7188D Embedded Controller, what can I use it for

[basman74]

Hi,
 
Has anyone got any experiene with this embedded controller?
Just found it in a dumpster and thought I should be able to do something fun with it and my amiga
 
http://www.measurementsystems.co.uk/ICPCON-I-7000/Embedded-Controllers_c7_33/I-7188D-Embedded-Controller-(C-language-based)-w/Display_p169

Wish I found stuff like that in our local dumpster (not that i've looked, lately.. Last trip to the local school dumpster fourteen years ago yielded 11 PC's: Ten XT-turbo and one 286 clones).

Well, you could take one amiga, add three external dialup modems (ok, two modems if you cannot hack COM2 for RS-232 operation) and a bit of savvy programming to host a mini BBS through it, perhaps??

[basman74]

hmmm... I like your thinking, but I don't have a regular phone line at home =)
 
But I could perhaps connect an old mobilephone to it somehow... and then I could phone my miggy from work and tell it to water the plants or something =)
I saw something like that on TV before, some geeks hade programmed a C64 to water their plants =)

Problem is, the embedded controller you've managed to find is really only a serial-communications oriented device with no other I/O built in..

Another possible use for it: if you have multiple (up to 3) classic systems in your home, you could set up a serial-based home network using the device - all running at a *blazing* 115KBaud..

[basman74]

Well I have four Amigas so that sounds like a plan, but I'm guessing it would require programming and that's not my strong side.
 
I was hoping someone had used this before so there was something to get me started =)

Although their user manual is quite detailed and seems like a good place to start, you will definitely have to write a custom comms application in QBASIC or C, running on top of a Free/DR-DOS image and upload it all into the on-board flash ROM..

While I could be wrong, I think you won't find too many hobbyists playing around with this kind of hardware - they're either probably too busy playing with Arduino/Mbed or building their own gear..

[basman74]

Oh well, perhaps i'll give it a go at ebay, It should be worth something, it goes for over 350$ new

I'd say go for it. Even the parts alone (industrial box, chips etc.) might be useful to someone for their own project..

[basman74]

I'm gonna go look for more, I think they've been using them in the building for something, there were loads of stuff in the dumpsters

If what you say is correct and you end up finding more of these modules, chances are they're just decommisioned units that may actually still work!

What might be even more interesting is in the devices you may find that were possibly connected to this thing i.e. HVAC control modules, fire/alarm panels, remote i/o modules, process instrumentation etc. etc.

[basman74]

Buhu... they had already emptied the dumpster...

Forgot to mention you gotta be quick as well as thorough with these searches otherwise that can happen.. sorry! :rolleyes:

Next time you do though, just remember that garbage compaction systems offer virtually no chance of escape (unless you aspire to be a human schnitzel) if you're ever caught in one..

But please, don't let me dissuade you from your endeavors!


Cheers Valentin