FTDX-10 Arduino Controller

Complete Documentation

FTDX-10 Radio Controller Documentation

Complete Arduino-based control system for the Yaesu FTDX-10 HF transceiver with Nextion 3.5" touchscreen display interface.

Features

📻

Full CAT Control

Control your FTDX-10 via RS232 CAT commands

👆

Touch Interface

Intuitive touchscreen control via Nextion display

📊

Real-Time Display

Live frequency, mode, and S-meter updates

🎛️

Power Control

Adjustable transmit power from 5-100W

🔄

VFO Control

Switch between VFO A and B

📡

Band Switching

Quick band changes across HF bands

Supported Functions

  • Frequency control (read/write)
  • Mode selection (14 modes supported)
  • Band switching (160m-6m)
  • VFO A/B switching
  • Transmit power control
  • TX/RX control
  • S-meter display
  • RF/AF gain control
  • Filter width control
  • Noise blanker/reduction
  • AGC control
  • RIT/XIT control
  • Split operation

Hardware Requirements

Required Components

Component Description Est. Price
Arduino Mega 2560 Microcontroller with 3+ serial ports $15-45
Nextion NX4832K035 3.5" Enhanced touchscreen display $25-35
MAX3232 Module RS232 to TTL level converter $2-5
DB9 Female Connector Serial connector for radio $2-5
Cables & Wires Jumpers, shielded cable $10-20
5V Power Supply 2A regulated power supply $8-15

Total Estimated Cost: $75-275 depending on component quality

View Detailed Parts List

Radio Configuration

Setting up CAT on the FTDX-10

  1. Access Menu - Press [MENU] button on radio
  2. CAT Rate - Navigate to MENU → 056 CAT RATE, Set to: 38400 bps
  3. CAT Time-Out - Navigate to MENU → 057 CAT TOT, Set to: 1000 msec
  4. CAT RTS - Navigate to MENU → 058 CAT RTS, Set to: DISABLE
  5. Save Settings - Press [MENU] to exit and save
Note: These settings are persistent and only need to be configured once.

Software Setup

1. Install Arduino IDE

Download and install the Arduino IDE from arduino.cc

2. Upload Arduino Code

  1. Open ArduinoFTDX10.ino in Arduino IDE
  2. Select board: Tools → Board → Arduino Mega or Mega 2560
  3. Select correct COM port: Tools → Port → [Your Arduino Port]
  4. Click Upload button

3. Prepare Nextion Display

  1. Download and install Nextion Editor
  2. Create a new project with model NX4832K035
  3. Follow the design specification in NextionHMI_Design.txt
  4. Compile the project to generate .tft file
  5. Copy .tft file to FAT32 formatted microSD card
  6. Insert card into Nextion display (powered off)
  7. Power on display - it will automatically update
  8. Remove card when update complete
Quick Start Guide View Source Code

Operation

First Power-On

  1. Connect all hardware as per wiring diagram
  2. Power on FTDX-10 radio
  3. Power on Arduino (via USB or external 5V)
  4. Wait for display to initialize (2-3 seconds)
  5. Display should show current radio frequency and mode

Main Control Page

  • Frequency Display - Shows current VFO frequency
  • Mode - Current operating mode (USB, LSB, CW, etc.)
  • Band - Current amateur band (20m, 40m, etc.)
  • S-Meter - Receive signal strength
  • FREQ+/FREQ- - Step frequency up or down
  • MODE Button - Cycle through operating modes
  • BAND+/BAND- - Jump to next/previous ham band
  • A/B Button - Switch between VFO A and B
  • Power Slider - Adjust transmit power (5-100W)
  • TX Button - Press and hold to transmit
  • SETTINGS Button - Go to settings page

Settings Page

  • RF Gain - Adjust receiver RF gain
  • AF Gain - Adjust audio volume
  • Filter Width - Select wide or narrow filter
  • Noise Blanker - Enable/disable noise blanker
  • Noise Reduction - Enable/disable DSP noise reduction
  • BACK Button - Return to main page
Safety: Always test TX at low power into a dummy load first!

Technical Details

CAT Protocol

The FTDX-10 uses Yaesu CAT protocol:

  • Baud rate: 38400 bps
  • Data bits: 8
  • Stop bits: 1
  • Parity: None
  • Flow control: None
  • Command terminator: ; (semicolon)

Common CAT Commands

Command Function Example
FA Get/Set VFO A frequency FA014074000;
FB Get/Set VFO B frequency FB007074000;
MD Get/Set operating mode MD02; (USB)
PC Get/Set power level PC100;
TX Set transmit TX1;
RX Set receive RX;
SM Get S-meter reading SM0;
AG Get/Set AF gain AG0128;

Nextion Protocol

  • Baud rate: 9600 bps (default)
  • Command terminator: 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF
  • Touch events: 0x65 [page] [component] [event] 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF

Serial Port Configuration

Serial Port Pins Baud Rate Purpose
Serial (USB) USB port 115200 Debug output
Serial1 TX1 (18), RX1 (19) 38400 Radio CAT control
Serial2 TX2 (16), RX2 (17) 9600 Nextion display

References and Resources

Official Documentation

Project Documentation

Source Code

Download Complete Project

All source code, documentation, and design files included

View Project Files