DerbyDad03 wrote:
I might be asking my question in the wrong group, so feel free to send
me packing if I am.

The background:

Our high school just installed a scoreboard for our new Varsity Softball
field. The scoreboard controller talks to the scoreboard via a cable
that has a 1/4" TRS plug on each end.

http://www.planetronic.es/images/ak2563.jpg

One end plugs into the controller and the other end plugs into a jack
that is wired to the scoreboard in the outfield.

Unfortunately, they didn't ask anyone involved with the team which
dugout would be the home dugout, and they installed the jack that the
controller plugs into in the visitor's dugout.

We are currently using a 20' cord so that the operator doesn't have to
sit in the visitor's dugout...he sits outside the dugout, but is still
on the visitor's side of the field.

We'd like to move the operator to our dugout, but we can't get the
school to move the jack until after the season is over.

The question:

Could we use a wireless transmitter and receiver in place of the cord?
If so, we could put the receiver in the visitor's dugout and plug it
into the socket and the transmitter would plug into the controller. The
range would be under 100' and the dugouts are made of concrete.

The problem is, I don't know where to start looking for this type of
equipment, or even what I would need to know to spec it out.


You need to find out what kind of signals are carried over the cable?
Is it some sort of serial data (very likely)? If so, then you should be
able to find some sort of wireless data link that can handle the data
rates and formats.

What does the scoreboard manufacturer offer? (This has to be a
reasonably common problem..)

You might want to consider moving this across to
rec.radio.amateur.homebrew or similar, this is more to do with the
antennas rather than the devices producing the signals themselves (the
transceivers).

On Apr 26, 6:35*am, Jim Lux wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:
I might be asking my question in the wrong group, so feel free to send
me packing if I am.

The background:

Our high school just installed a scoreboard for our new Varsity Softball
field. The scoreboard controller talks to the scoreboard via a cable
that has a 1/4" TRS plug on each end.

http://www.planetronic.es/images/ak2563.jpg

Looks like a standard 3.5mm headphone plug to me.

You need to find out what kind of signals are carried over the cable?
Is it some sort of serial data (very likely)? *If so, then you should be
able to find some sort of wireless data link that can handle the data
rates and formats.

In other words, my approach; make up a cable that allows you to access
all three conductors between the plugs, and use an oscilloscope to
identify the signals and signalling rates. Given the distance I
wouldn't mind betting it'll be something along the lines of RS485. I
doubt they'd try SPI or RS232 over that distance.

What does the scoreboard manufacturer offer? (This has to be a
reasonably common problem..)

+1... before you potentially void warranty. There's likely a 2.4GHz
or 433MHz solution out there that will work and will be suitable for
your local areas radio spectrum bandplans.