On Tue, 27 Nov 2001, David VanHorn wrote: > At 03:56 PM 11/27/01 -0600, Dale Botkin wrote: > >On Tue, 27 Nov 2001, David VanHorn wrote: > > > > > Does anyone know where I could find interface information to enable using > > > one of these cards with a micro? > > > >I'm looking too, let me know what you find and I'll do the same. Just to > >show you how warped I've become, I found out it will be a major pain in > >the whatever to run Cat5 wire to the bedrooms, so I'm thinking a better > >intercom system might be VoIP using 802.11b PCMCIA cards... digitize the > >voice, packetize it and some other trivial stuff like button/LED status, > >shuttle it around in UDP packets. OK, so does contemplating this rather > >than stringing wire sound TOO lazy, or what? > > Hmm.. I think you need an experienced installer. Where's the fun in that?? I'd spend as much on an installer as I would on hardware. Those suckers are *expensive*, as are commercial wired intercoms -- over US$800 for what I need. > If you have a basement, it's a one-afternoon job. > If you have an attic, it's a messy hot one afternoon job. I have both. The attic is a foot and a half deep in insulation, and the basement is finished... flippin' drywall everywhere except where it does me no good. Yeah, I can probably eventuallt fish wire up through the ductwork, but this looks interesting. > You still have to power the ends, afterall. > If the power comes from the AC line, then carrier current looks good to me. > 200-300kHz matched to about 2 ohms impedance on the power lines. > Use FM. We've used carrier current intercoms before. Quite frankly they just plain suck... what a waste of plastic. They don't like to talk between phases (at least they wouldn't in the last house), but every neighbor with the same brand of intercom will happily listen in. We already considered and rejected those. Every one I look at also has 2, 3 or 4 channels... no, I want every intercom in the house on ONE channel so I know for a fact that when I hit the PAGE button, everyone hears it. Otherwise half the kids play with the channels and I end up running up and down stairs again. I have 90% of a design for a really nice wired system to do exactly what we want (and NOT do what we don't want). The only real problem is finding a nice looking flush mount panel for the speaker, two buttons and an LED, something that looks finished ad professional -- that and the wire. But like I said, this looks really interesting. So far it looks like a CF 802.11b card i just the ticket, but I'm not having any luck finding any kind of interface information aot them whatsoever. CF interface specs yes, but the 802.11 driver stuff no. Why do manufacturers think the interface information for thir products need to be carefully guarded like the crown flippin' jewels? What the heck to they car if I write my own interface code, as long as I buy their product? Why should I have to pay 4 or 5 or 6 figure sums to get information on how to use their hardware? God fobid I should make their stuff work on more systems, and do it for free or something. This totally mystifies me. I just simply don't get it. Dale -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu