[arm-allstar] GPIO pins on PI?

[Doug Crompton]

Carl,

 We have been down this road many times before explaining this.  I will
list the pros and cons.

Pi GPIO vs FOB GPIO

Pros - if you are modifying a USB FOB you don't have to solder to the chip

Cons - There is presently no bug free code to do Pi GPIO for PTT/COS.
         - GPIO pins are 3V and sensitive to easy destruction - RF, power
spikes etc.
         - You still need to build the interface! The only thing this would
save is soldering to the CM1xx
         - Extra wiring to the point of use picking up and radiating RF.
        -  A generally messy way of doing it with wires coming from
multiple places
        -  Far less isolation to the more expensive Pi then to the $3 DIY
FOB

So instead of one USB cable to the FOB and then one cable to the
transceiver or repeater you would have the additional GPIO cables. It
certainly would not be neat and it would be another source of induced
pickup.

If you want to build cheap and do it yourself I honestly don't understand
why the reluctance to solder to the chip. With the proper tools and wire it
is relatively easy. We have done it hundreds of times without a problem. In
a production setting it is a tedious thing to build the interface and
connect the wires and that is why we are making boards.

There are now many boards out there in the under $50 area that are
basically plug and play. You don't need the $85 plus shipping  DMK URI.

On the Orange Pi - we do NOT support strange boards that have limited SW
support and possibly limited life. You can't beat the Raspberry Pi for
support and its performance more than surpasses what is needed for Allstar.
If you want to play with other boards that is fine but with the
understanding that the support is on you.


*73 Doug*

*WA3DSP*

*http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*

On Mon, Mar 4, 2019 at 12:19 AM "Carl Makin via ARM-allstar" <
arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> I’m new to the list, and to Allstar although I have been an IRLP sysop for
> many years and a Unix administrator for even more.
>
> I’ve come to Allstar as here in Canberra, Australia we are looking at
> linking a number of repeaters together to enhance the communications
> footprint around the area and Allstar seemed to be a workable and
> expandable solution.
>
> So, we’ve also been looking at single board computers, and I have the
> current Allstar standard distribution running under Armbian 9 on an
> OrangePI.  This has a decent internal sound card which we were intending to
> use, however there doesn’t appear to be a channel driver that could use
> this internal sound card, nor even use an unmodified sound card fob with
> the board’s GPIO pins.
>
> I know I can fetch one of the recommended fobs, and then modify it to
> work, and that’s what I’ll probably end up doing but I’m interested in why
> the Pi’s GPIO pins aren’t being used.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Carl.
> (vk1kcm)
>
>
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