Re: IIGS Controlling and Sensing Ideas

[Kevin <kevin@hackaday.com>]

On Monday, December 10, 2012 9:35:19 PM UTC-6, I. G. Dev wrote:
> Hey all. It has been a *very* long time since I have been around here 
> 
> (Steve Craft). I am stopping over requesting help/input/comments on a 
> 
> half-baked, semi-thought through idea. I would like to use my (real) 
> 
> IIGS to do some kind of "live" light controlling. Ideally I would get my 
> 
> hands on Complete Pascal, some kind of multicolored Christmas light 
> 
> netting or something similar, and write something that would change 
> 
> patterns in a GUI (and save/cycle the patterns) and have the same thing 
> 
> happen on the external lights. However, I will settle for getting as 
> 
> close to ideal as possible. :)
> 
> 
> 
> I have a bunch of stuff that I really need to put back to work, doing 
> 
> "something". 4mb IIGS with MicroDrive, VOC, Vernier Serial Box, X-10 
> 
> items somewhere, a Koala Pad, and some other things I can't recall at 
> 
> the moment (I think I still have a Paddle-Adapple somewhere also).
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, all I really have now is some motivation and some hardware.
> 
> 
> 
> All ideas appreciated related to making a "light controller". Or any 
> 
> other ideas that fall under the "home control" paradigm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!

the simplest way would be to get a microcontroller (like an arduino, or something else cheap and easy to program) to listen to the serial port of the GS and solid state relays appropriate for the input voltage, and switching voltage current. Just like using any other computer, you make a program, have it send out commands, which the micro reads and acts upon.

you could get a bit more fancy and find some outputs on the computer itself and bit bang those (like a card slot) but you still have to have some way to isolate the fragile brains from the brute force of mains, SSR's are usually the easiest way ... though if you dont shop around they can bite you in terms of cost.