Getting started: AIOC

On This Page

     

    Unsoldered Kit Assembly Guide

    If you purchased the unsoldered kit, follow these quick steps to assemble your board. 

    If you prefer a visual guide, here is a great video from FEPLabs Radio on YouTube.

    1. Align in the Guide

    Insert Jacks: Drop the pre-prepped 2.5mm and 3.5mm jacks into their respective slots in the provided 3D-printed soldering guide.

    Orientation: Make sure the flat ground tabs face down and the smaller signal lugs face up. (Click to view picture)

    Insert PCB: Slide the AIOC PCB (components facing up) into the guide. The board will sandwich directly between the pins and snap down into the guide's pins . Verify that all jack's solder lugs sit flush over their solder pads.

    2. Solder the Joints

    Top Side First:  Secure the guide in a vise or helping hands if needed. Solder the four smaller signal lugs on top. Use solder sparingly to avoid bridging adjacent pads together.

    Bottom Side Second: Flip it over and solder the large bottom ground tabs next. Note: These tabs absorb a lot of heat, so keep your iron on the joint a moment longer to ensure a good bond.

    3. Inspect & Test

    Check: Pop the board out of the guide. Inspect it closely to verify there are no accidental solder bridges.

    Fitment: Plug the finished board into your radio.

    ⚠️ The K1 connector requires an intentional, firm push. You must feel or hear a "click" when fully inserted. Any physical gap will cause audio or PTT failure.

    (Click to view pictures of assembled units)

    Case Assembly guide

    Once your board is assembled or if you purchased a pre-assembled unit, use these tips to snap it into the 3D-printed enclosure.

    1. Seat the Board

    Drop your AIOC board into the bottom half of the case.

    ⚠️ Watch out: Avoid forcing or seating the board too deeply along one long edge. If it's tilted down too far on one side, it will cause the opposite side to lift slightly, which prevents the lid from locking properly. It should sit evenly.

    2. Align the Lid

    Do not try to push the top straight down all at once. Instead, align the long edge of the lid first.

    3. Snap and Squeeze

    Once the long edge is aligned, press firmly down and forward towards the connectors.

    Our case is engineered with very tight tolerances to ensure it never slips open on its own. If a corner or side doesn't want to snap shut, simply push/slide the lid slightly toward that unseated side and give it a firm squeeze. You will hear a satisfying click when it locks into place.  

    The basics

    Using the AIOC is easy:

    1. Plug & Play: Plug the AIOC into your computer
      • Works automatically on Windows, MacOS and Linux. No drivers required.
      • Pre-flashed with an up-to-date firmware.
    2. Verify Device: Verify the AIOC shows up in your operating system
      • COM/Serial Port: For PTT & Programming
      • Sound Card: For Audio
    3. Physical Connection: Push the K1 connector into the radio until you feel a click
      • A gap here will cause audio failure

    ⚠️You must use a USB-C cable that supports data transfer. Many charging cables are power-only and will not work. If your computer doesn't detect the AIOC when you plug it in, swap the cable."

    ⚠️The connector connecting to your radio requires a firm push. You should feel or hear a 'click' when fully inserted.

    On Windows, you may see a device called 'AIOC DFU Runtime' with a yellow warning icon ⚠️ in Device Manager. This is normal. It does not affect the operation of the AIOC. This driver is only needed for updating firmware, which is not recommended to be done on windows (see below)

    Application guides

    In VaraFM Sound card settings , select the AIOC for Input and Output.

    In VaraFM PTT settings, set PTT Via to "COM", select the COM port from the drop down, and set PTT Pin to "DTR".

    If you need further assistance, the Wavetalker has a great guide on Winlink setup.

    UZ7HO Soundmodem

    Select the AIOC as the sound card device for input and output, select the appropriate COM port, and select Swap COM pins for PTT

    APRS (Direwolf)

    Start with the standard Direwolf setup guide to configure the audio device. On Linux you may also have to correctly configure permissions, which are discussed further in the Direwolf manual. Here is an example configuration:

    [...]
ADEVICE plughw:<x>,0  # <- Linux
ADEVICE x 0           # <- Windows
ARATE 48000
[...]
PTT CM108             # <- Use the new CM108 compatible style PTT interface
PTT <port> DTR -RTS   # <- Alternatively use an old school serial device for PTT
[...]

    I have a separate complete guide on this: https://na6d.com/pages/aioc-all-in-one-cable-setup-guide-for-allstarlink

    APRSDroid

    The AIOC supports the audio formats used by APRSDroid, but APRSDroid doesn't support triggering the PTT in the AIOC. You can read more about it in the GitHub issue here.

    WoAD

    The AIOC works with WoAD in packet mode using the "Audio" TNC Type. For PTT Set PTT USB DTR to Enabled and select the AIOC for the USB Port. You may need to restart the app with the AIOC plugged in to get the port to show up.

    Chirp

    Select the AIOC COM port. No special driver installation is required. AIOC behaves like a standard serial cable.

    Deep dive

    Troubleshooting RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)

    If your AIOC disconnects or locks up when you transmit on high power try one or more of these:

    • Ferrite Chokes: Add ferrite beads or chokes to the USB cable connected to the AIOC.
    • Shieled USB Cable: Use a high-quality shielded USB cable. Many cheap USB cables have ineffective or missing shielding. We recommend our cables.
    • Cable Rerouting: Try rerouting the USB cable away from the radio's antenna. The USB cable often runs parallel to the antenna, which is a common source of ingress. A right-angle USB-C cable is highly recommended for this. We recommend our cables.
    • Antenna Separation: Move the antenna away from the radio using a short length of coax, such as a mag mount, to separate the high RF source from the AIOC.

    Updating Firmware

    ⚠️Hardware version 1.2 requires firmware 1.4.0 or higher. NA6D shipped hardware v1.2  with firmware v1.4.1 since November 2025.

    NA6D AIOCs generally ship with a very recent firmware and no firmware update is required, but some folks want to use a special firmware for their use case.

    Windows Users: Updating firmware is not recommended on Windows. The process is very complex and NA6D has never been able to get it to work successfully.

    To update on Linux and MacOS install DFU-Util. Since all NA6D AIOCs come with firmware pre-installed, there is no need to apply a jumper. Use a command like this to flash a new firmware to the AIOC.

    dfu-util -d 1209:7388 -a 0 -s 0x08000000:leave -D aioc-fw-x-y-z.bin

    Detailed Specs

    • USB: Type-C port for USB 2.0 Full Speed
    • Power: Requires 5v power through the USB port around 50-100mA
    • Serial Data 3.3v level

    Still need help? Contact Us

    Spot an error or have a suggestion to make this guide better? We'd love to hear from you! Please drop us a note on our Contact Page