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USB drive

Tommy BotTommy Bot Posts: 60
edited 2006-12-09 06:31 in BASIC Stamp
This is probably an ignorant question:

I would have to assume that a USB drive is not usable by the BS2 because I've seen nothing on the boards concerning it.

Can someone explain what the incompatibility is? Is it improper voltage or a lack of OS environment?

Just curious.

Tommy

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(Frequently heard from other's)

Tommy, I know it wasn't designed to·x, but can you make it·do x·anyway?

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Comments

  • tj60647tj60647 Posts: 18
    edited 2006-12-08 01:11
    Have you looked at the VDRIVE1?

    http://www.vinculum.com/prd_vdrive1.html

    Mouser part # 895-VDRIVE2
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-12-08 01:24
    Tommy,
    ·
    ·· There were a few posts today mentioning that Tech Support has connected a VDIP1 (Vinculum) to the BS2 allowing us to read/write files to a standard USB Thumb Drive.· Bear in mind that USB Devices require a USB Host controller to interface and up until recently only a PC really had the resources.· The VDIP1 Module gives a lot of power for accessing data on the USB Drives.· You can read more about it at www.vinculum.com

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2006-12-08 01:34
    Tommy--

    I do not know if it would meet your requirements, but the 32Mb "SD Data Logger" is dirt easy to use with the BOE. Read about the SD Data Logger on this forum.

    It is a thread that I started and eventually (the same day, I think) bought the product. It is incredibly easy to attach--I used the BOE--and very easy to program, especially since the vendor provides sample programs that will model about anything you want to do. The vendor also provides great technical support, both via this forum and e-mail . . . and for all I know, other ways as well.

    Plus, IT IS CHEAP.

    --Bill



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    You are what you write.
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2006-12-08 15:17
    Wow, Chris, it looks like Vinculum has finally done it.

    The issue with the USB protocol is that unlike RS-232 you MUST have a 'master' device, and a 'slave' device. When you connect a 'slave' device to a 'master', the 'master' does a configuration lookup, reads a 'signature' from the 'slave', uses that signature to find the correct drivers for the 'slave' device, and loads those drivers. Before the Vinculum, it really took a PC with a PC's disk drive to act as a 'master' device.

    For the BS2 and BOE-USB, a company called FTDI makes a 'slave' interface chip. Once the driver is loaded by the PC, the FTDI looks to windows (and Linux, and the Mac for all I know) like a 'plain' RS-232 UART device. And 'normal' windows coding can be done against this 'new' COM port.

    Now, most USB devices are 'slave' devices -- disk drives, thumb drives, mice, joysticks, etc. And the BOE-USB interface is ALSO a 'slave' device. And you can't connect two USB 'slave' devices together -- without a 'master' device in the middle.

    This is why, after all this time, I STILL like the 'plain' BOE, with an RS-232 interface. That interface can still be extremely useful, very simple, has no hardware "master-slave" roles, and can easily be used.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-12-08 15:30
    It certainly opens up new possibilities.· I understand there are other possible solutions, but I haven’t been hearing good things.· Since we have this unit available, we will make any information or code we have available to our customers.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • bennettdanbennettdan Posts: 614
    edited 2006-12-09 06:31
    Hey guys check out this USB to stamp unit from GHI

    http://www.ghielectronics.com/details.php?id=5
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