Re: Multimedia keypad was Re: Someone asked about "nice" clock

["Paul Gordon" <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx>]

>>
>You are of course quite correct, time is of the essence (sp!!) but I
>just wanted to have a go. I have the Basic staps lying around doing
>nothing anyway :P ... as I'm just learning electronics and how to use
>the stamps... the other thing is of course, if it doesn't work you
>tear it apart (not literally!) and use the bits for something else...
>many of the components I have actually come out of old, broken radios
>etc...I'm a cheapskate at heart :D
>

Indeed, - it makes sense to use it if you've already got it! (that what
SWMBO keeps saying to me anyway!)

> >
> >
> > With Girder as the software element, the way it works is entirely
>
>will download it and have a peak.. are you using Girder to control
>the apps, or using something like the winamp COM control?
>
>


That's one of the best things about Girder, it will control "just
about" any
Windows app directly, by learning the Windows API messages that get passed
to it, so it tends to be _very_ reliable. - much more so than using things
like "sendkeys", or relying on an application to have a COM
interface and so
on. - most of the time, you just have to be able to do what you want from
the GUI, and Girder will intercept and learn the API calls that are going
between the Windows GUI and the App....


> > The VIOM is configured to report switch status upon any input
>change, and it
> > always reports the status of all the inputs at once, thus
pressing
>button
> > number 1 will send "1000000000000000" to the serial
port when it's
>pressed,
> > and "0000000000000000" when it's released. It's
therefore possible
>to detect
>
>this is the beauty of the basic stamp, I had this same effect... I
>didn't like it so now it only reports the presses and ot the
>releases.. of course I can change that...
>
>
> > The downside of course, is that a PC is required full-time, but
as
>a PC is
> > providing the media feeds anyway, that's really not an issue for
>me... Plus
>
> > I'm going to try to put a watchdog in the VIOM that can reset the
>PC if it
> > hangs/crashes whatever.. - a recurring event on the PC will send
a
>
>yup, that's a nice idea too... I think I'll add that :P
>
> > port command to the VIOM to refresh one of it's internal timers,
>the VIOM
> > will have one of it's output lines connected to the PC's hardware
>reset
>
>two questions for this one, what 'voltage' - if any is on a PC reset
>switch? 5?? or 12?? I guess that means that either this PC does not
>have passwords enabled or it 'automatically' logs in...?? if not how
>are you running applications after a reboot?
>

No idea... all I know is that both pins are provided on the motherboard, so
it is a simple dry contact closure to cause the reset. You're right of
course that I have configured the PC to startup up completely unattended...
- In the BIOS, I've set the boot order to C: D: A: (so ignores floppy &
CDROM) and always boots from C: drive first.
- I've also set "ignore all errors" in the BIOS, just in case
there's no
keyboard/mouse present etc.
- I have configured Windows to login automatically with the TWEAKUI tool

>The only other advantage I get is that you have to run 2 x CAT5 to
>your socket, I'll only need a max of 4 wires, so 'half' a CAT5
>cable...
>

I could have reduced the requirement for cables in a couple of ways,
1- I could common all the grounds together at the switchplate, and just use
a single CAT5 core for running ground back to the VIOM. - All the grounds
are commoned there anyway. This way I'd just need 9 cores for 8 switches...
2- I could run the switches as a matrix, which the VIOM supports for
keypads
etc. This needs 1 core for each row & column in the grid, and so
becomes
more efficient the more switches there are. - a 3 x 3 (9 switches) grid,
would require 6 cores, (plus one more for GND) and so could be achieved
with
just a single CAT5 cable...

But hey, CAT5 is cheap right! - if I *need* more stuff to be wired into the
plate at a later date (and LED per switch perhaps?), I can always switch
over to one of these other wiring schemes very easily... I thought if I was
running 1 to the plate, I might as well run two... :-)

>One disadvantage for me is power, are you running any power over the
>CAT5 cable or is it just contact closure?

I don't need any power at the switchplate, so the CAT5 is purely contact
closure at the moment...

Paul G.


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