Re: TI-H: SPinTerface
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Re: TI-H: SPinTerface
Richard Piotter wrote:
>
> >One question, what is a SPinTerface? I have never heard of it.
>
> Sorry, should have told in my mail first time.
>
> A SPinTerface port is an extention of the serial link port and the
> batteries and stuff. SPinTerface is short for Serial/Powered
> Interface.
> I shortened the name into a single word though. Basicly, it's a 10-pin
> port that has a 5v regulated power supply with auto shutdown (when you
> remove cartridges) and the three pins of the link port. I create tiny
> cartridges without any power circuits or power supply that plug into
> it.
> The carts get power from a 5v voltage regulator connected to the
> calculator's batteries. I have created SF Expander cartridges (based
> on
> Mel Tsai's Expander). They hold 512K or a Megabyte just like his, but
> they're only 1.5 inches long, almost an inch wide and 1/8 of an inch
> thick (thin as a GameBoy cart, but half as wide and not as long). The
> power is turned on simply by plugging in the carts, and if they need
> it,
> they can still get the full 6v battery power through the activation
> pins. You can create speaker carts with a tiny amplifier powered by
> the
> calc. If someone makes an IR link, it could be made into a cart, even
> a
> modem, if made could be adapted to fit into a SPinTerface cart (it
> would
> be larger though, maybe have a ribbon cable with the plug at the end).
> The main advantage it that the power source is provided making the
> projects you build cheaper and smaller. You also don't need to cut
> your
> link port cable or buy an extra one from TI for <i>how</I> much!!! The
> 10-pin male connector (used on the cart) can be made from 2 row PC
> mount
> ribbon cable headers (2 rows of 5. They can be cut too). Even your
> connector becomes cheaper!!! The instructions for assembly are on my
> web
> page and I also have a battery expander that allows you to use AA
> batteries in the TI8x calcs instead of AAAs. The advantage to this is
> that the AA batteries are sometimes cheaper than AAAs and they seem to
> have far more power than AAAs. If you do a lot of stuff involving the
> link port, and you need to do prototyping, this may also be a good
> extention to the calc, since you get a power supply and the link pins,
> all provided for you. you could even have a breadboard with a
> SPinTerface cable attaced so you can expiriment, I do! It's easier
> than
> using a link cable and powerpack. If you need other voltages, you can
> have tiny regulators or charge pumps inside the cart. You still don't
> need to carry around an extra set of bateries!
>
> It's easy to build and you don't even get near the "sensitive" area of
> the main board. There are only 5 connections to the main board, and
> they
> are all at the battery posts and the link port jack.
>
> If you need more info, check out my web page or ask me.
>
> Richard Piotter
>
> e-mail: richfiles@hotmail.com
>
> home page: <A
> HREF="http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5081/Richfiles.html
> ">The
> Richfiles</A>
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WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS EARLIER???!! It's a great idea, and
makes things so simple! It seems to be perfect for all you electronics
geniouses who need to do prototyping all the time. I'm gonna take a look
at the plans right now!
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