It occurred to me today that if I want to write code for the AVR processor on the iCreate, I will have to have access to the WinAVR compiler/linker and the USB port from a Windows 7 machine. I could do this by compiling code in a Windows 7 VM running on my Mac Mini but this would mean that I would still have to plug into the USB port on the Mac Mini to get it to download. I was wondering if I could come up with an across the lan way of having a remote USB port, i.e., redirecting the USB output to the RPi and then on from the USB Hub to the iCreate Command Module. Conversely, I would like to be able to plug in something USB to the USB Hub and have it appear remote across the lan. Need to do some further research about this.
Update: I was able to discover a project on SourceForge called USB over IP (http://usbip.sourceforge.net). This appears to have most of what I am looking for. The problem is that there is no part that is useful for Mac OSX. There was a different project at https://github.com/forensix/libusbip called libusbip. I am not sure if they are reflections of each other or not. What I may end up doing is altering both and combining them to get what I need. One thing is for sure, the cost of hardware devices that do the same thing is above $190 apiece. It would be worth my time to give back to the community.
This is a blog mostly about techie things, what I am doing to my apartment network on the cheap, IOT, 3D Printing, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, ESP32, ESP8266, Home Automation, Personal Weather Stations, Things That Go Bump in the Night, and some side issues that need discussing. Remember, sometimes the journey to an end is as much fun as the goal achieved!
