[tech] temperature logging

[Davyd Madeley]

Quoting Andrew Williams <andrew at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au>:

> OK, so you've set up:
>
> -A borrowed serial-analog converter that the club doesn't own
>
> -Attached to a 15-year-old DEC terminal server that talks to every
> other machine in the universe using an obsolete (and obscure) protocol
>
> -Connected using a homemade 'Eric' dongle, intended only for testing
> serial wiring, and liable to be grabbed and used elsewhere when
> somebody actually needs it for testing.
>
> -Powered using a US 9V plugpack hanging off a 240V-110V transformer
> because you couldn't find an Australian power supply
>
> -Documented with one brief email to the tech list.
>
> While all this is classic UCC construction practice, quoting
> principles of sound engineering design to justify one of your choices
> seems slightly ridiculous :-)

Ok. So admittedly I've worked with what I could get my hands on till the point
where I could test it worked. There is no rush to purchase a 
replacement board,
and it allowed for me to rapidly test something without spending any money.

I am simply trying to head off all the sulking along the lines of
"oh, but I could have done that with an AVR, PIC, small numbat, etc."
"oh, I was going to do that next week"
and so on.

It's well established that it could be done with a microcontroller, after all,
that's what it's done with. Perhaps some people wish to work from first
principles, and they can, but fabricating and programming another
microcontroller to speak serial wasn't that interesting to me. Although, if
they really want to work from first principles, they should realise their
microcontroller on an FPGA, now that would actually be rather cool...

I will find a better power supply, and a gender bender allowing a useful chain
of serial devices, even if it involves a Jaycar run, but it proves my initial
requirement, which was the idea vaguely works. Also, if it is imperitive that
we use a homemade board, purchasing these things can wait, as the requirements
may change.

--d