Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!olivea!grapevine.lcs.mit.edu!uhog.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!fredm
From: fredm@media.mit.edu (Fred G Martin)
Subject: Re: Connecting miniboard to Mac
Message-ID: <1993Jun29.175817.2260@news.media.mit.edu>
Sender: news@news.media.mit.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
References: <1993Jun28.182704.25158@udel.edu>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1993 17:58:17 GMT
Lines: 58

In article <1993Jun28.182704.25158@udel.edu>
vaughn@hercules.cis.udel.edu (Chris Vaughn) writes: 

>I've looked just about everywhere I can think of, but I can find no info on
>how to connect a miniboard to a Macintosh.  It all seems to be geared to
>PC users.  I'd really like to know just what I need.

Do you have a copy of the Mini Board Technical Reference, and have you
explored the source FTP site for the Mini Board
(cherupakha.media.mit.edu)?  You might be surprised, but there -is-
Mac-specific information and software in both of these sources.

>I was wondering if an old PhoneNet connector could be used, since it goes
>from the Mini-DIN 8 to an RJ-11.  Is there too much stuff in there for it
>to be used for this purpose?

Probably not useful, unless you rewire it from scratch, since these
connectors are make to use LocalTalk, which puts the serial port in a
mode that won't be compatible with the Mini Board.  However (read
on)....

>I found a mini-DIN 8 to DB-25 (male to male) cable in a box of old connectors
>here in our lab.  If I get a female to female DB-25 connector, and a DB-25
>to RJ-11 connector, will I have what I need?

Yes.  On page 12 of the M.B. Tech Ref, there are a pair of figures
showing how to wire a modular jack adapter for using with a Macintosh
modem or printer cable.  The cable you have found is almost definitely
one of these.  You can't tell unless it's specifically marked whether
it's a printer cable or a modem cable; the difference is that a few of
the wires are swapped.

Your best bet is to randomly select the diagram for either the modem
or printer cable, build the adapter, and if it doesn't work, swap
lines 2 and 3.

By the way:  just get a female DB25-to-RJ11 adapter, and then you
won't need a DB25 gender changer.  The page 12 figure assumes a female
DB25 connector.


Regarding software, there is a whole directory of Mac applications for
the Mini Board on the cherupakha FTP server (in pub/miniboard/mac),
including the code downloader (DLM), the bootstrap monitor (MON), and
the Motorola 6811 assembler (AS11).

As stated in the Mini Board manual, page ii:

    o MS-DOS, Macintosh, and Unix software provided for downloading 6811
      programs to board over serial line.


So, if you have a Mac and want to use a Mini Board, don't worry!!

	-Fred
-- 
Fred Martin | fredm@media.mit.edu | (617) 253-7143 | 20 Ames St. Rm. E15-301
Epistemology and Learning Group, MIT Media Lab     | Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
