Omnimaga
Calculator Community => Other Calc-Related Projects and Ideas => TI-Nspire => Topic started by: tangrs on November 22, 2014, 06:35:06 am
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Hey guys, it's tangrs.
Just want to announce something I've been working on over the past few weeks. It's a USB serial adapter that plugs right into the TI-Nspire dock connector.
(http://i61.tinypic.com/2vxiqm8.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/zweole.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/1sb9ki.jpg)
The one shown in the pictures above is a very early prototype. The PCB is a hacked up home-made one (holy crap, DIY reflow soldering is a pain in the ass without solder mask) and the 3D printed bracket that goes with it is still in its early designs. The prototype works though :) I've already ordered some professionally made PCBs for the connector part.
So, my question to all of you guys, how many would be interested in buying one of these once I've got a decent design up and running? I'm deciding whether to mass produce a small batch of these once I'm finished with the design :)
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Hi, nice to see you here again :D
I'd definitely order one.
Is is possible to connect the rest of the dock connector pins to some 0.1 inch headers? That could be very useful for some experiments with SDIO, SPI and such.
Some easily accessable traces to solder on would be nice, too.
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Yes, I'd get one! You should also attach the power pins on the nspire to the power pins of the USB so you don't have to plug in the nspire while working on it. Will it be compatible with the b/w models?
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This looks really nice. Did you consider selling these on tindie (https://www.tindie.com/)?
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Looks nice, I may buy one too :)
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What's the benefit to having another USB port through serial?
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Why "another"? Serial is only accessible via the dock connector.
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Why "another"? Serial is only accessible via the dock connector.
So it's a nice way to use serial via USB?
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I need to show epic7 this because his normal charging port is broken.
/me mutters something about wanting his old buddy back.
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note : it would have been nice too to have the 2nd USB (the dock one) made available as well through this interface.
Although that may be more difficult.
(documented here : http://hackspire.unsads.com/wiki/index.php/Hardware#Connector_J01_-_Dock_connector )
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It would also be good to figure out how that dock works because I don't think anyone figured it out yet. Also could you make this like a slide case which fits over the calc? that way it would be easy to carry with the calc.
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Just to clear up some misunderstandings, the dock connector has serial UART pins that can be used to get diagnostic information during boot up, in Ndless programs and Linux boot logs. This is a connector that slides into the dock connector and connects the pins to a USB-to-serial converter chip. I'm hoping it will be a replacement for some of the (admittedly very creative) home made dock connectors I've seen floating around.
From some of the feedback, I'll be also adding a possibility to break out the pads to normal header pins for GPIO hacking and adding a USB port for the second USB host pins too - though I may have to design these separately. However, I am not familiar with the possibility of powering the Nspire via the dock connector though. I will have to look in the hackspire documentation to see if this is a possibility.
The design is not finalised yet. I am trying to figure out a good way to clip these onto the calculator while also being compatible with all models.
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This is the holy grail of Nspire dev. O.O Do want.
/me drools
And yes, the Nspire can charge via the dock as shown by the mutli calc docking station. I have no idea how it works though.
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I would like one of these! How much would it cost?
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Wow that looks even nicer than the previous one now. I am curious about how much this would cost?
Also make sure to keep this maintained, because we never know if TI might perform slight changes on Nspire cases to make sure that this connector no longer fits. :P
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This is the holy grail of Nspire dev. O.O Do want.
/me drools
And yes, the Nspire can charge via the dock as shown by the mutli calc docking station. I have no idea how it works though.
The longest pin on the connector is ground, and the second longest is power. It's that easy.
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Wow that looks even nicer than the previous one now. I am curious about how much this would cost?
I still haven't worked out the details but a ballpark figure would be around AUD$35 (around USD$29.30) plus shipping. It'll be the board and a high quality 3D printed clamp (pre-assembled).
Version 1 should be available early January. I should have about 10 in stock but I'll get more manufactured if there's high demand. At the moment, I'm just waiting on a stencil to come so I can start bulk soldering efficiently.
After that, I'll start working on a second version with a USB host port and charging via the dock but this will take a while.
Also make sure to keep this maintained, because we never know if TI might perform slight changes on Nspire cases to make sure that this connector no longer fits. :P
For sure :)
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Also, for the next version, do more of you prefer MicroUSB or MiniUSB?
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I suppose MiniUSB is more common ?
(As in, anyone can get their hands on a cable from whatever device they already own - might not be the case for MicroUSB)
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If you have an Nspire, you are very likely to own a mini usb cable methinks.
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Yeah I have over 9000 mini USB cables but never enough micro USB (though I have 3 now instead of 1 but one of them doesn't work for data, only power <_<).
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MiniUSB it is then :)
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MiniUSB would be best indeed. Micro is getting much more common with mobile devices nowadays and the HP Prime comes with one but for a long while most devices used miniUSB.
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A little late but the final prototype looks like this:
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2ajot8h.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2czkzm.jpg)
In the end, I decided that a clamp type design would work best since it fits like a adapter/plug rather than a whole case (it also cuts down on 3d printing time, complexity and material).
I will also release the STL files and dimensions of the PCB board so people can print or modify the 3d printed case to their own likings.
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Very nice !
(crossposted (https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=15618&p=173974#p173974))
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Looks very good. :)
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Does anyone have any more information on how the USB host port works? I did manage to find this (http://tiplanet.org/forum/gallery/image.php?album_id=77&image_id=3025&view=no_count) but there aren't any concrete values...
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I have tried and failed to connect a USB port to the base of the calculator and I'm not sure why it didn't work. I wonder if the circuitry is necessary, because I didn't have any of those. Iirc, that graphic thing was from one of the lab cradle circuits or something and so might be able to be used the same way.
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Does anyone have any more information on how the USB host port works? I did manage to find this (http://tiplanet.org/forum/gallery/image.php?album_id=77&image_id=3025&view=no_count) but there aren't any concrete values...
I believe Excale had done some light testings initially but didn't get something working. But I guess you'd have to ask Critor or Excale directly, they are the one who tried things...
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A little late but the final prototype looks like this:
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2ajot8h.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2czkzm.jpg)
In the end, I decided that a clamp type design would work best since it fits like a adapter/plug rather than a whole case (it also cuts down on 3d printing time, complexity and material).
I will also release the STL files and dimensions of the PCB board so people can print or modify the 3d printed case to their own likings.
I want this. now. >:(
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I've set up a landing page (https://store.tangrs.id.au/nspire-serial.html) so you guys can get some eye candy while we wait for the remaining parts and soldering stencil to come in :)
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Hmm... $32 AUD... isn't this like $0.00 USD?? O.O
Just kidding, I really like how this looks like. It's very professional. I just hope TI won't be d***ish enough to slightly modify the Nspire case to prevent those boards from fitting in or outright remove the dock connector like on Chinese models. On the other hand, the board needs to not be too loose, else there are risks of accidentally touching other pins upon connecting.
I should try to get one at one point. Good luck making them. :D
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Hmm... $32 AUD... isn't this like $0.00 USD?? O.O
It actually is :(
Just kidding, I really like how this looks like. It's very professional. I just hope TI won't be d***ish enough to slightly modify the Nspire case to prevent those boards from fitting in or outright remove the dock connector like on Chinese models. On the other hand, the board needs to not be too loose, else there are risks of accidentally touching other pins upon connecting.
Yeah, I designed it to be tight fitting so it should be okay on that front.
As to the risks of TI messing with us, I don't think it will be a huge problem. I doubt TI will modify the case to prevent this board from fitting in, lest they scrap compatibility with their lab cradle. In any case, I will be providing full CAD files for the clamp so we could just as easily adjust it.
I should try to get one at one point. Good luck making them. :D
Cheers (Y)
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We never know with them, tho. After all, they did remove the connector shortly after we started messing with it, although only the Chinese Nspires were affected. And they seem ready to do anything to block third-party development.
But again this didn't make front page news on any english site yet IIRC, so maybe they didn't see it.
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Some good news and some bad news:
Good news is I finally got 4 serial boards soldered and tested today. You can order one at my website (https://store.tangrs.id.au/nspire-serial.html). It'll take a while for me to process and 3D print the enclosures so expect ~1 week processing time :)
The bad news is that the order for one of the crucial parts has only been partially fulfilled (hence why I could only make 4 this time) - the rest is on back order with an unknown ETA. I have ordered equivalent replacement parts which should be coming in much sooner.
So, if you missed out on this round, don't worry, as soon as the replacement parts arrive, I can make the remaining 6 as originally planned. If you miss round 2, fret not! Depending on demand, I may produce more stock. Otherwise, stay tuned for version 2!
In other news, I am still currently reverse engineering how the dock connector does USB host and plan to incorporate it into the next design as soon as I figure it out. I'm also planning on doing a dumb dock breakout board.
Finally, to everyone: thanks for the support! Most of the proceeds will go towards future TI-Nspire reverse engineering work and designing/manufacturing a version 2 of the serial breakout :)
Have a happy new year!
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Update: I'm now accepting Bitcoins!
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What IC do you use for the serial to usb bridge? An FTDI chip? (Cause if you do make sure you get a legit one. The clones get bricked by the latest FTDI drivers)
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They are indeed FTDI chips and I'm aware of the bricking issue. That's why I went out of my way to ensure I bought from reputable companies like Element14 and RS-Online.
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That's good to hear. It'd be a shame if people got their breakout boards and they got bricked instantly. (I had this happen with an FTDI breakout board I got from ebay)