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From: russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Can a Mac be used as a glorified timer/counter?
Message-ID: <1990Dec5.210011.6680@eng.umd.edu>
Date: 5 Dec 90 21:00:11 GMT
References: <4931@dogie.macc.wisc.edu>
Sender: news@eng.umd.edu (C-News)
Organization: College of Engineering, Maryversity of Uniland, College Park
Lines: 25

In article <4931@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke, MACC) writes:
>I'm tracking down some info here for a researcher who wants to use his 
>Mac IIsi as a timer and counter. One external device he would like to 
>hook up is an infra-red beam "people counter".
>
>It may be a case of ludicrous overkill to get an A/D board to do this 
>but does anyone have a better way? How about going thru the ADB port 
>somehow. I assume there are no "off the shelf" solutions to this guy's 
>problem and he may end up having to piecemeal the thing together, but it 
>may be prohibitive in cost and/or time. Any suggestions? - Ross
>
>>>> yahnke@macc.wisc.edu <<<


This is sort of a weird suggestion, but---- hook the thing up to the mouse
button or one of the keys on the keyboard.  Use ResEdit to make that key do
nothing.  (one of the function keys on the extended keyboard might work)
Then you can write routines which watch the ADB for the key transition or
mouse transition.

(it shouldn't be too hard to jerry-rig something to take the place of a
keyswitch)
--
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
     .sig under construction, like the rest of this campus.