On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 04:09:23AM -0600, Vito Miliano wrote: > A Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 is the processor. Off the serial port hangs a > Decade Engineering XBOB serial NTSC character generator, which gives > the Ingineo Eyetop HMD a 40x16 text display. Out of the CF slot comes > a Ratoc CompactFlash USB host adapter, which drives a Frogpad > keyboard, and will also drive an Essential Reality P5 Glove (not > pictured as I don't have a small enough USB hub yet). > > Finally, it'd be nice if I could get the XBOB transmitting to the > Eyetop over a wireless RS232 module, and the Zaurus broadcasting audio > to the headset over Bluetooth or somesuch, but then I need a pendant > power pack of sorts around my neck to drive them both, and I'm not > sure that's worth it. Nice use of low-cost off the shelf equipment. I'm not all too familiar with the zaurus 5500, but if i were going to keep the zaurus assembled, I would move the serial display to a small usb serial converter. This would allow the built in serial port to be kept available at all times for the docking station, plus would reduce the number of cables coming out of the zaurus itself. i have a mini 4-port usb hub i got at radio shack, it's still too large, it's the size of a pcmcia type III card and is designed to store in a laptops pcmcia slot. the other day in radio shack i saw a considerably smaller hub, and would probably use it in your layout: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=26-197 last week i started experimenting with alsa drivers for bluetooth headsets. currently it only supports 8khz sound in and out, but it's bearable, wireless, and nobody looks twice at you while wearing it. since i needed to replace my dying harddrive, i haven't been able to test it with viavoice yet, but i'm hoping it works well (i'm found of using xvoice, which currently only works with viavoice) http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~jp/snd-bluez-sco/ then yesterday at compusa, i saw the d-link bt-120 bluetooth adapter. i haven't yet checked to see how compatible it is under linux, but what really caught my eye is that it came with the thinnest usb extension cable i've seen in a while, which i think is always a nice thing to have, and at $40 retail it's about as much as the competition. http://dlink.com/products/?pid=34# bluetooth also opens up the ability to use a cell phone or bt keyboard as an input device http://www.iptel-now.de/HOWTO/BT_REMOTE/bt_remote.html http://klausler.com/msbtkb-linux.html Actually, I would move everything off to the usb port. given a zaurus and a four port hub, i'd have the display off a serial adapater, the keyboard pugged in, and a bluetooth splinter. the bluetooth could be used for both sound and connectivity (to a bluetooth access point or phone). there'd still be one more port for the p5 or another device. with everything usb, the zaurus itself would have just one usb cable when in use, making it appear more like another accessory than the core module of your werable. the usb hub and all the little accessories can be moved to a belt pack or an internal clothing pouch. --francois -- Subscription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with subject of "subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" toWear-Hard Mailing List Archive (searchable): http://wearables.blu.org Please, *PLEASE* don't subscribe through a forward/expander/false domain
From Wear-Hard Mailing list Archive (WH)
Maintained by R. Paul McCarty
Archive created with babymail