@Merth, aight, good to know. Thanks for that. Smile

alberthrocks wrote:
Just a quick question: how are the lights supposed to blink?
Are they router style (all lights on, blinks in random pattern when link activity passes through), or do they just turn on and blink when they sense activity?
The data light blinks when any calculator pulls the data line low, and the clock light blinks when any calculator pulls the clock line low. I'm not understanding the different between the two options you stated.
KermMartian wrote:
@Merth, aight, good to know. Thanks for that. Smile

alberthrocks wrote:
Just a quick question: how are the lights supposed to blink?
Are they router style (all lights on, blinks in random pattern when link activity passes through), or do they just turn on and blink when they sense activity?
The data light blinks when any calculator pulls the data line low, and the clock light blinks when any calculator pulls the clock line low. I'm not understanding the different between the two options you stated.


Actually, there's 4 "categories":
1) Both lights are on by default, when data passes through, it blinks in a rhythmic pattern, usually slow. (Example: Sandisk Cruzer drives)

2) Both lights are on by default, when data passes through, it blinks in an irregular pattern, usually fast. (Example: Routers, DSL)

3) Both lights are off by default, when data passes through, it turns on to blink in a rhythmic pattern, usually slow. (Example: Light pattern on a department store anti-theft tag, hotel door light when card verified)

4) Both lights are off by default, when data passes through, it turns on to blink in an irregular pattern, usually fast. (Example: Crazy morse code?)

Which one is it? Smile
Ah. It would be 4 then, since it's based on the direct link line state.
Ah I see. Smile Can you design something with #2? Wink
(And if you're concerned about power sucking for LEDs, which is pretty tiny if at all "power-hungry", a switch to change modes?)
alberthrocks wrote:
Ah I see. Smile Can you design something with #2? Wink
(And if you're concerned about power sucking for LEDs, which is pretty tiny if at all "power-hungry", a switch to change modes?)
That's easy. All you need to do is change my PNP transistors to NPN transistors and move the LEDs above the transistors in the two-transistor (as opposed to four-transistor) schematic.
Alright, I got my 7 link cables today, and was able to test out the hub a little more. I plugged in the calc to one port, and my silver link to another, and am able to communicate with the calc normally. It's very neat to watch the lights blink Smile
merthsoft wrote:
Alright, I got my 7 link cables today, and was able to test out the hub a little more. I plugged in the calc to one port, and my silver link to another, and am able to communicate with the calc normally. It's very neat to watch the lights blink Smile
Oooooh, so awesome! Now I need to convince you to sell me two of those link cables when you stop by for a visit.
I actually only need four for now, so I can let you borrow a few indefinitely.
merthsoft wrote:
I actually only need four for now, so I can let you borrow a few indefinitely.
I absolutely appreciate your generosity, although there's a decent chance that some of them will end up in pieces, which I wouldn't want to do to hardware that wasn't actually mine.
Buy-as-you-slice.
merthsoft wrote:
Buy-as-you-slice.
You slice it, you buy it? Laughing At any rate, now we need to find you some perfboard and solder and an enclosure so you can finish it off. Smile
Ok, I got my second calc today, and was able to play net pong! Hooray!

Kerm, re-randomize backoff!
merthsoft wrote:
Ok, I got my second calc today, and was able to play net pong! Hooray!

Kerm, re-randomize backoff!
Huzzah! It seemed that you were running into some instabilities, though; could you specify about that at all?
Um, my wires kept breaking...
I'm not very good at soldering, and my jumpers were too long and dangling in the air.
merthsoft wrote:
Um, my wires kept breaking...
I'm not very good at soldering, and my jumpers were too long and dangling in the air.
Sounds to me like I need to build better freeze-recovery into NetPong then; luckily that's something in NetPong, not in CALCnet2.2 itself, which won't freeze if it can't contact the receiver calc. I'll have to help you resolder them when you stop by, then we should consider hot glue and heatshrink tubing on top of that.
I also cut the jumpers down a bit so the jacks weren't dangling in the air as much, which should help with that.
And yeah, some soldering lessons from a pro might be nice Smile
There are plenty of videos on YouTube, admittedly some better than others. Very Happy

The biggest single improvement I ever made to my soldering was buying a finer tip (I use a 0.5mm conical tip) and finer solder (I use 0.8mm diameter solder).
I really need a better iron, that's for sure. Mine's a crappy bent one from school.
I do all my work with a cheap fixed-temperature 18W Antex. I don't think you need anything especially fancy.
I would like one that isn't bent and from 1754.
  
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