[PCR-1000] PCR-1000 Web Control?

[Jay A. Kreibich]

On Mon, Feb 09, 2004 at 12:59:33PM -0000, Max Topley scratched on the wall:
> Here's what I did recently, though it's probably overkill for you.
> 
> I wanted to remotely locate up to 4 PCR-1000s, and to be able to control and
> monitor them over the LAN (and thereby the Internet). Obviously, this could
> be done with a co-lo PC with a multi-channel sound card, but that's
> expensive and inconvenient - much better to build something. So I made a
> board with a PIC MCU with 8-channel ADC built in, added 100-baseTX Ethernet,
> and 4 serial ports - parts cost around (UK)?25 plus getting the PCB made.

  I've been looking at doing something similar with a TINI module:

  http://www.maxim-ic.com/TINIplatform.cfm
  http://www.ibutton.com/TINI
  
  I think the Model-400 has enough power to not only run the serial
  port stuff (easy) with a web interface, but also interface with
  something like this:

  http://www.micronas.com/products/documentation/consumer/mas3587f/index.php

  This particular chip does bi-directional MP3 [d/e]ncoding in
  hardware, so the data rate on the microcontroller is much more
  reasonable.  In theory you could use one of these to run a full
  transceiver.  The unit wouldn't be any bigger than the PCR-1000
  itself.

  The TINI is a bit more expensive than the PIC, but comes with a full
  TCP/IP suite, and allows you to do all your development in Java (for
  what that's worth).

> BTW, I might be designing a cheap USB control + 2xPCM (8@11k) interface for
> a single PCR-1000 in a while, so if anyone's interested I'll put the design
> up and post a link.

  This gives me a different idea.... Keyspan announced an "Ethernet USB
  Server".  It is like of like a USB Ethernet adapter, only it goes the
  other way-- it is baiscally like a USB Print Server, except it can
  deal with more than just printers.

  Press Release: http://www.keyspan.com/news/news.040108USBServer.spml

  If you got one of these with an USB serial port adapter plus a USB
  audio I/O device, you could remote the PCR-1000 from the "gateway"
  PC.  You would still need a PC to control the PCR, but the PC
  wouldn't have to be co-located with the PCR.

  I'll have to think about this more once Keyspan actually releases the
  device.

   -j

-- 
                     Jay A. Kreibich | Integration & Software Eng.
                        jak@uiuc.edu | Campus IT & Edu. Svcs.
          <http://www.uiuc.edu/~jak> | University of Illinois at U/C