#qi-hardware IRC log for Tuesday, 2011-09-20

erikkugelyup. apperently (and maybe you are right and I'm making no sense) one can run anything over CAT5. I know I have an APC BackUPS uninterrupted power-supply which connects to the UPS with an Ethernet jack and to the workstation with a USB jack for monitoring. I'm looking for that page right now.00:00
erikkugelAnd here's the link for USB over CAT5: http://www.instructables.com/id/Usb-Dongles-for-USB-over-CAT5-connection/00:01
wpwrakoh, you can run anything over CAT5. but you still have to connect like to like. USB to USB or Ether to Ether :)00:01
wpwrakyes, that's still USB to USB. just with a CAT5 cable in the middle. is that what you're looking for ?00:02
wpwrakbefore, you wrote about a USB port to an Ethernet port. that requires a relatively complex conversion circuit (i.e., a USB Ethernet dongle) and driver support00:03
erikkugelI naively assumed that the adapters for Ethernet to USB ( http://www.nextag.com/usb-to-rj45-adapter/stores-html ) were "dumb" and I could just make one by wiring the cables myself. I think you are saying that this wont work?00:03
wpwrakwell, that's USB host -> Ether. Ether -> USB device is even harder.00:03
wpwrakthey're not dumb ;-)00:04
erikkugelAre you saying that they have some chip inside doing the conversion, or you just want to avoid insulting them?00:05
erikkugelthanks for the explanation, by the way. I have 0 background, as you can tell :)00:05
wpwrakwell, the one for $6 seems to be dumb. but that's again USB-VAT5-USB, no Ether in there00:05
wpwrakhehe, you'll learn :)00:05
erikkugelThere are also cables which seem to do the same: http://www.nextag.com/Startech-6-ft-Smart-794928856/prices-html00:06
erikkugelYou are right about a USB host being on the USB end.00:06
erikkugelin all cases.00:06
erikkugelso in theory, if one had to do this, they would have to write new drivers for their Ethernet card to get it to talk to a USB slave, bacuse, it takes USB host drivers to talk to a USB slave which Ethernet does not have?00:07
wpwraksome of them may have drivers for the USB signals. but that's probably all at the physical layer, basically signal amplifiers.00:07
wpwrakno, you need a device that talks Ethernet on one end and USB host on the other. plus a driver for driving the ethernet end.00:09
wpwraksomething like this: http://www.proxicast.com/shopping/index.php?target=products&product_id=2989100:09
wpwrakthese are rare birds. hence the price.00:10
wpwrakbetter to free up some USB port. or add a hub.00:11
erikkugelI see. this makes more sense now... So, I can make such a cable myself to connect my ADSL modem from its Etheren jack to a PC's USB port, but I cannot do much with the nanonote because USB required a USB host which I will not have with a nanonote+ethernet combo.00:15
wpwrakyou can't connect USB host (PC) to Ether (ADSL modem) directly either. you need an USB-to-Ethernet dongle for it. but yes, they're relatively simple (probably just one major chip), so you could in theory make one yourself.00:18
wpwrakbut then, USB-to-Ether dongles are inexpensive, so why bother :)00:19
wpwrak(i don't know what the driver situation is like, though. maybe that needs some attention.)00:19
erikkugelI see, I can make one but I will need to buy a little board which has a chip in it and input for both ethernet and usb cabling/jacks. One last question, and I know I went beyond the Nanonote here :) - will it work on Linux, or is this what you mean by "driver situation" - it might require some proprietary software to talk to that chip?00:20
wpwrakthere are USB-to-ether dongles that work on linux. i don't know how likely it is for a dongle you pick up at the next computer shop to "just work", though00:23
erikkugelI see, well, I'm going to hit google for the rest of it, but I really can't thank you enough for your patience and clear explanation!00:24
wpwrake.g., these ought to work: http://www.linux-usb.org/usbnet/#t-enet00:26
wpwrakseems that they all use the same chip. so maybe others do, too. there's a bright side to monopolies ;-)00:26
wpwrakyou're welcome :)00:28
lekernelhttp://lekernel.net/blog/2011/09/prywatna-wytwornia-lamp-where-diy-meets-vacuum-electron-devices/13:26
viricgreat link!13:30
wolfspraullekernel: excellent writeup! congratulations!13:34
wolfspraulthat's the hardest part after such visits to give oneself a kick to upload and gallerify all pics, write a text, etc.13:35
kyakwhat a great guy..13:45
kristianpaulvery nice post indeed15:38
virickyak: http://replicant.us/about/ :)20:27
virichttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/org/LOR/~3/-XdeKAn7Xtc/676764920:27
whitequarkwpwrak: remember I've been talking about digikey, billing/shipping/passport address and so on. They've delivered it last night nevertheless. Looks like the scan of passport was convincing enough.23:59
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