Displays around the house - volunteers please?

["Mark Harrison" <Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx>]

Robert,

Good summary....

OK - let's ask for some volunteers, using my traditional technique of
naming the "dream team" and seeing if they'll agree :-)

1) Try to agree on a simple display which has the features most of us
would
like.  Thinking of cost, size, VFD/LCD, interface electronics

- Stuart Poulton, can you lead this?

2) Find a way of mount the display in some sort of nice SWMBO approved
panel

- Stuart? You again? Quinten "the stand king"?

3) Connect the display using serial (if thats what the display has) to
your
PC.  You can use your existing CAT5 leads for this.

- Ian Bird? Can I twist your arm?

4) Develop some simple software to display "hello world"
messages

- Stuart, I think you have most of this already? 

5) Roll out to a few more members possible as part of a limited bulk
buy

- watch this space

6) Enhance what the display displays!

- Mark Harrison, Andy Powell, Graham Howe and Patrick Lidstone probably
have some code handy :-)
- Patrick and I probably have code for "IP port listener" for
most O/Ss between us.
- Patrick and I probably have some "IP port broadcaster" code for
most O/Ss between us.
- Andy Powell - some Windows Homevision code?
- Graham - could you add a "broadcast this port" option to
HomeAutomator if I give you some source code?

7) Add a simple keypad to the display

- later phase

8) Develop code to make use of this, menu systems etc.

- Home Automator input plugin????

9) Consider adding a new board to interface the Displays serial interface
to
TCP/IP, possibly with local inteligence if available for zero cost.

---- Whoah - beyond me, squire :-)


-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Chasmer [mailto:robert.chasmer@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 13 August 2002 11:07
To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Re: Displays round the house - architecture...


Ian Lowe [mailto:ian@xxxxxxx] wrote:
> But realistically, as soon as I see the passion for IP, I think
it's
> basically doomed. Using TCP-IP seems to wipe out all of the
low-end
> (ie cheap) PICs, and takes you into ?50 module country, plus anoher
> healthy chunk for the display.

To keep the project alive we need to break it down into smaller bits. 
This
way more than one of us can actually start to build these, start using
them
at home, then look to the future together.  I guess I start of with a
very
simple device in one room, and if it worked well, start thinking of
expanding.

I know I'm repeating what others have said, but lets try to keep within
the
realms of reality.  The cheaper the project starts out the more
people
involved, and the less damage if the project goes to the dogs.

Maybe as a start
1) Try to agree on a simple display which has the features most of us
would
like.  Thinking of cost, size, VFD/LCD, interface electronics
2) Find a way of mount the display in some sort of nice SWMBO approved
panel
3) Connect the display using serial (if thats what the display has) to
your
PC.  You can use your existing CAT5 leads for this.
4) Develop some simple software to display "hello world"
messages
5) Roll out to a few more members possible as part of a limited bulk
buy
6) Enhance what the display displays!
7) Add a simple keypad to the display
8) Develop code to make use of this, menu systems etc.
9) Consider adding a new board to interface the Displays serial interface
to
TCP/IP, possibly with local inteligence if available for zero cost.


Like the IR project this started very simply
* We had a circuit design that allowed us to recieve and transmit the
same
signal in another room.
* Several members of the group then built these on breadboards and they
worked.
* Next up someone designed and built simple PCBs people could use.
* We built or own modules, and boxed them up ourselves
* End result several list members have simple IR distribution.

Looking to the future these have been geting enhanced by various list
members for things like Zoned IR control, PC IR control etc.

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