Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!unicorn.Berkeley.EDU!whitcomb
From: whitcomb@unicorn.Berkeley.EDU (Gregg Whitcomb)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Serial Ports
Message-ID: <5843@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 21 Sep 88 04:32:49 GMT
References: <5660017@hpcvca.HP.COM> <6418@dasys1.UUCP>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Lines: 19


> I want to connect an X-10 home controller to my amiga.  The controller
> talks to a serial port.  That should be a transparent background task.
> 
> When I am talking to another computer using the ONLY serial port, it
> would not be acceptable for the X10 task to either interrupt my
> session or to be interrupted by it.  One serial port is not adequate.
> 	Charles Brown		charles%hpcvca@hplabs.hp.com


I only know of one X-10 controller for PCs, and it is a stand-alone box which only needs to be programmed once then forgotten (at least until you want to reprogram your schedule).  I can't understand why you want a background task for this purpose.  Of course, using a switch box
is not ideal, but more financially practical.

On the subject of the X-10 system, does anyone know of a device which
can read events from the line (and thus allow a program to keep
track of what's going on in the house).  No doubt, you would want
to have a dedicated serial line for such a device.

-Gregg Whitcomb   whitcomb@ic.berkeley.edu