[GreenKeys] 60 ma current loop to RS232 converter

[Jordan Spencer Cunningham]

Hi Michael,

*Regarding interfaces:*

Are you 100% set on an RS232 interface? There are a couple recent USB <-->
60ma interface designs. In fact, there was a long thread on GreenKeys from
a few days ago that discussed this in detail. I'd recommend reading it in
the archives: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/2018-
February/thread.html (just search for "Computer to teletype module" to find
all the relevant messages that were exchanged).

Someone is planning to build a few of John Nagle's USB board; I'm not sure
if all the spares have been claimed: http://mailman.qth.
net/pipermail/greenkeys/2018-February/042271.html

If you are set on an RS232 interface instead of via USB, it sounds like
John Nagle designed one before designing the USB interface: http://www.rtty.
com/greenkeys.htm. Also, someone had one of those sitting in a box and was
willing to let go of it; it's probably been claimed by now, though:
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/2018-February/042214.html. I
know there are other designs based on RS-232, but I don't have links to
them.

*Regarding intercommunication methods:*

I haven't yet set myself up to use ITTY, but I understood it didn't so much
support intercommunication with other people as it did broadcasting things
like GreenKeys messages, RSS feeds, and things of the like. (And now I just
saw Paul's response-- I need to type faster before this entire message
becomes redundant!)

The best network to talk to a number of other individuals via teletype
would be i-Telex as far as I know; most of those users are outside the US,
but I know there are at least three or four US members now like Paul who
are extremely helpful for those interested in joining on this side of the
pond (I'm being a presumptuous Yank by assuming you're in the US as well).

There are at least a couple bits of software (Heavy Metal
<http://www.buzbee.net/heavymetal/Intro.htm> and Eric Volpe's Python
collection <https://github.com/epvuc/loop-gateway> are the ones I know of)
that allow for sending and receiving emails if you want to go that route,
and Eric's Python setup also allows external TCP connections so you could
in theory connect to other people's interfaces running the same or similar
software and intercommunicate that way.

I'm currently working on similar scripts of my own to accomplish this exact
goal (I'm using Eric's interface design and building my scripts around
that). I currently have a working send/receive email client and will be
adding support for TTY to TTY communication via TCP, RSS feeds, ASCII art
selection and printing, SSH (because who doesn't want to manage modern
servers using a physical 5-bit terminal?), and i-Telex (if I can figure out
the protocol enough to replicate the actual communication method-- if not,
it can at least connect easily via a raw TCP connection). The scripts
aren't publicly available yet, but I will share them with the list when I
iron them out and add the functionality I mentioned.

One day I'd like to try creating a directory of sorts of people who have
TCP-capable interfaces who could intercommunicate with one another aside
from the i-Telex network, but that is far down the line, and I just don't
think there are very many who are set up to do that right now. My goal
wouldn't be to replace i-Telex, of course, but rather to provide another
channel.

On Fri, Feb 23, 2018 at 1:10 PM, Michael via GreenKeys <
greenkeys at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Does anyone know where to buy or how to make a 60 MA current loop to RS232
> converter that will power the loop needed to connect to a Model 32TT and
> let me plug into an RS232 port on a PC? Then I can connect to the
> HTTP://INTERNET-TTY.NET:8000/ITTY <http://internet-tty.net:8000/ITTY> and
> talk to others by TTY, I assume....?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>
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