Handheld IR serial controllers

[jpq@casbah.acns.nwu.edu]

After reading the messages on the IR serial controllers, I recalled
seeing something in the back of an old computer mag on this sort
of thing.  I dug through some old issues and found an outfit in
Iowa who makes IR controller boards (Mean Engineering, Missouri Valley, IA).  
They are prototyping a board now which reads the Magnavox control 
codes and will output a data stream on a 2400 baud 8-N-1 
RS232 line.  There is a small microcontroller on the board that 
they will customize.  Since there is a real market here, the vendor
is going to send me a one off hand built board for beta testing after`
working out some specs via fax.

I looked throught some literature on the HP48 and it looks like the
distance might be limiting if that were used as a handheld device for
its IR capabilities (they want to keep distances down to about 3 feet
I think).  I also called a company which makes a wireless data 
communication system (Control Bits Corp, Mpls, MN) that works at 
1200 baud and basically replaces your RS232 cable with an IR link.  
You could use this with an HP48, but the size
of the unit is 4'x5'x1' and takes 12V DC.  Thus it is a little hefty
for a 'hand held' unit.

In terms of what one would want to do with a controller, I don't
think that the number of codes is a problem.  Since there will
be a real computer reading the IR codes, state information can
be derived from the context of the signal as well as different
'states' in the controller (after all, Morse code really only has 
three codes: dot, dash and space.  Meaning is derived from the
human 'state machine').  Besides, the IR will probably only
really be used for tweaking and nothing very complicated.

Does the first board sound like what people want?  Another use would 
be to replace the TV screens for status information like they have 
at the NSLS.  This way, a group of CAT's can put up a status monitor 
in a common area (like the LOM lounge) and have control of the global 
display for their beamline (one possibility
would be to use an inexpensive PC running Windoze and Netscape and then
use the remote to select HTML screens through the DLL interface.  This
would take a bit of software glue, but it should be straightforward for
a Windoze programmer).

Just some ideas, feel free to call me nuts.

- John