So I've had in my mind the idea to build a TI link switch for awhile now. This switch would basically be a small box with a common cable coming out one side and two 2.5mm ports on the other side. A DPDT toggle switch would select between the two ports, which would make it easier to upload programs to the calc and then test the program, especially when the program uses the link port (a toggle of the switch is less hassle than swapping the cable to the computer for a cable to another calc, for example).
A little later I started thinking about building a link hub for CALCnet. This would consist of a box with a small number (say, 4 or so) of 2.5mm ports, so all you have to do is plug in another calculator. No splicing of cables necessary.
More recently (yesterday), I realized how neat it would be to combine these two! So I am going to build a box with one common 2.5mm cable, three 2.5mm and one 3.5mm (for headphones ) ports on side A, a 2.5mm cable on side B, and a DPDT toggle switch to select between A and B.
Here's some awexome ASCII art to illustrate this switch/hub (top view):
Code:
To use this, plug in a calc on the common cable, the TI-graph link on cable B, and 1 or more calculators (and/or headphones) on the A ports. All of the A ports are connected to each other at all times. The switch determines whether the common cable is connected to A or to B.
This switch allows up to 4 calculators on a CALCnet (or similar) network, and because of the way the CALCnet bus works, you can actually connect more than 4 calcs by daisy-chaining hubs. Just plug in another hub into one of the 3 ports on the A side, and you can plug in more calcs on the daisy-chained hub.
I finally decided to build this box now because I was already purchasing a 2.5mm extension cable (female/male) to build an adapter cable for a camera shutter release switch, so I just bought more cables to let me build this switch. I still need to find an inexpensive box to house it, though. Anyone have good sources to buy one of those?
A little later I started thinking about building a link hub for CALCnet. This would consist of a box with a small number (say, 4 or so) of 2.5mm ports, so all you have to do is plug in another calculator. No splicing of cables necessary.
More recently (yesterday), I realized how neat it would be to combine these two! So I am going to build a box with one common 2.5mm cable, three 2.5mm and one 3.5mm (for headphones ) ports on side A, a 2.5mm cable on side B, and a DPDT toggle switch to select between A and B.
Here's some awexome ASCII art to illustrate this switch/hub (top view):
Code:
Common
^
|
|
|
+-------+
A | |
1 o A B | B
2 o o- |====>
3 o |
4 O |
| |
+-------+
To use this, plug in a calc on the common cable, the TI-graph link on cable B, and 1 or more calculators (and/or headphones) on the A ports. All of the A ports are connected to each other at all times. The switch determines whether the common cable is connected to A or to B.
This switch allows up to 4 calculators on a CALCnet (or similar) network, and because of the way the CALCnet bus works, you can actually connect more than 4 calcs by daisy-chaining hubs. Just plug in another hub into one of the 3 ports on the A side, and you can plug in more calcs on the daisy-chained hub.
I finally decided to build this box now because I was already purchasing a 2.5mm extension cable (female/male) to build an adapter cable for a camera shutter release switch, so I just bought more cables to let me build this switch. I still need to find an inexpensive box to house it, though. Anyone have good sources to buy one of those?