Date   : Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:53:37 +0100
From   : dkupers@... (Dethmer Kupers)
Subject: Econet on USB

> It might be easier these days to implement Ethernet on the BBC especially
> with the amount of easily available chips and stacks written on PIC chips
> that are available.
I used the Lantronix XPort (serial<->ethernet,  
http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/xport.html)  
with the BBC to activate the 'program override' signal on a Honeywell  
Chronotherm IV (a central heating controller).

When I was not going home after work, I could access my BBC via  
internet (mobile phone) to disable the program running on the  
chronotherm (make it 20 degrees at 18:30) and stay at 16 degrees.

It was a very basic setup:  
Internet<-->router<--ethernet-->Xport<--serial-->BBC<--cassette  
relay-->chronotherm.

The XPort was set to stream all HTTP-traffic to the BBC (and the other  
way around). On the BBC was a little BASIC program which extracted the  
HTTP-headers, watching for the URL '...?heating=0&password=secret' or  
'...?getstatus&password=secret'. It then streams back a little  
HTML-page with the status. If the status should change (heating=0 or  
1) it enables/disables the cassette-relay. Simple as that.

It could have been simpler: the XPort has pins which could have been  
used for this purpose, rendering the BBC useless, but  
'internet-enabling' the BBC was much more fun;)

Greetings,
Dethmer Kupers