The Device Kit: The GeekPort and its Classes

The GeekPort applies to BeBox hardware only.

The GeekPort is a piece of hardware that communicates with external devices. Depending on how you use the GeekPort's ports, you can get up to 24 independent data paths:

• Four 12-bit analog input channels.
• Four 8-bit analog output channels
• Two 8-bit wide digital ports (16 paths, total) that can act as inputs or outputs.

To provide high-level access to these data paths, the Device Kit defines three classes:

• The BA2D class ("analog to digital") lets you get at the analog input channels.
• The BD2A class ("digital to analog") does the same for the analog output channels.
• The BDigitalPort class lets you configure, read, and write the digital ports.

The signals and data that these classes read and write appear at the GeekPort connector, a 37-pin female connector that you'll find at the back of every BeBox. In addition to the pins that correspond to the analog and data paths, the GeekPort provides power and ground pins. Everything you need to feed your external gizmo is right there.

The GeekPort connector's pins are assigned thus:

The BA2D, BD2A, and BDigitalPort class descriptions re-visit this illustration to provide more detailed examinations of the specific GeekPort pins.

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Copyright © 1997 Be, Inc. All rights reserved.

Be is a registered trademark; BeOS, BeBox, BeWare, GeekPort, the Be logo, and the BeOS logo are trademarks of Be, Inc.

Last modified June 30, 1997.