Full Ext Cable?


droneb

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,072
Hello fellows pandorians.

i did search, and didnt see any topic 'bout this.

im interesteed on getting a fully functional Ext cable with the Serial I/O ports and all that gets thru that Ext port.

are they selling any even if it is still not fully MP model?.

i need this one cuz i use the Serial port alot in order to keep network devices configuration.

EDIT:

please dont recommend me to use any USB2Serial cable because i already have one, and some are a headache due to driver issues.
 
There was a thread in the dev's corner a long time ago asking about whether we would want a full break out box or just the connector with a cable. The serial port is TTL and you need an extra chip for a full RS-232.
 
well, the main issue es that here around getting that port conn seems hard, and if i buy it thru internet they usually get near 1000% the actual price of the product due to transport and import costs.

i just want the panda to be a real do it all machine i can carry down to work with me.
 
i would rather pay more if possible to get one of those non MP Cables.

i can easily make a case for that in acryl using laser cut.

or at least i would be happy to get a breakout board with the port
 
I'm interested in buying a couple of EXT plugs, in order to make my own cables. I wonder if it'd be possible to buy them now, and receive them with the pandora...
 
I'm more interested in an entire breakout board, like the GP2X board I have.
 
I would like one or two connectors as well. The fact that it is TTL has some advantages too: if you want to talk with a microcontroller you don't need a conversion like you would have on a pc ;)

PS: I prefer a connector over a breakout box.
 
MWeston said:
I'm happy to design a little RS-232 board that plugs right into the back of the Pandora. Personally, that is where the 'Open' in OpenPandora should be: with stuff other people can actually build! I will gladly share all schematics and gerbers for these little addons and I bet we could make small batches of these serial boards for about $20 each. I'll handle getting these little connectors as we need to order more soon anyway. No one has to worry about trying to buy thousands on their own. :)
EDIT: And yeah, count me in on one of these. For me actually the optimal (budget-wise) format would be a kit with board and components needed - i can solder it together myself.

BTW @MWeston: I did some research (browsed digikey that is) and found out that using a TXB0104 + 5V boost converter + TI's MAX232DWR might actually be cheaper than the MAX3381E your current breakout board uses.
 
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A few ideas on this...

Option 1...
Custom cables and break out boards - What is this? A garage in the early 80s?

Option 2...
OK... So if a Pandora Dock were to be produced that connects to the special plug AND the USB AND the power jack (a slide in shelf type thing?) and then show all ports in a standard fashion - would more than 100 people buy one for $100+ a unit? Remember - small order costs apply.

Option 3...
Now, if it included a spot to mount a 2.5" HDD (USB connection), software to figure out the OpenPandora is in it's dock, charge it and differential sync all data from the device and cards to the drive and a slot to put your 2nd battery in to keep it charged - how much would that be worth? And would more than 1000 people buy it at $150?

Small quantities cost more - we all know that well.

I would be in for an Option 3. A dock that I can put on my night stand at home or my desk at work and know that when I pick it back up the unit is fully backed up, charged and ready to go - and knowing that the 2nd battery is there ready to go too if I think I'll be gone a few days. I probably wouldn't use the two COM ports - but wouldn't care if they're there. By having something like this with more general use - it might be able to have enough production call to see the light of day.

In My Humble Opinion Only
 
Grench said:
I would be in for an Option 3. A dock that I can put on my night stand at home or my desk at work and know that when I pick it back up the unit is fully backed up, charged and ready to go - and knowing that the 2nd battery is there ready to go too if I think I'll be gone a few days. I probably wouldn't use the two COM ports - but wouldn't care if they're there. By having something like this with more general use - it might be able to have enough production call to see the light of day.

In My Humble Opinion Only
For the "mobile serial terminal" use case this option 3 would be awful and costs way too much for me. IMHO.
 
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Grench said:
Custom cables and break out boards - What is this? A garage in the early 80s?
If you're not capable of soldering your own RS232 level converter board, you probably don't really need serial access anyway. :p
 
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I know this is a bit off-topic, but does the EXT port have I2C?
 
Axaj said:
I know this is a bit off-topic, but does the EXT port have I2C?
No. It originally did, but they had to be moved to the analog nubs. Yes, the analog nubs communicate via I2C.
There are a number of GPIO lines on the EXT port that can form software I2C channels. The Pandora is definitely more than capable of keeping up, and the right kernel module will make it so you can't tell the difference.
 
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Chip said:
Grench said:
Custom cables and break out boards - What is this? A garage in the early 80s?
If you're not capable of soldering your own RS232 level converter board, you probably don't really need serial access anyway. :p
One of my first real hardware designs was assembling a PIC, a RS232 level shifter, and an Optrex 20x2 LCD display into a serial I/O device. It was wicked cool! Using TTL would make things a lot easier. It'd be pretty sweet to be able to mount such a tiny LCD on the back of the lid or something, but if there's enough room for it, I will be very disappointed in the team for not filling it more :p
 
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WizardStan said:
Yes, the analog nubs communicate via I2C.

...Damn. Can I buy these nubs separately?
 
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