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THE RACE IS ON

CATCHING INTERNET CONNECTIVITY FEVER
by George Martin

Start ı And the Winner isı ı On Your Markı ı Go! ı Charting Your Course ı Sources and PDF

In case you havenıt been keeping up on the latest technology, the Internetıs next big adventure revolves around embedded systems. Even our bathroom scales, toasters, and reclining chairs will be connected.

I am a little skeptical and suspect that the reality of this ideal will be an interesting surprise. Nevertheless, the day will come when you have toıor may want toıput one of your products on the ıNet.

WARMING UP

Imagine that the boss (customer) just asked you (told you) to get the new instrument (the one you're still testing) on the ıNet for the trade show (for sale) next month (next week). If you build instruments, then I assume that youıre aware of this predicament and have already started scanning magazines and checking the usual links (i.e., www.circuitcellar.com).

Eventually, youıll come across articles like "How I Hooked the Burn-In Ovens to the Internet." Reading the article, youıll find out that the ovens create a signal that goes to a PC, and the PC is on a network with a full-time, live Internet connection.

Although itıs an Internet connection, itıs not much help to you. You then read about the $200 CPU cards that are Internet ready. And, once again, you find they have a 10BaseT port and need a connection to an internal network with a live Internet line.

What gives? When you finally come across a chip or a software that packages supporting TCP/IP, you find itıs for a ı386 or involves 4 MB of code. It looks like hype has outrun reality, and your boss is going to be disappointed.

JUMPING THE NETWORK HURDLE

Remember what the Internet is, a collection (network) of networks. An individual computer canıt be connected directly to the Internet. The computer must be part of a network, and that network is connected. However, a single computer can masquerade as a network, so if you hook your instrument directly to the ıNet, then you have to provide all the network support as part of your product.

If your product has a disk drive and enough CPU horsepower, that's no problem. But, if youıre working with a lowly bathroom scale or a toaster, you need to connect to a network before you can support the Internet interface.

I design many systems that are instruments with at least one serial port, so my clients can move to the Internet as their next step. Although most have already made the connection, theyıre using a PC as part of the solution. This seemed like an expensive solution, so I looked for a better approach.

Finally, I came across a product that offers a simple solution. I was not the only person at Circuit Cellar to say, "Eureka!" In Februaryıs issue (Circuit Cellar 115), Tom Cantrell wrote about the chip part of the solution. My angle is to show you how to connect this product to a device and become "iConnected."

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