Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!mcdphx!citek.mcdphx.mot.com!hbg6
From: hbg6@citek.mcdphx.mot.com
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re:remote data communication
Message-ID: <14365@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com>
Date: 8 Jan 91 17:29:55 GMT
Sender: listen@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com
Reply-To: hbg6@citek.mcdphx.mot.com
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Az.
Lines: 31
Summary:
Expires:
References:<1683@ulowell.ulowell.edu>
Sender:
Followup-To:
Distribution:

In article <1683@ulowell.ulowell.edu> jrichard@hawk.ulowell.edu writes:
>
>   I am trying to reason out how to send a 8-bit signal from my computer's
>(amiga) parallel port to my autonomous robot.  Right now it looks like
>I'm gonna have to tear apart a radio controlled car controller/receiver.
>Is there an easier way?  There must be some ICs out there designed for
>this purpose.
>
I don't know if this will help but...

I built a system a while ago which used a garage door opener remote control
at transmit parallel data about 500 feet. This takes some serious hacking.

First, remove the 8 or 10 position dip switch from the transmitter board
and interface your data to the input side of the transmitter chip. In the
unit I used, TTL levels worked fine.

On the reciever side, locate its dip switch. Follow the traces to the
magnitude comparitor chip. Also connected to the comparitor will be
a series of traces from some sort of shift register. These traces are
where you pick off your data. I also managed to find a signal detect
line in the reciever to use as a strobe.

This all worked fine and only cost about $35 and several hours work.
( my time was a lot less expensive back then :-) ) Note that there
are dozens of different remotes out there so your kind of on your own.
If I had to do it today, I'd probably use a cheap wireless mike and
a DTMF (touch-tone) chip set.

Good luck,
John