Well boys and girls. Just had my first successful connection between two VBs over local Ethernet. Two VBs with two USB link cables connected to my PC. Then software performing serial-TCP connection. IP: 10.0.0.17 port 5001. One as server and another as client. Running DogP’s linktest.vb code on each VB. Streaming away like crazy!
The linktest.vb code is the simplest test because it sits there with one unit as master and another as slave. Games like TicTacToe and 3D Battlesnake actually ping pong back and forth between master and slave. This is going to require the USB link cable to be aware of which game is being played in order to stay sync’d with the VBs. More work to do in firmware there.
Those games are also the easiest because there is source code I can refer to. Any new game should also be easy to integrate the USB link cable code as we can define the protocol. The two tough ones are going to be Mario Tennis 2 Player and Hyper Fighting as I need to reverse engineer how they’re using the link cable. Bought some new gear to do exactly that but it might take awhile.
So at this point I’m going to continue working and hopefully get the games up and running. This USB Link cable is going to come with open-source Arduino based code so that it can be upgradable and modified by end users, if they so desire. That way it can continue to grow with new games and improve with programmers who are better than me.
I’m also going to start taking a preorder email list for people who are interested. No money yet, just emails to start a line and gauge interest. PM me if you may be interested in a cable and how many. Like I mentioned previously I need have the PCBs assembled from my board house so they’ll come in one big batch. Pricing currently looks like its going to be around $65 for an assembled cable. Trying to reduce that but currently that’s where it sits.
Picture of the server and client programs streaming data below as well as another one of my messy lab. Still lots of work to do but finally hit that first successful test. 🙂
OK, finally got back to this. Got the board up and running and I’m switching back and forth between player 1 (master) and player 2 (slave) modes via a terminal program on the PC. Streaming data to/from a VB running DogP link cable test code on a Flashboy+, and my PC. Still some kinks to work out but getting closer to putting two VBs on the network to see what the games do.
There’s two LEDs on the board. One of them glows red or blue depending on whether you’re player 1 or player 2. The other LED pulses amber if a byte is coming from the VB to the board, or it pulses green if a byte is being sent from the board to the VB. Those will stick through the connector housing to give you an idea of what’s going on with the USB link cable.
I’ll need to spin the board to make some assembly updates and fix a connector flip (doh!).
Attachments:
Not carbon fiber but Formlabs Tough Resin SLA. All the features come out and it looks quite good. Came out a bit flexible which I read is not correct and due to them over curing or washing the resin. Going to try to get another print done but this is the best I’ve seen in 3D print cases so far. Color is fixed in blue unfortunately. These would be too expensive to have a company print but if you have a Formlabs printer then its only $8 in material for the top and bottom case covers.
Updated the second one now.
