Wireless USB troubles...

[Luke122]

Hey everyone, this is more of a request than anything else...

I read about a cordless/wireless usb hub once.. cant recall the manufacturer, and the reviews were less than positive, but it got me thinking about the possibilities.

What i'd like to be able to do is use the wireless transmitter/reciever from a cordless mouse (or keyboard, or whatever) to "untether" a usb input peripheral. I already have the power issue sorted out, just need to get the data moved from the device back to the reciever.

Has anyone here dont anything like this before?

Imagine taking a usb graphics tablet, cutting the cord, and hacking it together with a cordless mouse to get a wireless tablet. That's sort of what I"m aiming for here.

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

[XcOM]

i know what your talking off, i think it was called belkin, they've released a new version only a few weeks ago, i think you should google it, it would work.

i'll see what i can find out for you.

[Eclecticos]

It probably won't work, but it's not impossible. . you would have to use some type of battery pack to power the device, because you would sever the usb power connection by doing that. You might even have to write your own drivers, I could be wrong.

[XcOM]

not true about drivers, if you were to use the wireless pack from belkin, use there drivers, and just use a battery from an old 12v laptop, good for 3-4 hours if good, would need to mod a case/frame to hold it all together.

[Luke122]

I cant say too much about what I"m building, but the power issue is covered. Their should be no need for writing any sort of drivers...

If I *was* to hack a cordless mouse, all I would be doing is changing the source of information that the transmitter is sending over the air to the reciever. It's essentially the same information being broadcast, just a diff source..

I'm going to pick up a cheap (but not too cheap.. I need some range with this thing) cordless mouse tomorrow and tear it down. Since it's friday, it's usally a quiet day at work anyways.. plus since this is something I'm building FOR work, should be no issues.

Xcom, thanks for the tip.. Belkin. I couldnt remember who built the thing, but I didnt have any luck just googling cordless usb or wireless usb. I"ll try adding belkin into the search, and hopefully that'll be the key.

The only concern I have with using the Belkin hub to this is the added weight and current draw. Weight and size are a big concern on this project, so I'll update tomorrow.

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys.

[Luke122]

Damn, that Belkin Cordless (http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/releases/uploads/01_03_06CableFreeUSB.html) USB is "backwards" from what I need... it provides a mobile computer wireless access to stationary USB devices.

What I need is a mobile USB device to access a stationary computer.

I'm going down the Source (Radio Shack) this morning to pick up a cordless mouse to go under the knife. :D

I'll let you know what I find out.

[xRyokenx]

Dude, storage of wireless peripherals that aren't in use would be so freakin' easy it's not funny... no more cluttering my desk with stuff that can't be put in a drawer, lol. I can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Luke122]

Maybe I should start a new thread on this project?

Anyways, I just picked up a cordless mouse, and I'm about to begin surgery. Pics and worklog are begining also... I just wish that this angry person outside my office arguing with my boss would shut the hell up.:mad:

[Luke122]

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/lukifer122/PICT0362.jpg

Here's the mouse in all it's glory. $39.99 CAD.. I had some other stuff to return, so I didnt have to spend anything on this really..

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/lukifer122/PICT0363.jpg

The sneaky buggers hide 2 screws underneath black gliders at the front of the mouse.. pop them out to get to the screws.

Warning! Gratuitus Topless Mouse Shot Below!!





http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/lukifer122/PICT0366.jpg

You'll notice 2 more screws on the top circuit board.. remove them, and then just lift it off.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/lukifer122/PICT0367.jpg

At this point, there are just 2 more screws at the tail end to remove, and the whole board lifts out.. like so..

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/lukifer122/PICT0369.jpg

Sadly, at this point I realized that the transmitter wasnt quite a "seperate entity" within the mouse as I had hoped.. and I realized that I'm sort of past my knowledge at this point, so I got the multimeter out, and I'll have to do some more reading/experimenting.

Luckily I was careful in taking everything apart, so I do still ahve a working mouse.

[CHIMERA]

Luk!!

That's the same mouse that I got from Rosewill, I used it in my "UT Mouse Mod."

Just FYI and a heads up, that mouse is a B I T C H to put back together!!! Make sure you save the footies too, if you end up not being able to use it.

Aomething else kind of conflicted when reading what you want to do..

A wireless mouse, when plugged in, the firmware on the 'receiver' tells the PC that it is a "interface device" so therefore it is desgnated certain commands (internally) to perform certain actions. I don't see how a tablet (wireless video?) would be able to tell the computer what to do with the signal, if you simply just hacked out the transmitter form the mouse.. you could be pushing a button on the tablet, and the cursor on the computer is going nuts.. or right clicking or something backwards.. This is all really a stab i nthe dark, as I don't really understand what it is you are trying to accomplish still.. :S

-J

I'm pretty sure he means a wireless graphics tablet, like wacom or something.

[Redundant]

Ummm...do you mean this? (http://www.wacom.com/graphire/6x8_bt.cfm)

A note of caution: don't dent the li-po (lithium-polymer) battery, they can easily short-circuit on the inside; I've seen pictures of many an RC heli catch fire.

Some other info: Li-po batteries are in a metal "bag" while Li-ion (lithium ion) batteries are in a metal casing like normal alkalines.

[Luke122]

I might as well let everyone know what I"m building here..

I've found an 8" Touchscreen 12v LCD that uses a USB interface (5v), a 16v laptop battery, and a 12v wireless vga reciever.

I'm building a wireless touchscreen interface tablet to run a home automation/theatre system.

I've been fighting with weights and dimensions, but I've got a pretty good feel on what it's going to be size/weight wise, and as for cost.. under $500 CAD. Compare that to say a UMPC, around $1400. I know this isnt a full PC, but it'll have all the necessary functionality of one. The video reciever WILL support sound also if I want, and the LCD does have onboard speakers.. so I could technically also beam sound to it. Since I just want it to be a controller for another system, I wont bother with sound.

So far the complete weight is about 4lbs, and the largest item is actually the LCD... 8" diagonal.. the battery is only .25" thick (and about the same width/height as the LCD), and weighs 1.2lbs, despite providing 5+hrs for a laptop. Since I wont be drawing as much as a laptop (still guesstimating the actual current draw), I should be upwards of 6hrs of battery life for this thing.. maybe more if I can get the LCD to dim automatically as a powersaver... it hasnt actually arrived yet.

In regards to the CCFL backlight in the LCD, I've been playing with using LED's as a backlight source.. the catch with a touchscreen is the increased opacity of the panel, resulting in darker screen. Since this unit wont be used outside (and will only be used to display a pretty flash interface), I'm not too worried about it. Maybe I'll just add MORE leds.. like 40.

I've even got an idea about some sort of charging base station for this unit.. maybe build it into a podium or a coffee table.. something like that.

The reciever/transmitter combo may not do what I want though, as the range may end up being too far. I'm still working on that part... if anyone has suggestions on how to get the signal from the touch screen back to the PC wirelessly, I'm all ears. :)

[OvRiDe]

Now that sounds COOL!!! Can't wait to see the log on this one!

[Redundant]

if anyone has suggestions on how to get the signal from the touch screen back to the PC wirelessly, I'm all ears. :)
I think you'll first have to see how you can separate the LCD and touch data streams from the USB; if you're lucky, the screen will have a separate circuit board for each of these.

Do have a link to the screen you plan on buying?

[XcOM]

im not sure about the touch pad. but if you want i could write an interface if you want.pm me

[Luke122]

Actually, the LCD has a seperate VGA input, and USB interface for the touchscreen, so no worries there.

Here's the LCD (http://www.mp3playerstore.com/stuff_you_need/special/TM-868.htm)

..and here's the battery. (http://powerplus60.com/)

I'm wondering if maybe i"d be better off going with a presentation remote, and a regular LCD.. and just incorporating it into the tablet somehow.. maybe I can find a wireless trackball...? that might work well.. or better... I think that would save me loads of hassle.. plus a regular LCD is cheaper.. and lighter.. maybe I could even go up to a 10" or something instead.. hmmmm

[XcOM]

personally i think your current idea is good, by having touch screen your eliminating the need to power two devices, also by adding a trackerball your asking for trouble,

Its not impossable, but TONS of work, go for it if you want to.

Plus adding a tracker will make your item bigger, what are you using this for again, as a remote to control your pc, i think the first idea is better for this purpose, but thats just me, if i see a good idea, i won't budge unless it have to to get it to work.

XcOM

[Luke122]

well, adding a trackball would probably be pretty easy.. plus the cost of the LCD goes down dramatically without the touchscreen...

Anyways, I'm going to continue on both methods with the research, but I do have to consider one other thing... a presentation remote/mouse can be obtained that uses RF for much better range. Couple that with the range of the audio/video reciever, and I've now got a tablet that I can carry well outside the range of a regular cordless usb device. :D

[agnat]

Have you considered Bluetooth capabilities? I've seen some wireless mouse/keyboard combos that were bluetooth.

Might work for you.

[Luke122]

I did consider bluetooth, but the same range issue arises. I"m going to hit up the bank today for a business loan anyways, and one of the projects I'm building will be this tablet.. if all goes well the parts will be ordered tomorrow. :D

[Luke122]

Update: Business loan was a success! Cash will be available later this week (most likely early next week), so the orders will be going in today. :D

I'll start a proper work log once I get this underway.