[NTLK] NewtonTalk Digest, Vol 26, Issue 6

[David Arnold]

Hi Mark,

> On 6 Feb 2016, at 20:43, Mark Crutch <mark.crutch at gmail.com> wrote:

<…>

> How about making it a short cable that stops at the USB-serial bridge,
> terminating with a USB type B socket? That way users could source their own
> type A to type B cable (I'll bet that most of us have one or two kicking
> around from old printers), letting them choose a length that's appropriate
> for their setup.

I did consider this: either a type B or perhaps a Micro B.

Pros:
Maybe cheaper (type-B socket vs. cable and type-A plug)
You can choose the length of the cable
Cons:
You’re back to needing a dongle again
You need to either have or obtain a suitable cable

The “need to have cable + dongle” downside was the overwhelming thing for me.

> One other idea might be to break it down entirely into two detachable leads
> and an FTDI dongle in the middle. Have USB type B on one side of the
> dongle, and an Apple Serial mini-DIN on the other. That way the
> interconnect leads could be used to connect to a third-party USB-to-Apple
> Serial adaptor, or the dongle could be used with an Apple Serial lead to
> connect other Newtons to a modern machine. Of course this assumes that the
> serial signal from the interconnect port is electrically compatible with
> Apple Serial ports. Anyone wanting an all-in-one cable can fix the leads in
> place with a bit of glue or electrical tape ;)

The Interconnect signals match old-style Apple serial exactly.

Pros:
Supports OMP-MP130 Newtons
Very flexible
Cons:
More expensive to make
Requires carrying/not-losing two cables plus a dongle
MP2k+ / eMate300 only
Tape (yuck)

Again, for me, the real win is having a single thing to connect my Newt.

Happy to hear what others think here?



d