[Wear-Hard] Twiddler-1 conversion to USB?

[Harmon Seaver]

   Yes, the adapters would probably work, but what I was hoping for was
a schematic to just rewire it to get rid of the other cables and just
have one USB cable. Maybe I can figure it out from the shcematics on the
old MIT wearables site. I've got a schematic of the twiddler 1 and
another showing how to convert it for an older Mac with the ADB
connectors, so between those it maybe is possible.
  I'm just a little hesitant -- would really hate to fry the thing.


Bryan Hurley wrote:
>  
> It is a Twiddler one. So it has an AT or PS/2 (doesn't matter,
> electrically the same), which is for 5v power for the device. Then the
> actual data goes back and forth via a 9 pin din serial connection.
>  
> So he could use the USB to PS/2 adapter to provide power, then a USB to
> serial adapter like:
>  
> http://www.pfranc.com/usb/usb.shtml
>  
> to provide the data conduit.
>  
> If it was a twiddler 2 then he would just need the USB to PS/2 adapter
> and that is all.
> 
> Just a little confusion I assume as the T2 has been out forever and the
> T1 was only around for a little bit.
>  
> -Bryan Hurley
>  
> On 6/30/07, *tonyh* <hr at mail2.tekgear.com <mailto:hr at mail2.tekgear.com>>
> wrote:
> 
>     *I think you just need one of these:
> 
>     http://www.tekgear.com/index.cfm?pageID=90&prodid=58&section=99
>     <http://www.tekgear.com/index.cfm?pageID=90&prodid=58&section=99>
> 
>     -Tony
> 
>     On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:21:14 -0400, Bryan Hurley wrote*
> 
>     >  
>     > The twiddler is a proprietary serial connection. it is standards
>     speeds with standard pinouts, but proprietary data I believe. So you
>     could get it to work using a USB to serial adapter to plug into the
>     USB port, but it would still be a serial device. To get it to PS/2
>     you would need to have fun with a microcontroller to convert the
>     twiddler data into standard ps/2 format data.
>     >  
>     > Then again, since it is serial, you can also get a serial to
>     bluetooth adapter and connect it wirelessly as a bluetooth serial
>     device.. Of course you need power too.
>     >  
>     > -Bryan Hurley
>     >
>     >  
>     > On 6/29/07, *Harmon Seaver* <hseaver at gmail.com
>     <mailto:hseaver at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>           I just dug out my Twiddler, haven't played with it for years.
>         It's
>         > the old style, not a #2, and has the old PC din connectors,
>         although I
>         > added PS2 adapters on those. Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone
>         has rewired
>         > theirs for USB?
>         >   Since the DIN connector is just for power, and the actual key
>         codes
>         > go through the serial connector it seems doable, maybe even
>         just with
>         > PS2 to USB adapters and a serial to USB adapter, but that also
>         would be
>         > pretty clutzy. Much better to totally rewire the thing, if I had a
>         > schematic for doing it????
>         >
>         > --
>         > Harmon Seaver
>

-- 
Harmon Seaver