USB to RS-422 and back again

LoopyByteloose

Hello, has anyone done this? Can it be done?

USB is not usually used for long distances. But seeing as more and more devices are only USB, it sure would be nice to have an option to place a printer on the other side of a room (maybe in another room). One might even use it as a camera feed for lab work.

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Ain't gadetry a wonderful thing?

aka G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan

stamptrol

Have a look at B & B Electronics (www.bb-elec.com). They have several extenders to get USB out to 10km (on fiber), 100 meters on Cat 5, or 30 meters on wireless. May not be RS-422/485 as the intermediate but the end result is the same.They are industrial/commercial products and are priced accordingly.....but great time savers!

I've used their products with satisfaction for years.

Cheers,

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Tom Sisk

http://www.siskconsult.com
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kwinn

I see no reason why you could not use a USB to RS422/485 converter at each end of a twisted pair cable that is wired appropriately.

Leon

It could be done quite easily with a couple of USB OTG PICs or AVRs, if you want to build it yourself.

Leon

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Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM

LoopyByteloose

Thanks,
I was thinking the bandwidth might be limited. B&B seems to have gotten around the issue with fiber optic and other standards. Wireless USB is a bit interesting, especially for a printer. I'll take a look at their site. The primary reason for considering RS-422 is to allow for a DIY solution.

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Ain't gadetry a wonderful thing?

aka G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan