USB Interface

RICoder

I'm really new to the scene, so forgive my ignorance please. I'm looking for a female USB chip/component/thingy that I can attach to a board (probably the BoE) so that I can plug a USB device into it and read the data coming from the device on the board. Is there such a thing?

I've seen the NES Controller setups on the parallax site, and that is effectively what I am trying to create, only with an XBox 360 USB controller...any help appreciated.

Franklin

Have you looked at the USB datalogger?

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- Stephen

Peter Jakacki

"thingy"?
"a USB device"?


You mean you want to read a USB memory stick as a host?

OK, that's what I thought you were saying.

www.vinculum.com/

*Peter*

Mike Green

The USB Datalogger uses the Vinculum chip and can act as a USB host. It won't know what to do with the USB device, but you should be able to make it read the appropriate registers in the device. You'll need to have the internal register and command descriptions for your device. There's no standard driver that will take care of this for you.

RICoder

Thanks guys. I suppose I should be more technical in my description.

I want to read what is coming from a USB "Joystick". Now, I may be completely off base and thinking that it will act just like a serial device would; that being that you push up and a certain voltage is sent out of a certain pin on the jack. Am I way off base on this?

I figure, if I can read whats coming off a pin on the USB plug, I can reverse engineer the command-set, and that's no biggie.

If I'm being dumb or overlooking something, please let me know.

----MORE INFO----
Picture this and this only the controller is an XBox 360 controller and the port is a USB port.

Post Edited (RICoder) : 1/3/2009 6:58:54 AM GMT

Erik Friesen

Sorry but, USB is a highly complicated protocol that will not work in the above scenario. To do what you want would take something like two pic24s. If you are wanting to do something with the data or inputs before it goes to the usb chip that might be more feasible.

Mike Green

Do a little research ...

Read some of the articles on the Wikipedia on USB including some of the links provided. Read about the HID (Human Interface Device) class devices which includes joysticks. If you're still up for it, read the USB spec (long and tedious ... but a "must read" for the sort of thing you want to do).

T Chap

I think you may want to read over the Vinculum manual and firmware manuals(there are several). I believe the Vinculum has commands to communicate with FTDI USB>Serial devices like this one www.parallax.com/Store/Components/IntegratedCircuits/FTDIChips/tabid/612/CategoryID/59/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/285/Default.aspx. You may be able to read the joystick values by some means into the FT232RL which is connected to the Vinculum. I think you have your work cut out for you though. You need to first determine what are you going to actually read from the joystick, is the joy stick switches or pots? What resolution do you need if it is pots>ADC? If switches, that makes things a lot simpler. Read through the Vinculum manuals and absorb the capabilities, then if needed, send an email to FTDI support to inquire if you can accomplish what you want to do using the combo I suggested.

RICoder

ok...well...wow. I think this is a project unto itself, and i'm going to need the chip above to do it. Honestly, not worth it to me ATM.

Thank you all very much for the advice, especially Mike for making me spend the past 2 hours reading USB specifications.