My project... where to start??? (Advanced help needed)

[El_Brio]

I will try to be brief.

Here is what I want to accomplish:

I want to have a LED light hooked up to my USB port that I can control using software that I imagine I will have to write myself.

Light must:

Be powered by USB power supply
Be able to turn off and on and vary in intensity

Obstacles:
I don't know anything about the USB port.
I don't know any programming languages (except some simple basic)

What I need to know:

What language is best for this type of application?
How do I learn more about programming for the USB port?

I know this may seem like a very weird set of problems but I know you sysoptians can help me. Thanks in advance....


El_Brio

[Eric Legge]

Personally, I think you are asking for the impossible there, or for a big research budget.

Incidentally, is the LED just to indicate USB activity?

Eric
http://www.legge40.freeserve.co.uk/BuyerBeware.htm

[DocEvi1]

Originally posted by El_Brio
Obstacles:
I don't know anything about the USB port.
I don't know any programming languages (except some simple basic)


just small ones then. You need assembly language and this link : http://www.lvr.com/usb.htm

Stefan

[qball]

Personally, I think you are asking for the impossible there, or for a big research budget.

just small ones then...


whoa, maybe not!

see:

http://www.comready.com/genusbledlig.html

and:

http://modding.stylespc.com/howto9.htm

As USB powered LEDs already exist ($7.00) and case mod-ing is getting big, this should be quite easy...

dependent upon how far you want to go.

There are case mod switches for internal lites, that 'thump' to the music (sound activated). Hooking this switch to the USB LED, shouldn't be rocket science. But LED 'thunps' to music/sound. See:

http://www.pctoys.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=324

What do you want the LED to display?

[fishybawb]

Yeah, but all of those are devices that just draw power from the USB port - the question was how to control an LED in software via the USB port, which is probably less easy, and would certainly require programming skills beyond that of "some simple BASIC".

[qball]

Yeah, but all of those are devices that just draw power from the USB port


Well the light is USB powered...


the question was how to control an LED in software via the USB port


Not being an expert on the USB interface, I do know it accepts some form of I/O, else mouse and keyboards wouldn't work. How does my camera know that it downloaded the pictures, and can delete from camera memory on USB port?

There probably is an easy way to accomplish than designing your own hardware, even if I don't know...

try:

http://www.usb.org/

[gtaylor]

Might be no good, but I stumbled accross this looking for something else just this morning. Have a look:

http://www.kensington.com/html/1207.html

[itismike]

Originally posted by El_Brio
...snip...
Obstacles:
I don't know anything about the USB port.
I don't know any programming languages (except some simple basic)

..snip...

It's great to know what you don't know!! You're in the top already! But I suggest that there might be another obstacle, depending on your needs. LEDs aren't the best at providing dim-ability. Have you tested the LEDs you plan to use on another circuit to make sure they will provide the output you need?

-Mike

[qball]

LEDs aren't the best at providing dim-ability.



Have you tested the LEDs you plan to use on another circuit to make sure they will provide the output you need?


excellent points!

LED, on/off, not dimmer switch...