On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 8:15 PM, James Newton wrote: > That is a REALLY interesting idea... > > Bob has talked in the past about having an "unused" pin that sends out > status info all the time in some special format... > > If you send out status data in a serial stream fast enough and continuously, > it should look more or less consistent when used to light the power on LED > on the widget you are making. > > For no extra cost, you get a visible status data stream. > > Of course, you can't read it with the naked eye... Other than to note that > the light goes out or comes on brighter when the uC stops running. > > Then the question is what can you use to read it? What if the light pattern > was the same as what a barcode reader would see if it was scanned over an > area? So assuming your customer has a barcode reader connected to his or her > keyboard (as is the case at a lot of POS terminals) then you just tell them > to go to a web page that you have set up, and then point the barcode wand > right over the power LED on your widget. Some JavaScript on the page parses > the data stream, breaks it off in chunks and sends them to you via AJAX. > > Or perhaps IRdA is the better protocol? > > What do PDA's talk in when you "beam" contacts between units? > > At worst, you send them a "visible light to RS232 adapter" which everyone > has laying around right? A few years ago, I had the status LED blink an error message in Morse Code. My manager said I had *WAY* too much time on my hands... Bill -- Psst... Hey, you... Buddy... Want a kitten? straycatblues.petfinder.org -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist