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Hi all. First post and all that jazz, just learning the layout of this site.
I got here from a google search, and found this: http://control.com/thread/1259027056 thread, which doesn't really conclude.
I am looking to make use of older PC's to control various aspects of a home project (a CHP engine if anyone's interested) but have no idea about how to get digital and analogue information in and out of a PC. I am specifically looking at using a PC, as I can use something like an old Fujitsu Stylistic to get a nice big "Touchscreen HMI", but then can of course network to it and control the system from any other PC, or even over t'internet.
I have read various bit of "just use a USB cable and make an IO board." The actual making of this is the easy bit from my point of view (I am a mechanical, and to some extent, electrical engineer) but I have very limited understanding of electronics, specifically USB protocol and how to interpret USB/Parallel signalling.
Can anyone recommend a good resource to go and read, and then come back with sensible questions, rather than the n00b questions I currently have?
Thanks in advance.
David.
I got here from a google search, and found this: http://control.com/thread/1259027056 thread, which doesn't really conclude.
I am looking to make use of older PC's to control various aspects of a home project (a CHP engine if anyone's interested) but have no idea about how to get digital and analogue information in and out of a PC. I am specifically looking at using a PC, as I can use something like an old Fujitsu Stylistic to get a nice big "Touchscreen HMI", but then can of course network to it and control the system from any other PC, or even over t'internet.
I have read various bit of "just use a USB cable and make an IO board." The actual making of this is the easy bit from my point of view (I am a mechanical, and to some extent, electrical engineer) but I have very limited understanding of electronics, specifically USB protocol and how to interpret USB/Parallel signalling.
Can anyone recommend a good resource to go and read, and then come back with sensible questions, rather than the n00b questions I currently have?
Thanks in advance.
David.