On 9/27/05, Harold Hallikainen wrote: > I'm wondering about a cheap and dirty way to get a Windoze GUI for PIC > projects. Is there any way to direct a URL request from a browser to a > COMM port? Say, instead of the http:// or file:// prefix, we did a com1:// > prefix (perhaps a URL of com1://mydevice/analog?chan=1). Instead of > sending the request out to the specified IP address over ethernet, it'd > send the GET or POST request out the specified EIA232 port. Our PIC would > just respond to the request. The mydevice in the above URL would be > meaningless, though perhaps the PIC device could ignore requests not > addressed to it (not respond), allowing other devices on a tri-state or > open collector EIA232 bus to respond. I've done "open collector" EIA232 > buses by having a pull-down to -12 and a diode between the driver and the > bus. Any device can drive the bus positive (space condition), and the bus > idles at -12V (mark condition). This would be a master/slave arrangement, > since no device gets on the bus unless asked for a response, so contention > would not be an issue. > > So, any "wedge" or something that can be put on a Windoze machine so a URL > prefix of com1: com2: etc. would work? > > Just kicking around the idea. > > THANKS! You can make a simple Python web server in less than a screenful of code: http://fragments.turtlemeat.com/pythonwebserver.php Join the example given with the excellent pySerial project, and you get a cross-platform, network transparent GUI without much effort. I've done exactly this for some of our in-house projects. Very cool. (You might need to poke a hole in Windows firewall to access the interface from another computer.) Regards, Mark markrages@gmail -- You think that it is a secret, but it never has been one. - fortune cookie -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist