!DRU-R100 is an application to control a D-Link DRU-R100 USB radio. This will ONLY run with a Castle USB system, either an Iyonix or a RISC OS machine with a Castle USB expansion card. Unfortunately the Castle and Simtec USB systems present completely different interfaces to the programmer, so it isn't possible for me to support both.
If you install this programme in your Apps folder, you should find that it will start automatically whenever a D-Link DRU-R100 is plugged in. You will also find that it quits automatically whenever the radio is unplugged, so don't be surprised if you try to run it when there isn't a radio and find it doesn't run!
You will need FilerHRun, which can currently be found at http://www.zen22994.zen.co.uk/musus/miscfw.htm Make sure to install FilerHRun where the author suggests.
As from version 0.03, !DRU-R100 can also be controlled from another application by Wimp messages. Details are in the "ControlAPI" file. The same protocol drives the !AVerMedia application; the only difference is the message numbers. This means that it is possible to have one DRU-R100 radio and one AVerMedia radio on the same computer and drive them independently. There is an archive of example and test programmes here. The examples will enable you to do simple but potentially useful things like using !Alarm to tune and turn on the radio at particular times. Candidate for the world's most complex and expensive clock radio? :-) Certainly you could record a series of radio programmes from different stations.
!DRU-R100 is freeware, and is released under the GPL. This means that you are free, not only to use it, but to alter it if you wish. Please consult the file "gpl" inside the application, which details the terms of the license.
The radio itself is as simple as can be. The audio output is analogue only (there is no audio over USB); it isn't possible to change the level of the audio output; and it doesn't do RDS. All one can do to the radio is tune it, turn it on and off, and ask it whether it's receiving a stereo signal. Even the tuning is only done by a number which doesn't bear any resemblance to the frequency in MHz. The radio knows nothing of station names. Tuning in MHz and by name is entirely the province of the !DRU-R100 application. Please bear the simplicity of the radio in mind when you're asking for any enhancements!
Like all radios, this one benefits from being given a good signal from a good aerial. Its own aerial is unlikely to produce a good signal, particularly since it's going to be next to at least one computer, generating all sorts of electrical interference. If you have an FM aerial and distribution amplifier in your house, you would do well to unplug the DRU-R100's own aerial, and plug in a cable from your aerial system, terminated in a phono plug. Don't overdo the signal strength, either, otherwise you're likely to hear increased background noise, and even another station if you overload it really hard. Aim for about 1 millivolt of signal. If you get too much signal, you can buy attenuators to cure the problem.
You can download !DRU-R100 for the Castle stack here and for the Simtec stack here.
0.01 2005 February 25 First issue
0.02 2005 March 16 Fixed bug that stopped it working on non-Iyonix computers. This version was not generally available.
0.03 2005 March 19 Fixed bug that caused it to forget tuning if it wasn't re-tuned after start-up. Added remote control (Wimp message) interface.
0.04 2005 April 7 Icon bar icon now greys out when the radio is muted.
0.04S 2006 July 1 Version for Simtec stack added.
0.05 2012 August 20 Contact info updated.
Page last updated 2012 August 20