At 08:45 AM 9/14/99 -0400, you wrote: >At 04:22 AM 09/14/1999 -0400, you wrote: >>I need to transmit small bursts of repetetive digital data via RF (or >>otherwise wireless) in an automotive type environment and receive same via >>a separate receiver approximately 6 feet away. The method must be very >>reliable and made so as not to cause or receive interference from sources >>external to the circuit. >>Can anybody provide some feedback as to how one might (as simply as >>possible) design such a connection? >>Any and all help is greatly appreciated. > > >For short range (less than 10 or 12 feet), you can use poor mans fiber >optic cable. It sounds bad at first, but it DOES WORK, and the best part is >that you don't need special RF chips, antennas, it's interference free and >can be contained in the existing enclosures. It's also RUGGED as Hell, >easily concealed and cheap! > >Transmitters are simple LED's and receivers are photodiodes. The fiber >optic cable is 20 to 40 pound test fish line, make sure you get the clear >kind and make the ends with a razor sharp blade in a singe cut. > Motorolla used to make a really nice, inexpensive pair of transmitter.receivers with the connector built in--used CHEAP plastic fiber cable. Mouse and digikey both are selling experimenters kits using these parts. Great way to experiment. What they don't tell you is the Motorolla sold off the business to someone else (Harris I think) and they are still being made, but hard to find. Contact me off list if you need a current source and I'll see what I can dig up. Suggest getting one of the kits first though. Kelly William K. Borsum, P.E. -- OEM Dataloggers and Instrumentation Systems &