Back in the 1980's I was tasked with installing about 100 terminals
(VT100 type) to a mainframe computer. These all ran at 9600 baud, RS232.
Some of the terminals were almost 1000 feet wire distance from the switch.
We used some Beldon multiple twisted pair to interconnect these devices with
telco 66 punch blocks in line as well. It worked flawlessly for years before
individual PC's took over.
It was only later that I ran across the specs for RS232 that specified
RS232 as only rated for fifty feet. Oops! Well, it worked for us.
Anyhow, it appears that the issue here is not the RS232 signals but the
one second timing pulse width being very short. If I was dealing with this I
would try a 555 timer as a pulse stretcher. The 555 can operate safely up
with to 12 volts or more Vcc. It can put out a very robust pulse at that
voltage. There are cookbook 555 applications on the web for setting up a
555. Of course the 555 is 30+ years old now and there are probably better
devices available but the 555 is known to me. The pulse width can be a few
microsecond to many minutes with this chip depending on the timing
components, a resistor and a capacitor. The output almost instantly goes to
nearly the Vcc level when triggered by a negative going trigger. If the GPS
unit outputs a positive one second timing pulse then a simple one NPN
transistor inverter should work just fine.
Set up this way you could shove a robust positive pulse down a piece of
rusty barbed wire few hundred feet. (Or CAT5 even)
Al, retired, mostly
_______________________________________________
time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
and follow the instructions there.
