[aprssig] Current Digi/IGate Best Practices?

[Matti Aarnio]

On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 08:35:16AM -0600, Paul Vittorino wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 7:22 PM, Matti Aarnio <oh2mqk at sral.fi> wrote:
> > We have been happy with  eBox 2300DX JSK:
> >    http://www.compactpc.com.tw/ebox-2300SX.htm
> 
> Do you have a source for these?
> Paul

Yes, in Finland.

The DMP Electronics at Taiwan makes them, and multiple people around the world
are re-selling them, including at least one local PC retailer here.
(so you do not need to buy 10+ from manufacturer)

Googling found:

A retailers in USA:
  http://www.microcomputersystems.com/index.htm
  http://www.pc8800.com/bundled_solution.html
and a few more..

Retailers in Germany:
  http://www.ipc2u.com/catalog/E/EE/
  http://www.omtec-kg.de/-Barebones-eBox-Serie-eBox-2300SX-Serie/c-14-38-39/

Retailers in Ireland, Russia, South Afrika, ...

utfg://eBOX-2300SX-JSK


We have built also other kind of embedded PCs, small machines without
spinning parts and using 256 MB to 1024 MB Compact Flash memory cards
for disks.   Where modern desktop PC is usually without physical serial
ports, these embedded machines still have them.  Doing industrial control
without a serial port (RS-232/RS-485) is somewhat challenging...

What did we put on those "small" "disks"?  Usually a Debian installation
without graphical console.   256 MB should be enough, 512 MB lets you do
development, and 1024 MB is mostly empty space.


Using USB serial port adapters does work, but they do tend to have hickups.
That is why my Aprx software detects serial port failure, closes it, and
re-opens it automatically after 30 second delay.  The adapter can do its
reconnection procedures in peace, and usually completes them in under
30 seconds.

I have FT2232C based USB/RS232 adapter, a dual serial port model.
I have also real PCIe card serial ports at my home PC, no hickups...


Best Regards,  Matti Aarnio,  OH2MQK