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Please Help!! Single Board Computer and USB

Started by Junior Sanders September 21, 2004
I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's
what I am trying to do:

Use a single board computer (ie Zworld's Rabbit Processor) to read a
USB device such as Memory Stick or Digital Camera. The Rabbit board
has serial ports, but not USB port. Have any of you done anything like
this??

Thanks in Advance,

JS
> I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's
It's not an easy question. Host-side USB is very difficult to implement. Yes it can be done. Trying to do it - especially inside Rabbit's baroque, nonstandard environment - is very painful. I would abandon the idea of USB and interface directly to a media type, e.g. CompactFlash.
"Lewin A.R.W. Edwards" <larwe@larwe.com> wrote in message news:<N994d.9664$mb6.4291@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>...
> > I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's > > It's not an easy question. Host-side USB is very difficult to implement. > Yes it can be done. Trying to do it - especially inside Rabbit's > baroque, nonstandard environment - is very painful. I would abandon the > idea of USB and interface directly to a media type, e.g. CompactFlash.
The problem is that I have to be able to read data from a digital camera. All of the lower end Digital Cameras only have a USB interface. Any suggestions?
Junior Sanders <hsanders@hmctech.com> wrote:

> The problem is that I have to be able to read data from a digital > camera. All of the lower end Digital Cameras only have a USB > interface.
So don't use those cameras, then. Actually I don't think there are all that many cameras around that have a USB port but no removable storage media. Well, setting aside dedicated webcams, that is. -- Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de) Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.
> The problem is that I have to be able to read data from a digital > camera. All of the lower end Digital Cameras only have a USB > interface. Any suggestions?
If you are talking about cameras with non-removable media (webcams, pencams) then I've got one word for you: Fuggedaboutit. You would need to write drivers for every single camera chipset out there. You would need to keep updating VID/PID tables, at least, practically on a daily basis to keep up with new product releases. The ONLY way you can contemplate supporting those sorts of cameras is via a mainstream OS where someone else is doing the driver work for you. If you are talking about cameras with removable media - Support the media directly. It's much less trouble!
On 21 Sep 2004 14:44:39 -0700, hsanders@hmctech.com (Junior Sanders)
wrote:

>I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's >what I am trying to do: > >Use a single board computer (ie Zworld's Rabbit Processor) to read a >USB device such as Memory Stick or Digital Camera. The Rabbit board >has serial ports, but not USB port. Have any of you done anything like >this??
The easiest to do this is to get a module / device that does most of the stuff for you. Atmel has a number of USB host devices which looks fairly easy to hook up to an embedded micro. AFACR they already support the profiles needed for accesing a USB flash disk or similar device. Regards Anton Erasmus
AT43USB380

-- 
Best Regards
Ulf at atmel dot com
These comments are intended to be my own opinion and they
may, or may not be shared by my employer, Atmel Sweden.

"Anton Erasmus" <nobody@spam.prevent.net> skrev i meddelandet
news:1095882395.gKZtUufjISJ7NkVe0DKVuw@teranews...
> On 21 Sep 2004 14:44:39 -0700, hsanders@hmctech.com (Junior Sanders) > wrote: > > >I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's > >what I am trying to do: > > > >Use a single board computer (ie Zworld's Rabbit Processor) to read a > >USB device such as Memory Stick or Digital Camera. The Rabbit board > >has serial ports, but not USB port. Have any of you done anything like > >this?? > > The easiest to do this is to get a module / device that does most of > the stuff for you. Atmel has a number of USB host devices which looks > fairly easy to hook up to an embedded micro. AFACR they already > support the profiles needed for accesing a USB flash disk or similar > device. > > Regards > Anton Erasmus > >
"Junior Sanders" <hsanders@hmctech.com> wrote in message news:4e63dde1.0409220432.32db373d@posting.google.com...
> "Lewin A.R.W. Edwards" <larwe@larwe.com> wrote in message news:<N994d.9664$mb6.4291@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>... >> > I know this is probably an easy question for some of you, but here's >> >> It's not an easy question. Host-side USB is very difficult to implement. >> Yes it can be done. Trying to do it - especially inside Rabbit's >> baroque, nonstandard environment - is very painful. I would abandon the >> idea of USB and interface directly to a media type, e.g. CompactFlash. > > The problem is that I have to be able to read data from a digital > camera. All of the lower end Digital Cameras only have a USB > interface. Any suggestions?
Have a look at www.ftdichip.com. Maybe their widget can solve your problem.
Scott Murphy <murphyjs@ix.netcom.com> says...

>Have a look at www.ftdichip.com. Maybe their widget can solve your problem.
Has anyone priced these? I usually buy QTY=1,000 for a prototype and then satrt putting in regular QTY=100,000 to QTY=1,000,000orders once production starts, so those are the prive points I am interested in.