A random waste of time

I picked up a ‘dead’ XBT N200 process controller board from work yesterday.
After researching the pin-out of the RJ45 connector (serial+power, it seems), I was able to get 5V into it:

The top line of the display just flickered over and over. The board is a 512K Flash and 128K RAM with an Intel 80C188 (8 bit) processor clocking 20MHz.

The display is what I was interested in, for hooking to the Pi.

Unfortunately, with taking the contrast pin to 0V (which is what I measured on the board above), I can see text but it is supposed to be all-pixels on for the top line, this isn’t, quite. I wonder if the controller isn’t duff? :

That is running from the Pi’s 5V line (no backlight, that isn’t wired up). The module doesn’t work at all at 3.3V which is a shame. I could hardwire R/!W to always be in write mode and then connect the pins to the Pi’s GPIO as 3.3V ought to be enough to appear as a logic ‘1’; but given the init doesn’t appear come up correctly, I’m wondering if this is going to work at all. I could run the board in 4 bit mode so I only need ~6 GPIOs (it appears to operate as a HD44780 clone).

However, for now, I ordered this from eBay. Says it runs on 3.3V, and with an IIC connection, should be fairly simple to interface (in hardware; might be more of a trial on the software side!).

However, for now, I ordered this from eBay. Says it runs on 3.3V, and with an IIC connection, should be fairly simple to interface (in hardware; might be more of a trial on the software side!).

Ooh, I was just looking at one of those the other day, and trying to convince myself I didn’t need it!

:-) No postage charge, and costs about the same as two Happy Meals.

I tried to tell myself I didn’t need it.
And failed.
Oh well.

After researching the pin-out of the RJ45 connector (serial+power, it seems), I was able to get 5V into it.

PoE pinning I assume.
If you were in the UK and near the midlands you could have a 48 port 100Mb PoE switch¹ to drive such things and pass the data around.
I think the legal situation is we are supposed to charge at least a penny.

¹ Just put 6 (six) perfectly viable devices in the “scrap” shelving today, but there are others to go that have only ever been powered up long enough to take the configuration.
Can’t afford the space to keep them is the message I’ve been given.

I should add – there’s something kicking around in the back of my mind…
https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/5/topics/2367#posts-29592

(one of many ideas, but an extra status display that can be active while the main monitor is switched off would be kind of nice….or how about hooking it to DADebug?)

PoE pinning I assume.

I don’t think so. The older units have a different pin out to the newer versions. It is just DC power and a minimal TX/RX serial link, just happens to use an RJ45 connector.

Can’t afford the space to keep them is the message I’ve been given.

Wow. Must be interesting to work in a place that can buy stuff it doesn’t even use. ;-) I don’t suppose you could requisition yourself a car and, oh dear, can’t really have it sitting there taking space in the car park so it’ll have to go for a penny… <g>

Wow. Must be interesting to work in a place that can buy stuff it doesn’t even use. ;-)

The unused units are/were spares for installed units, buying a few extra works out cheaper than shelling out for a maintenance contract¹. However, when the stuff reaches its manufacturer EoL and we we fit new things start to get shipped/scrapped out.

BTW. Guess what the most expensive “items” on site usually are?
Ideas? Not getting scrapped yet anyway²

Hmm, interesting – using the spare pairs(i.e. non-data for standard devices) for both data and power http://pinoutsguide.com/Net/poe_pinout.shtml

¹ Especially when I can configure and fit the replacement before the contract people could get a unit to site and then need me to help them fit and configure what they bring.

² Another decade at least.

Guess what the most expensive “items” on site usually are?

Management?

Management?

Staff in general. Management come in the least cost effective classification, although “project management” and “program management” do achieve premier league high score status. :)