Wired remote with Sony stalk interface.

I still have a sony stalk from my old sony car radio. It's old wish to use the stalk with my empeg.
I don't have a tuner to connect it with the empeg. So I start to build my own stalk interface.
During the design phase I expand the project and add 4 backlit push-button.
I use a small PIC microcontroller with an onboard A/D converter. The microcontroller converts the analog-signal
from the stalk into the standard Empeg serial commands. So there is no need for special software on the player.
The interface is powered directly from the empeg (Pin4 serial connector). I mounted a male and a female
D-type serial connector. With this configuration the interface is usable in car as well at home.



The project is almost finished. I'm just working on a few details in the microcontroller software.
The Interface is just a prototype. Is this Interface of general interest, s small production run is imaginable.

Helpful suggestions and proposals are always welcome.

Andy

Cool; There are advantages to sending your own codes and having an app read them and inject Empeg commands to consider though, like the ability to change what the buttons do on the fly in software, or do things the Player can't (for example, launch other apps).

Looking good Andy, I can see this being useful to people without tuners. Do the push buttons do much at the moment?

Both version has advantages and disadvantages.
My version don't need any software modification on the player.
But an update is nearly impossible. You have to reprogramm the microcontroller or you have to change it.

There are only basic function possible(play,pause,ff,rev,skip,...)
So there will not that much modifications.

For advanced functions a solution with an application running on the player is recommended.

An useful project would be an external satellite display with display and buttons.
I don't know foxtrot_xray project very well.
Is it possible to expand this project and integrate some buttons?

If yes I would help to bring a project like that forward.

Andy

The push-buttons have following fuctions:

Top: play/pause
left: long press REV, short press Prev. Track
right: long press FF, short press Next Track
down: function not yet defined

In reply to:

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An useful project would be an external satellite display with display and buttons.
I don't know foxtrot_xray project very well.
Is it possible to expand this project and integrate some buttons?

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Don't think he in particular was interested in that, but that's what I've done; A Grayhill joystick + optical encoder in one axis takes care of all 7 empeg face actions, and then I added 6 extra buttons to be assigned in software to whatever... a BasicStamp (yeah, I know, but it was easier) takes the input and sends a character down the serial for each button press/release. I mounted the joystick where the cig lighter was in my car (and hacked the lighter itself into a knob), and replaced the passenger airbag disable panel with those 6 buttons and garage/gate/power/etc buttons. See my posts here, here, here, and various other places for more info.

Very nice job v99.
Your installation is looking great!


A satlitte display like the dension woud be very cool.



I think all parts do make this are already existing.
The "only thing" is to merge the projects together and put this in a matching housing.

I have a job as a electronic-designer and electronic software programming.

I have the skills and possibilities to do that.
It's only is an issue of time and money.

My help is guaranteed for project like that.
But I would not be in the leading position.

Andy

From what I remember, the Dension remote displays were controlled by RS232. There is a command specification floating around somewhere. I never persued it as I didn't need it myself and there seemed to be limited interest from everybody else.

I have a problem with the concept of expending time and money to create a slow serial display.

What we need is an ethernet enabled version.

Indeed, that solution would certainly be able to provide enough bandwidth to duplicate the display properly.

But is this technologically possible ?

It's available, but pricey. uCsimm and uCdimm. buy here

They're a bit extreme for this I think. A DStni from Lantronix would do the job. If you don't mind it being slow then a Lantronix XPort would give you ethernet.

I have a problem with the concept of expending time and money to create a slow serial display.
What we need is an ethernet enabled version.

So your solution is to spend way more time and certainly more money to build an ethernet device that drives a regular parallel VFD? If you just want faster the 7000-s are 115kbps (28 raw fps), or there's serial->parallel chips that could drive a parallel VFD at 230k (56 raw fps) without requiring an IP stack.

Personally I'm always driving when I'm in my car (and have at most one passenger), so the speed over a few fps is almost irrelevant, whilst the other 3*128*32px on my 256x64 3900-series can be used to show other stuff (like GPS or OBD-II someday) with a simple programming interface. I spent far more time figuring out and building the hardware to make that joystick work than I did putting together functional serial rendering software (though I'm also a software person that knows just enough hardware to be dangerous).

Back to the original topic , i would also be interested in this as either a finished item or a kit of parts (can you confirm that all stalk buttons can be used?)

C.

It would be a goody to have a satellite display with ethernet and fast
high-resolution display.
The effort for a project like that is to high.

The minimum quantity for a small production run is 20 units.
If i get 10 promises then i will produce 20 units.

The costs for one kit is about 65 Euro.

All buttons on the top of the box and all stalk buttons are recognised by the
software. The keymap for the buttons is not definitely fixed.
Let me know if you have proposals for keymaps or you need some further informations.

Andy