Subject: [E3-hacking] Another hello

From: mark <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 22:48:17 +0000

Hi,

I just bought one of these too, although I only have little hardware
experience I figured it was a cheap way to learn something.

My first problem is I can't seem to send anything to the phone. I have
the serial console working and using pblq or kermit with a standard
serial port on linux I can view kernel output, but thats as far as it goes.

I checked the serial port wiring, and thats Ok.

Could it be because I've not registered the phone yet?

I've not seen this documented anywhere else but if you press 1 (one)in
the setup information page you get a list of all the driver versions and
some other stuff email num/reg num/config http etc ....

Pressing 0 (zero) in the setup menu brings up something like phone
numbers and hex? at the top of the screen

also from within the second menu (telephone line) pressing nine three
times activates a toggle of some sort high/low beep.

All this done on an unregistered phone.

Mark.

---

From: David Given <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 23:42:52 +0000

On Tuesday 17 January 2006 22:48, mark wrote:
[...]
> Could it be because I've not registered the phone yet?

Huh... been there, done that, spent *ages* figuring it out. The main crux of 
the matter is: it's *not* a serial port! To be accurate, it's a serial port 
without the RS232 line level converter, which means it generates 0V/5V 
instead of -12V/+12V. This means that your PC serial port will not recognise 
it.

There are a number of solutions. I built a line level converter based on a 
MAX232 chip on a piece of breadboard. Some people have bought a USB serial 
port and hacked it. I have, in the works, a mobile phone cable that ought to 
just need chopping the plug off and replacing it with a jack to work --- that 
would be most convenient, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Check out the websites for more information. The mailing list archives will 
let you read up on my saga with the breadboard (my hardware skills are not 
great).

-- 
+- David Given --McQ-+ "Is Eris true?" "Everthing is true." "Even false
|  [email-masked]    | things?" "Even false things are true." "How can
| ([email-masked]) | that be?" "I don't know, man. I didn't do it!" ---
+- www.cowlark.com --+ _Prinicipa Discordia_

---

From: Jonathan McDowell <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:10:49 +0000

On Tue, Jan 17, 2006 at 11:42:52PM +0000, David Given wrote:
> On Tuesday 17 January 2006 22:48, mark wrote: [...]
> Huh... been there, done that, spent *ages* figuring it out. The main
> crux of the matter is: it's *not* a serial port! To be accurate, it's
> a serial port without the RS232 line level converter, which means it
> generates 0V/5V instead of -12V/+12V. This means that your PC serial
> port will not recognise it.

Mark isn't clear about which device he has.

My E3 doesn't require any level shifter to connect it to a PC serial
port.

I believe the Emailer Plus does, but I don't own one of those.

J.

-- 
 [      101 things you can't have too much of : 50 - Escalators.      ]

---

From: "James Tinmouth" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:40:05 -0000 (GMT)

> I believe the Emailer Plus does, but I don't own one of those.

Also Mark says he can't send anything TO the phone. I read that to say he can
see stuff from the phone OK. If so, this is in agreement with what I'm seeing
and what I've read so far. You can see stuff, but not send anything (as far as
I've found so far anyway!)

I've managed to sucessfully see stuff coming from the phone, but weirdly I see
different bits of the output depending on what speed the computer's set to.
Granted this is using hyperterminal, but I'm not sure what the difference
indicates.....

---

From: mark <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 18:48:12 +0000

> I believe the Emailer Plus does, but I don't own one of those.

Evening all,

As you say I forgot to mention that the model I have is an e3.

I read in the archives that I wouldn't need a line level convertor so
thats the initial path that I took.

I've spent some time today reading the archives a bit more and it seems
that it might be a baud rate/software issue issue.

I will continue tonight and see how far I get.

I also read the scary part which Cliff said about a new version with
encryption and noticed that my machine is marked as version 2 in the
setup screen, hoping I haven't got a more of a challenge than I thought.

In all other respects it matches what I have read on the web sites.

Oh well, keeps me off the streets :)

Mark.

---

From: David Given <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 20:03:43 +0000

On Wednesday 18 January 2006 18:48, mark wrote:
[...]
> As you say I forgot to mention that the model I have is an e3.

Aha. Yes, it's only the E2 (and possibly the original eMailer) that need the 
line level converter.

-- 
+- David Given --McQ-+ 
|  [email-masked]    | ACRONYM: A Contrived Reduction of Nomenclature
| ([email-masked]) | Yielding Mnemonics
+- www.cowlark.com --+

---

From: Andy <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 20:21:26 +0000

Hi Guys,

I've just joined this email list and have noticed some confusion from 
people on the E3's EXP serial port and getting an output from. There is 
confusing information out there on if  RS232 line drivers are needed, or 
not.. With the aid of an old scope I _think_ I now know what is going on 
and why some say no line driver is needed, but others say you do...

The short answer is what comes out is inverted,  like RS232, but is not 
at valid RS232 voltage levels as it never swings negative. Some PCs 
might let you get away with this, many wont. Being already inverted 
connecting this to typical RS232 line driver chip then re-inverts the 
signal and that wont work either.

I've thrown together a webpage on this here and my quick bodge solution.

    http://www.cambridgewargames.org.uk/members/andy/emailer/

I'll flesh this out a bit more when I get a chance.

Does anyone know of any good sites for "beginers" on hacking the E3 
emailer? I've mostly been using these two sites that are easy to find on 
google:

   http://inputplus.co.uk/ralph/emailer/
   http://www.earth.li/~noodles/hardware-e3.html

But neither seems to help a relative "newbie" like me to get going quickly.

    Best regards,

          Andy M

David Given wrote:

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