[urq] Somewhat NAC, but relevant - where to get a wireless serial cable - huh?

[Ben Swann]

Right, it is a matter of perspective –market conditions prevail and I am not
going to pay for this.  

 

I want a cheap solution – I’m using Megasquirt not other much more expensive
EFI system.  Darn connection would cost more than the components to build the
EFI unit.

 

OK – if someone knows LMK otherwise, I can deal with a wire.  It was the mouse
situation that was killing me – now I have a wirelees mouse with optical
sensor and the leather seat makes a great mousepad.

 

Ben

 

  _____  

From: Jason Kohls [mailto:jasonkohls at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 12:34 PM
To: Ben Swann
Cc: Taka Mizutani; urq at audifans.com; quattro at audifans.com
Subject: Re: Somewhat NAC, but relevant - where to get a wireless serial cable
- huh?

 

For what you're asking for, I don't think 200 bucks is an expensive price to
pay: you're talking about a niche product/application that cannot/would not be
mass-produced for sheer market reasons alone.  Plus, like Taka said, you have
to power it, provide it with some sort of embedded chip/firmware that would
handle the wireless connectivity, etc. so $200 bucks doesn't sound
unreasonable at all to me, but I work in IT, and we spend megabucks all the
time on seemingly "simple" hardware :) 

On 9/10/07, Ben Swann <benswann at comcast.net> wrote:

Comments embedded below..



From: Taka Mizutani [mailto:t44tqtro at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 12:08 PM
To: Ben Swann
Subject: Re: Somewhat NAC, but relevant - where to get a wireless serial cable

- huh?



Let me get this straight - You want to be able to connect your laptop to the
Megasquirt without using any wires at all?

*** That is right.

I don't think that is feasible, Ben. 

*** Of course it is feasible – I could build one myself.  Just want something
"Off the Shelf".  Only so much time to make one off solutions for things like
these.

You would need some sort of wireless transceiver hooked up to the Megasquirt 
(if the data rate was low enough, Bluetooth would work well for this kind of
thing) and then a wireless transceiver hooked up to the laptop.

*** Yep, but seems expensive from what I'm seeing so far.

Laptop side is no issue, but I don't think you could do it on the ECU side- 
you'd need to supply power to the transceiver and you'd need something that
supports a legacy serial connection.

*** The ECU communicates serial protocol – which is not much protocol at all.
We just need to make it wireless.  Power might be an issue, and that is I 
understand why USB has mushroomed, since it provides Phantom power.

I think you're stuck- the only people I know that use a wireless connection to
the ECU are the big motorsports teams that have real-time telemetry and 
real-time reprogramming of their ECUs. That's probably big $$$$.

*** I have been working on quite a few niche solutions for things lately.
Products that aren't there that ought to be.  Looks like here is another. 

Taka



On 9/10/07, Ben Swann <benswann at comcast.net> wrote:

OK wireless cable is somewhat of an oxymoron, but that is essentially the
function.  I have been working on tuning my Megasquirt configuration using an 
IBM Thinkpad laptop.  The tiny mouse rubber is too difficult for me to use  in

the car, so I got a wireless mouse that connects to the USB port – would be
nice for them to have let this go to the mouse port so I don't tie up my only 
USB port, but anyway that problem is resolved for now.



However – I would like to be able to take my laptop out of the car without
dealing with the serial cable that is used to communicate with and probram the

Megasquirt unit.  Even better if I could locate the unit where I don't have to

touch it.  Presently there is a 9' serial cable – DB9 one end and DB25 the
other end with DB9-25 adaptor going into the laptop.  It is a pain to deal 
with.



So does anyone make an adaptor that plugs into DB9 port on laptop the provides

a wireless serial interface?  Could not believe the lack of things like this
at Circuit city – did not even find a DB9-DB9 cable. 



Ben

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