Ethernet-based Arduino-powered Control Panel

[schazamp]

I have built a control panel for my WiFi radio that uses Ethernet, so I can avoid opening my router and adding a serial port. It is based around the Arduino platform, with the Ethernet Shield.

I have it written up as an Instructable, with photos ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Standalone-WiFi-Radio-Control-Panel-Arduino-Power/ ). I'm working on a more detailed writeup, with a better explanation of the code (particularly the scrolling mechanism), on my other site: http://schazamp.wordpress.com/, which I expect to post in the next few days (I'll update this thread when I do, if I'm not cut off by the change in hosting providers we've been warned about).

I'd like to find a nicer enclosure for it, and maybe find a way to put the router and control panel in the same enclosure (I currently also use the router as a wired bridge to my wireless network, so I need access to the ports).

Apart from the expense (which can get big pretty quickly, with all this Arduino stuff), do you have any thoughts about using an Ethernet connection for control? I'm looking into some lower-cost ethernet platforms (like this one: http://www.instructables.com/id/A-credit-card-sized-Ethernet-Arduino-compatable-co/, and some PIC-based stuff, as well), but the coding approach should be pretty-much the same.

[schazamp]

Here is the writeup of the scrolling algorithm, if anyone's interested: http://schazamp.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/333/

It also occurred to me I might be able to use a USB->serial adapter, with a USB hub, to control the radio instead of ethernet (without opening the radio). I'll have to look into this a bit more, it seems like it would be quite a bit cheaper (and allow me to use scripts running on the router, instead of parsing MPD's responses myself).

[mightyohm]

Very cool project!

Ethernet has always been expensive. Like Wi-Fi, those modules are pricey and really increase the cost of the project.

If I was doing it I would try USB-serial.

[Schwabinger]

Looks great!

We should start an arduino club ...


SlugRadio by RigasW, on Flickr

Schwabinger

[schazamp]

Very cool project!

Ethernet has always been expensive. Like Wi-Fi, those modules are pricey and really increase the cost of the project.

If I was doing it I would try USB-serial.

I've got an extra USB-serial converter and a hub on the way, I'm hoping to try that next. I could then probably put everything (router, LCD, controller) into the same enclosure, exposing the Ethernet ports for other uses.

It would also be very handy to move the text parsing stuff off of the microcontroller and on to the other end of the serial connection. As proud as I am of my c string manipulation skills, I'd much rather do it with a bash or perl script.

[sisalina]

I totally support the arduino club idea, the first wifi radio i built had an arduino

[schazamp]

I haven't got around to implementing the serial interface yet, but I have added support for tweeting the current song, for the Adafruit Instructables contest. It tweets the station and current song to @SchampsNetRadio.

Info, photos, and code are here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Tweetin ... rol-Panel/

[mightyohm]

Haha, that is awesome.

[gerben]

@yoohany
First; please create a new topic if you want to ask a question. Second; this is a forum about creating an internet radio, not a general forum to ask all kinds of question. Third; the 'ethernet port' you describe is actually the port of the dial-up modem. You can connect a phone line plug to it. Somehow inserting a ethernet cable won't work, because the modem doesn't know how to 'speak' to the network. Just buy an PCI-network card, and plug that in.

[mightyohm]

It seems like a new spam technique is for a new user to ask a random question, then if no one deletes their post, eventually they go back and edit it to add all kinds of spam links.

Post deleted, user banned.