From: Morgan Aldridge (makkintosshu_at_mac.com)
Date: Mon Oct 31 2005 - 07:18:13 PST
Brian,
From your description I'm actually a little confused. Do you mean that
the USB-001 will actually have a USB host controller as well?
If it will, in fact, have a host controller (and so will be able to
drive USB peripherals as well as keyboards) won't you have to write
drivers? To take input from a USB keyboard you're surely going to have
to write a HID driver, no? To handle mass storage devices you'd have to
write a mass storage driver as well. All this would have to be written
on top of a USB stack of some sort.
If it has a host controller, will it have USB-A connectors on it or
will you require some special cable and use a USB-B or USB Mini-B
connector? If you use the USB-mini connector, will you have some sort
of auto sensing to switch it from device to host mode?
If it's only going to be a USB device (showing up as a USB serial port
to the host machine), how will you get keyboard input into it?
If I'm really missing something in USB implementation, please correct
me. I'm just going by how I understood USB architectures to work.
Again, I am very interested in this product and the BT-001.
Morgan Aldridge
-- morgant_at_makkintosshu.com http://www.makkintosshu.com/ On Oct 31, 2005, at 12:52 AM, Brian Hunter wrote: > Hello Everyone, > I have read some of the comments and suggestions for which I humbly > asked > for a few days ago and I would like to provide some further information > about the project to hopefully clarify what my intentions are. > > The USB-001 will do the following: > > The board will convert the serial signal into a USB signal thus > enabling any > USB connection to properly function with the newton hardware. Newton > Connection Utilities should still function as it did when used with a > serial > port. I will not be able to confirm compatibility with the new Intel > Based > Mac's. The newton will believe that the USB connection is actually a > serial > connection by the time the signal is received by the Newton > motherboard. > This type of board would also (in theory) enable one to connect a USB > keyboard to the newton and have it recognized. I have not tested this > so I > cannot confirm but it will be included in testing once prototypes have > been > made. > > There are already products on the market that enable a newton user to > do > this although the cables are externally connected to the newton > through a > series of gender changes and adapters. Keyspan makes such a device as > does > Belkin and a host of other companies. The goal of this product is > simply to > internalize all of these 'external' adapters thereby making the the > connection more seamless and easier to use. > > The board would theoretically function with a large number of USB > devices > besides the obvious advantages of being able to connect to USB only > Mac's > and more frequently USB only PC's. > > I would welcome further questions, comments (both positive and > negative) as > well as suggestions. The list provides what most designers would dream > of, > that being a sounding board for ideas before production to ensure that > anything that is produced is successful. > > Cheers all, > Brian. -- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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