RS-422 to Ethernet

News, updates, and discussions around the official NABU.CA RetroNET Internet Adapter.
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intangybles
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2023 12:32 am
Location: Australia

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by intangybles »

Hello all!

Yes very pleased you put it here too! I'm on (new to) the discord but missed this!

I (when I get it) want to set my NABU as originally intended in the lounge on the TV and to this end I was considering using a spare Pi3B I have and fitting it internally to the NABU? How do you think this would compare with using the Ethernet adapter?
NABU Away! and going strong so far...
www.amigaretro.com
c1ph3rpunk
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:52 am

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by c1ph3rpunk »

I think it might be the better way to go, I have a spare one myself I want to try, headless using nabud and the regular usb to 422 adapter.
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intangybles
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Location: Australia

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by intangybles »

c1ph3rpunk wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 1:50 am I think it might be the better way to go, I have a spare one myself I want to try, headless using nabud and the regular usb to 422 adapter.
Yes.. I'm hoping it will make it a nice independent device, no server required other than the wifi internet connection for the Pi. Well, thats the idea.
NABU Away! and going strong so far...
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masto
Posts: 39
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:15 pm

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by masto »

intangybles wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 1:42 am I (when I get it) want to set my NABU as originally intended in the lounge on the TV and to this end I was considering using a spare Pi3B I have and fitting it internally to the NABU? How do you think this would compare with using the Ethernet adapter?
Ethernet adapter: NABU is now available over the network.

Pi inside: Now you have an extra computer to maintain that runs a full operating system just for one program to serve a file over a serial port. Since you don’t log in to it, you’ll forget to keep it up to date, and when you try, there will be some Linux kernel incompatibility that requires you to start all over. Unclean shutdowns could trash the filesystem. Also, the SD card will eventually wear out and fail. When it doesn’t boot, you can’t troubleshoot it without taking your NABU apart.

ook ook
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intangybles
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2023 12:32 am
Location: Australia

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by intangybles »

All true, thanks for the reply! Lots of things to think about! To really take advantage of the adapter I would need to have ethernet available in the TV cabinet, which I don't at this stage. I've 100% decided thats where I want it to go when it arrives! Lots of things to consider..
masto wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 12:28 pm
intangybles wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 1:42 am I (when I get it) want to set my NABU as originally intended in the lounge on the TV and to this end I was considering using a spare Pi3B I have and fitting it internally to the NABU? How do you think this would compare with using the Ethernet adapter?
Ethernet adapter: NABU is now available over the network.

Pi inside: Now you have an extra computer to maintain that runs a full operating system just for one program to serve a file over a serial port. Since you don’t log in to it, you’ll forget to keep it up to date, and when you try, there will be some Linux kernel incompatibility that requires you to start all over. Unclean shutdowns could trash the filesystem. Also, the SD card will eventually wear out and fail. When it doesn’t boot, you can’t troubleshoot it without taking your NABU apart.
NABU Away! and going strong so far...
www.amigaretro.com
masto
Posts: 39
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:15 pm

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by masto »

A few people have talked about putting an ESP32 in there, which I personally think is the way to go to get WiFi. But I'm not sure any of them have quite reached production readiness.

The "easy" way is to have it serve up the serial port over TCP, but it's more than powerful enough to run a full Internet Adapter if somebody wanted to write one. It's probably the kind of ridiculous project I'd talk myself into if I didn't already have enough NABU stuff going on.

ook ook
c1ph3rpunk
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:52 am

Re: RS-422 to Ethernet

Post by c1ph3rpunk »

Working on an a Pi Zero W with a USB HAT right now using the 422 to USB adapter, so far there’s promising results using nabud.
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