PC based sensor troubleshooter

[cadstarsucks]

Prototype layout is ready for a one-of low cost circuit house... got any pointers? I'm all out of  Press-N-Peel.

Well I could help but it is probably more helpful to point you this way:

http://forums.linear1.org/index.php/topic,1143.0.html

I would not recommend "low cost" houses for anything that might go production as they make their money by locking you in for production...

Dan

[myelectricbike]

Actually I've decided to use a different method to verify the circuit so that production will only be needed if I commit to volume.

Since photographers provide proofs, that is the kind of thinking I'm looking for as the basis for selecting a house. Going by the differences in some of the prototyping software I'm sure that such a company exists and its only a matter of where.

[ahend]

I received my USB to parallel cable this week and I’m disappointed to report that the supplied driver does not expose an address space to the I/O registers. It is therefore not possible to directly control I/O through the port it provides. Indeed, it does emulate Centronics EPP and ECP modes, but it is doing so without a public address resource. After reading a bit more about a number of these cables, it seems clear that they are designed specifically to interface a parallel printer, and that’s about it.
Scrounging around the web I did come across a USB parallel port emulator project that looks interesting. It’s described in an article from Circuit Cellar magazine (issue 151 February 2003). The system is based on the Future Technology Devices International's FT8U245AM USB-to-parallel interface IC. I have a PDF of the article with a schematic if interested.

Andy

[myelectricbike]

Thanks ahend for the update. If you read from the point we left off about the cable you will see that my success under Win98 with a dos executable promoted me to try a hardware circuit to do the same thing and that this succeeded as well to the point where I am waiting for my last batch or parts and have PCB layout ready. I can print and etch a few boards on my own but drilling 124 holes and placing 42 components will eventually force me to offer it as a kit or to hire a circuit board house to do volume. Wow is me. I added pictures so check it out and let me know if you have any questions.