Re: TI-H: PIXpand

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Re: TI-H: PIXpand


Yes, please let me know how your experience plays out, as I was considering 
makeing one of these myself.   I already have a nice PIC programmer sitting 
around, and it would be nice to put it to good use.....


>From: Adam Thayer <krevinek@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: ti-hardware@lists.ticalc.org
>To: ti-hardware@lists.ticalc.org
>Subject: TI-H: PIXpand
>Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 20:47:31 -0800
>
>
>Well, since it seems someone managed to get one working (even if the
>thing about HOLDING the button for 2 seconds seems to either confuse
>the microcontroller at times, or sometimes gets a bad connection), I
>decided to join in. I currently have a friend who got a PSX connector
>that allows you to download/upload slots from a Memory card to the
>computer and vice versa, and no longer has a need for a huge 40+ page
>memory card. I am taking advantage of this and building a PIXpand and
>using his card to create a rather large archive of stuff for the
>TI-86 (and possibly some 89 stuff if I have room for friends) and
>actually put these plans to good use. Since most of the parts are
>easy to get in an Electronics class, I only had to have my instructor
>order 4 parts for it: the 4Mhz crystal, the 2 22 pF capacitors, the
>microcontroller and a 3.3V Zener Diode (go figure, we had practically
>every Zener BUT the 3.3V). I also had him order the 2.5mm Stereo
>Jack, as I didn't see one, but I may be wrong.
>
>I will probably have the Com84 programmer built by the middle of the
>weak, and the ordered parts at roughly the same time. This means that
>by the end of the week, I can give some sort of report on how
>difficult the card is to manufacture, use, and make useful. Since the
>unit acts like it is in 'silent link' mode when not trying to
>actively send something, one should be able to download stuff onto it
>directly from the computer using one of the TI Graphlink programs
>that uses the silent link ability (86 springs to mind).
>
>Already I have encountered problems... Instead of the thick 34-pin
>connector, I used what appears to be a 40-pin IDE connector. This
>proved to be REALLY pointless as I had to cut through the entire
>thing to get the pins to actually hit the card's pins. This is also
>bad because I would have to pull out the connector by the wire,
>degrading the life of the connector. So... since I think I saw a 34
>or 50 pin connector in our school's wonderful 'scrap PC,' I can try
>that... or something else if I find it.
>
>Everything else seems fairly straight-forward if you have a little
>electronics experience, as the building's hard part is that homemade
>PSX connector (the real thing seems like a rounded version of the
>PIXpand's connector anyways) and the microcontroller, which needs to
>get programmed...
>
>Sorry for the long e-mail, just thought someone would like to know
>this thing will end up being put to good use...
>
>-Krev
>--
>----
>"Science describes how our universe reacts in a mathematical
>representation of it, but can be described in regular terms. These
>terms seem to infringe on Religion's role of describing the creation,
>and once Science finds a clue to the creation, Religion declares
>Science a heretic. Religion scolds Science, telling it to stick to
>doing what it does best. To this, Science laughs and complies, going
>after the creation once again. Wouldn't it be fair to listen to the
>fact that these humans could have been a product of the Creator just
>as we are, Borak?" - Cyander, Day for the Xenith: Xenith Dawn
>
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