Re: TI-H: Re: Hya Richard. SPinterface

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Re: TI-H: Re: Hya Richard. SPinterface

Richard Piotter wrote:

> Someone mentioned a terminal if the modem problem is figured out...
> There are these small LCD displays you can get for real cheap at
> electronics discount stores. Some have a serial interface. If someone
> could connect a modem and one of those screens together, you could
> display 80 columns, you get a TI-Terminal!

Hmm. Sounds like a bit overkill...it needs so much external electronics
that you could almost as well build a dumb terminal that is independent
of the TI :)

> Use an 8-bit I2C interface chip to read a matrix keypad with a qwerty
> keyboard.

That is possible (I even have an application note in PDF format that
describes how to do it), but it needs a microcontroller or quite a few
other chips.

> Have a strip of SPinTerface ports on a box with a switch on each to cut
> power & link lines. Allow connection of several devices. Use I2C carts
> with the 8-bit interface and a D/A converter to get 8-bit sound.

You can connect lots of devices, if they use I2C.

> A/D converters on an 8-bit I2C interface chip. Connect 2 variable
> resistors on a joystick to it. Read the positions through I2C chip, and
> still have room for 7 more I2C devices!!!

Only seven? Hey, standard I2C has 128 addresses (almost all of them can
be used) and extended I2C has 1024.

> Use an I2C 8-bit interface chip as a type of parralel port.

I already have a Centronics-compatible parallel port for my TI... :) And
it doesn't use I2C, although I've considered making an I2C Centronics
port with two PCF8574's...

> Who knows? Half these ideas are cool, but most are probably insane!
> }:-)

Well, you just have to think about what's actually feasible and what
price you are ready to pay for it. I'm not prepared to pay tens of
dollars for some TI extension I don't really need, unless I can enjoy
myself (!) by designing and building it myself. Hey, TI's are just calcs
with actually quite low capabilities. It's not worth it to waste your
savings in extending it when you can buy, for example, a palmtop
computer for the money. Okay, you need to build for lots of money for
thet but still... :)

-Ozone

-- 
*** Osma Suominen *** ozone@clinet.fi *** http://www.clinet.fi/~ozone
***
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