[aprssig] USB GPS receiver

[Stephen H. Smith]

wa7nwp at jnos.org wrote:

>
>> USB devices WILL ONLY WORK WITH A PC!   USB is a totally "PC-centric" 
>> protocol.  There is NO PRACTICAL WAY to make an external USB device 
>> work with a serial port on TNCs, TinyTraks, D700s, or anything else 
>> OTHER than a USB port on a PC.
>
>
> It's not an absolute.  They can build a USB reader in a mini-fm 
> transmitter and sell it for $25 at Costco.  Not the one in the link 
> but similar.
>
>   http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?T1=204+0172
>
> No doubt a thumb drive is simpler then a serial port but still it 
> proves that it is possible to build embedded devices that do USB.
>
>

Neat! 

I bet this device has the generic "mass storage class" USB device driver 
hard-coded into it's firmware (rather than the vendor/model-specific USB 
device ids that virtual serial port devices require.)  

(Flash drives normally don't normally require vendor-specific drivers; 
just plug 'em into any Win2K or  XP machine and they automagically work 
using the existing generic mass-storage device driver that also 
accomodates external hard disks, some digicams,  USB-interface external 
floppies, etc. )




Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
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