Duet Wifi to Ethernet convesion?
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Was there a reason that both the WiFi and Ethernet were NOT made as modules to plug into a common main board?
Frederick
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IIRC there was never any original intention to make an Ethernet version. I'm glad they did because switching to Ethernet means I now get reliable connections to my machine whereas the competition with 27 other access points in my building meant I could usually reliably operate the machine for 30 minutes at a time.
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Chris, I have emailed you
You are right the original design was for a Wifi, the initial prototype did not even have the headers for an expansion board. There was enough demand to go with an ethernet option but it does not make sense right now to make the wifi pluggable as it would add to the cost without adding an advantage for the vast majority of users.
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I'm about to buy a duet and, based on the discussions on the forum, I have a question or two regarding ethernet vs wifi. I'd like to have the option to go with either, and I realize that there's not an option for that right now. It seems to me that it would be easier/more-stable to get the wifi from the ethernet version than the other way around; I can always plug the ethernet cable into a wifi extender. Would it be possible to add make an ethernet add-on board which would work via the expansion header? Someone on another thread mentioned that the Ethernet-daughterboard works via SPI, and I thought that I saw extra SPI pins available on the header.
Alternatively, what would be involved in creating a wifi-daughterboard? If it's just a question of mounting an ESP8266 to a PCB with the correct headers, I can probably manage that.
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Would it be possible to add make an ethernet add-on board which would work via the expansion header? Someone on another thread mentioned that the Ethernet-daughterboard works via SPI, and I thought that I saw extra SPI pins available on the header.
No, because the WiFi module uses a dedicated high speed SPI bus that isn't available on the expansion connector. That high speed bus is needed to get good file upload speeds.
Alternatively, what would be involved in creating a wifi-daughterboard? If it's just a question of mounting an ESP8266 to a PCB with the correct headers, I can probably manage that.
Yes, just that. You could use the ESP-12F, the ESP-12S or the ESP-07S. However, a Duet Ethernet may be lacking some parts on the motherboard needed for the wifi interface to work, e.g. U12 and a few resistors. So converting a Duet Ethernet to a WiFi may not be as straightforward as swapping the module over. OTOH a WiFi can be converted to an Ethernet, because the additional motherboard parts do no harm.
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David,
Thank you for responding so quickly. I'd like to clarify something regarding your first answer.
No, because the WiFi module uses a dedicated high speed SPI bus that isn't available on the expansion connector. That high speed bus is needed to get good file upload speeds.
Does the ethernet-daughterboard also require the high-speed bus, or would the expansion bus support it?
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The Ethernet daughter board uses the same high speed SPI bus.
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Was a seperate ethernet module ever made available as I've not been able to find one for sale?
I'd really like to make the change from wireless to wired. Thanks. -
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