From: Rob Lewis <rob-AT-whidbey.com>
Date: 15 May 2008 14:21:42 UTC   (08:21:42 AM in author's locale)
To: xtensionlist-AT-shed.com

James, your idea sounds intriguing but I'm afraid I don't understand
exactly what you're proposing. For instance, what does "talked up the
serial port" mean?

Could you possibly take another shot at explaining just what you have
in mind, with maybe a concrete example? Sorry if I'm dense.

On May 15, 2008, at 8:06 AM, James Sentman wrote:

>
> On May 15, 2008, at 10:43 AM, Rob Lewis wrote:
>
>> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this article in the current
>> Macworld:
>>
>> www.macworld.com/article/133184/2008/05/geekfactor2506.html
>>
>> It's about interfacing a microcontroller "project board" with OS X
>> and using it with sensors for the outside world.
>>
>> I've never even heard of the Arduino product line: it looks quite
>> cool (and inexpensive). The article says it works "wonderfully"
>> with OS X. I'll definitely be picking up some of their stuff.
>>
>> Anybody already using it?
>
> I have 2 of those arduino boards in my top desk drawer here right
> now waiting for a suitable project ;) I've had them for a while now
> and beyond just making an LEd flash with them I haven't had a
> chance to do anything exciting. But they have a fairly simple
> programming language, you talk to them via serial ports, they are
> not expensive and are really cool!
>
> what might be interesting would be to build some starter code for
> the arduino that talked up the serial port for sending and
> receiving unit on/off commands and values. I would then be willing
> to write an interface plugin for XTension that received those
> commands and translated them to and from real unit commands. Then
> it would be up to you to add devices and do a little program left
> you coudl control XTension units from it, and control it from
> XTension units. The thing has PWM outputs for driving servos and
> digital IO's for reading in states of buttons or switches and
> turning on and off LEd's or relays and also analog inputs for say,
> reading the position of a knob or other such thing. and that is
> just what you get with almost no programming... With some simple
> XTension interface libs you could do a lot more if you were willing
> to program the thing.
>
> Anybody interested?
>
>
> Thanks,
> James
>
>
> James Sentman sentman.com http://
> MacHomeAutomation.com
>
>
>