Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
In terms of fulfilling your requirements, are you thinking PDA because it is a convenient packaging of display and input devices or because...? I've always wondered how useful an iPod touch would be for as a hand held device. Touch screen + wifi is all you need for a simple remote interface. Unfortunately you have to pay for the SDK, and you need a Mac to run the SDK, and you have to buy an Apple device. -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On 28 September 2010 08:20, Frank Tkalcevic fr...@franksworkshop.com.au wrote: I've always wondered how useful an iPod touch would be for as a hand held device. Touch screen + wifi is all you need for a simple remote interface. Unfortunately you have to pay for the SDK, and you need a Mac to run the SDK, and you have to buy an Apple device. I think that the SDK is free (as in zero-cost) but you need to pay a registration fee to sell Apps in the App store. Xcode is a rather nice development environment, I do my EMC2 stuff in Xcode because the Mac has the comfy chair and decent keyboard. -- atp -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On 9/28/2010 Kirk Wallace wrote: On Mon, 2010-09-27 at 10:42 -0700, Mike Payson wrote: Not technically a PDA, but this would be easy to install in a pendant and should do everything you need: http://andahammer.com/mini3/?PHPSESSID=c47b0c96938c86847ccf80119dab7d42 From my brief look at it, it looks ideal (34 GPIO pins, yea). I would be mounting it, or the display at least, at the focal point of a lens of the same size as the display area. This will project the image up to a clear glass panel, tilted 45 degrees to the telescope view. The user looks straight through the glass to see stars and also the reflection of the screen. (eye) \ (glass) (view of screen and star) \ == (lens) [--] (screen) * | (telescope)| (star) | | /|\ / | \ / | \ Wow, Kirk, as a guy who never got past grinding a mediocre 6inch reflector 50 years ago but still loves skywatching, I love your application. It looks like a winner. Were I in your shoes, I'd pilot this application by running the software on a vanilla low-power motherboard (of which we've had several discussions on this list) and lashing up a display out of whatever was at hand. That way, I'd be sure I could run Kstars and anything else I thought of along the way, I'd have the parallel port, and I could play with display technologies to find what works best. Among other things, this would allow me to keep some mass off the telescope tube. If I decided to start with a PDA, I'd consider running a vnc client on it (just like I'm trying to do on my Insignia Infocast) so I could do the serious processing elsewhere. This was the approach I took some years ago when I was using HP/Compaq iPAQs to prototype first-responder applications at work. Good hunting and please let us know how it works out! Regards, Kent -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On 27 September 2010 12:24, Kent A. Reed knbr...@erols.com wrote: On 9/27/2010 4:09 AM, Kirk Wallace wrote: I want to read encoders with a PDA, In terms of fulfilling your requirements, are you thinking PDA because it is a convenient packaging of display and input devices or because...? If it is just the packaging, I wonder if one of these could be re-purposed? http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/dso-nano-v2-beta-test-p-681.html?cPath=104_108 It says that the software is open... -- atp -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On Mon, 2010-09-27 at 07:24 -0400, Kent A. Reed wrote: ... snip In terms of fulfilling your requirements, are you thinking PDA because it is a convenient packaging of display and input devices or because...? Regards, Kent At the risk of becoming too off topic, I'll describe my project. I did some research on 1x or infinity finders for telescopes. Here is an example: http://www.backyard-astro.com/equipment/accessories/telrad/telrad.html One nice thing about these is your eye can move, but the aiming image (cross hairs) and your target and telescope stay aligned. This is just like a Head Up Display: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display Then I got to thinking I could use a small LCD display as the aiming image and display the telescope aiming data from Alt-Az encoders along with the cross hairs. While I'm at it, I could install KStars and overlay a sky map of the area that I am pointing at. Then search the Internet for any appropriate music: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planets and dynamically collimate... (feature creep?) So, I'm considering something with Linux, a small display (monochrome okay, will change backlight to red) and TTL I/O, (and sub $50, used on eBay). -- Kirk Wallace http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ http://www.wallacecompany.com/E45/index.html California, USA -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
Not technically a PDA, but this would be easy to install in a pendant and should do everything you need: http://andahammer.com/mini3/?PHPSESSID=c47b0c96938c86847ccf80119dab7d42 On Sun, Sep 26, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Kirk Wallace kwall...@wallacecompany.comwrote: I want to read encoders with a PDA, such as for a DRO, but I would prefer to use something like a PC parallel port. I suspect no PDA has a parallel port, so does anyone know of a good PDA that has GPIO or other hackable ports for digital I/O? It seems the Sharp Zaurus has good Linux support, has anyone hacked one of these for machine control? Thanks. -- Kirk Wallace http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ http://www.wallacecompany.com/E45/index.html California, USA -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On Mon, 2010-09-27 at 10:42 -0700, Mike Payson wrote: Not technically a PDA, but this would be easy to install in a pendant and should do everything you need: http://andahammer.com/mini3/?PHPSESSID=c47b0c96938c86847ccf80119dab7d42 From my brief look at it, it looks ideal (34 GPIO pins, yea). I would be mounting it, or the display at least, at the focal point of a lens of the same size as the display area. This will project the image up to a clear glass panel, tilted 45 degrees to the telescope view. The user looks straight through the glass to see stars and also the reflection of the screen. (eye)\ (glass) (view of screen and star) \ == (lens) [--] (screen) * | (telescope)| (star) | | /|\ / | \ / | \ -- Kirk Wallace http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ http://www.wallacecompany.com/E45/index.html California, USA -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
On 09/27/2010 11:52 AM, Kirk Wallace wrote: On Mon, 2010-09-27 at 07:24 -0400, Kent A. Reed wrote: ... snip In terms of fulfilling your requirements, are you thinking PDA because it is a convenient packaging of display and input devices or because...? Regards, Kent At the risk of becoming too off topic, I'll describe my project. I did some research on 1x or infinity finders for telescopes. Here is an example: http://www.backyard-astro.com/equipment/accessories/telrad/telrad.html One nice thing about these is your eye can move, but the aiming image (cross hairs) and your target and telescope stay aligned. This is just like a Head Up Display: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display Then I got to thinking I could use a small LCD display as the aiming image and display the telescope aiming data from Alt-Az encoders along with the cross hairs. While I'm at it, I could install KStars and overlay a sky map of the area that I am pointing at. Then search the Internet for any appropriate music: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planets and dynamically collimate... (feature creep?) So, I'm considering something with Linux, a small display (monochrome okay, will change backlight to red) and TTL I/O, (and sub $50, used on eBay). You have to consider the needed computing power if you want to load something extra on, like Kstars. Aptitude says Kstars needs 197MB of space to install, and having a cpu 200MHz will improve how responsive it is, I'm sure. I'd recommend looking at old(ish) thin clients on ebay - in particular, there are ones made by Neoware, some with NatSemi Geode GX1 cpus, and some with Via C3 or C7, you can easily remove the NTe or XPe installed on the DOM (disk-on-module), and install a lightweight linux. I'm currently playing with a few of these, building custom OpenWRT images. I have one running at the house right now as a cellular modem router :) Look around, you can find something with parallel port, serial, ps/2, usb1.1, video, ethernet and audio, ram that can be upgraded, a usable-sized DOM (which can be upgraded by a compact flash - ide adapter), for $30 including shipping. -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: PDA's and machine control
Am 26.09.2010 19:04, schrieb Kirk Wallace: I want to read encoders with a PDA, such as for a DRO, but I would prefer to use something like a PC parallel port. I suspect no PDA has a parallel port, so does anyone know of a good PDA that has GPIO or other hackable ports for digital I/O? It seems the Sharp Zaurus has good Linux support, has anyone hacked one of these for machine control? Thanks. A PDA with full native Linux running is the openmoko freerunner. It can run debian for example and has a native usb host interface for external usb devices. When the case is opened there are also a few gpio pins and an I2C/SPI Interface available. I never hacked my own one to add more hardware but there are a few projects which did this with help of a few gpio pins for this device. The hardware and software are completely opensource and the schematics are available in the internet at [1] for downloading. Maybe you can find out in the schematics if there are enough interfaces for your purpose. Ciao, Rainer [1] http://downloads.openmoko.org/developer/schematics/GTA02/ -- Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users