating with another device.

Joe M.

It is absolutely a hardware standard (USB) and RS-232 ports need a driver too... Same as USB Mass Media, most OS's also shipped with SERIAL port drivers by default. But you may remember having to install proprietary drivers for some serial chipsets and UARTS in older OSs... And USB is a serial protocol as well with very similar properties to old fashioned RS-232

USB may be much more complicated with Control done in software (rather than hardware in RS232) and many more aspects to make it work, but to say it isn't a standard is just silly.

 

[RF23]

I was referring to serial port mode of the 536. When you plug a cable in the unit it prompts you to select a mode, either mass storage or serial mode. Serial mode requires the installation of a driver. Uniden calls this serial mode.

Gommert
Butel Software

I agree, I should have put "like the HP-1".

 

[AuntEnvy]

Ok then...

So now that we have this mostly kinda off-topic stuff straight, will the USB cables and GPS periphery for my HP/96XT's work with the new 36 units...?

 

[UPMan]

Yes, the same GPS setup will work for the new models as works on the HP-1 and XT's.

 

[AuntEnvy]

Thanks Paul

Yes, the same GPS setup will work for the new models as works on the HP-1 and XT's.

Is the programming USB the same as well, or was that how this part of the discussion got started?