Plus the added benefit of having your stereo speakers travel to yet uncharted rooms of the house.
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This is the introduction to several pages that will take you through the steps to hopefully acquaint yourself with the possibility of using the existing wire/cable (not coax) within your dwelling to have AppleTalk in several rooms at once.
- Page 1 -talks about why we want to do this, an overview.
- Page 2 -what we are up against.
- Page 3 -planning.
- Page 4 -speaker connections.
- Page 5 -connections.
- Page 6 -AppleTalk.
- Page 7 -simple trouble shooting.
- Original MacQuarium
- Exploding Mac (caution, true Mac fans may have to cover your eyes)
- Uses for older Macs From Jeff's home page
- At all times when reading these meager few pages imagine you are seeing fancy graphics and full color illustrations.
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Legal types everywhere will thank me for these few notes of caution:
I cannot stress enough the need to be observant when working on live circuits and the possibility that although the voltages may not appear to have a potential to cause harm you should take steps outlined below to protect yourself and loved ones.
The greatest danger when working on any project is not so much the project but the effects of the project. If the telephone circuit is touched by bare hand no noticeable effect is apparent, but if the line is being called at the moment of contact, this will get your undivided attention. The danger here is if you have a tool in your other hand and with the reaction of comming in contact with the "ringing voltage" this tool may likely go flying. The vocabulary used to describe the incident could also be harmful to your audience. DO NOT stand in a pool of water with bare feet and wet your fingers to try and experience the maximum effect of this.
Please be careful. I don't want to make this appear as a truely dangerous feat but a little caution is required.
Some specs: Normal telephone operating voltage is about 40 to 52 volts DC. When the phone is ringing you can expect to have upwards of 100 volts AC. Not all locations are these exact measurements as dependant on the distance you are from the source and the integrity of the circuit. The currents vary as well with the type of connection, the line length, and possibly how it's delivered typically measure 20ma as a minimum.
As a reminder for any undertaking involving Mr. Edison's, Mr. Franklin's and Mr. Bell's discoveries, remove the power or disconnect the source before you "Poke somebodies eye out".
If there is a raging lightning storm in your area at the time your project is underway I would hope you have the sense to sit it out. Not that anything is going to happen if a strike is near you but the law of Murphy may or may not be in effect. Often the telephone service protector is located close to the area where some work will take you and if the accidental compromise of this should occur I would ill advise being near it during a storm. Sometimes all that happens would go unnoticed but if an extreme case rears it's head you could soil your laundry.Before starting any project it is well advised to become familiar with the scope of the endeavour. The library is always a first choice for information and if still in doubt consult the pros. Naturally if completed correctly the use and safety would be nothing more difficult than your telephone is now.
If you are uncertain about any of the techniques or ideas presented, please take the time to write. Please be patient in expecting an immediate reply ...Don
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** It has come to my attention that AppleTalk may not be the correct name for the game, LocalTalk is of course the physical layer and AppleTalk is the transport layer. From this point on when you see the AppleTalk word, read LocalTalk. This miss-use is regretfully showing my age since the birth of the method was rooted on AppleTalk. It really is a matter of when you came into the picture and the idea is fundamentally the same.
Imagine the Mac networked in the spare room, the bedroom, kitchen or the printer making noise in a closet away from distraction. Also covered is a few steps using the same wire to include an extension of your sound/stereo system to these same or other rooms.
Since the use of existing & new telephone wire is the general topic which could present harmful voltages and currents, fundamental safety precautions must be observed. As with any task involving electrical devices and man's need to tinker, personal safety should never forgotten.
Please read the caution at the bottom of this page, so we can both sleep at nights.
One tidbit before continuing, make notes. Take down a few notes about how it is now and how you would like it. If things get out of hand you will have your notes to restore things to normal and have some hints for adding things in the future. While you are at it, write your mother.
COMMING: Soon will be a project to use that old "boom box" collecting dust in the garage as an amplified speaker system for your Mac. We will talk about the type of "box" that does not have external inputs.
This is of course a quick and cheap solution to the real maccoy, a set of authentic Apple design powered speakers!
ADDED: How often have you been downloading your mail on the Mac and suddenly... -nothing-? You quickly learn the kids picked up the phone and dumped you off your PPP session. We can solve this very easily.
Check on the new projects.
Why are we here? This is the preamble and standard caution page.
Not too comfortable with AppleTalk, LocalTalk or networking?
Links to some sound advise with steps to take you there (software hints as well):
Related:
Other home/research projects:
At one point or another there maybe proprietary devices or descriptions mentioned. Trademarks and Copyrights belong to those that hold them, and they should have a pat on the back if I mention them here.
A personal note, if I ever get my mitts on a digital camera you will see in glorious color what a working project looks like.
D2M © 1997 1998 1999 2002 MacMcLellan A graduate of Curmudgeon Emeritus.