*** For details on how to be removed from this list visit the ***
*** CCP4 home page http://www.ccp4.ac.uk ***
Our workshop here at the LMB in Cambridge has re-engineered the original
dialboxes and they have made a number of replicas for us. The boxes use
RS232
but with a cheap USB converter plug into any USB port. They work with
Linux. OSX lacks drivers under X11.
If enough people want these, we might be able to make a larger batch.
Something else: Will Apple support stereo under X11 at some point? Is XonX
an alternative for stereo/dial box drivers?
best,
jan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Lowe email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Laboratory of Molecular Biology phone: +44 (0)1223 252969
Medical Research Council fax : +44 (0)1223 213556
Hills Road
Cambridge CB2 2QH
UK WWW:
http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/groups/JYL/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dial boxes: I wish someone would build & sell a USB dial box. It's so
<CENSORED> obvious. The technology is very simple: 8 rotary optical
counters in a box with a USB microprocessor. Design it well and you
wouldn't even need a separate power cord, you could power it off the USB
bus. The biggest impediment is probably the small market.
We actually looked into building and designing our own before I wrote
the library to interface current dials boxes with OS X based systems.
The end result after speaking with people at Apple (not that they were
going to build it, one of the evangelists was just discussing
implementation details) and a few peripheral companies was that it isn't
worth it (although everyone I spoke with say the value in it). The
estimates were that at least 100,000 units needed to be sold for it to be
justifiable given the price point people would want. I don't think there
is that type of market demand.
