Remote touchscreen control of iPhone via serial port - Need hardware help!

**Bugbyte** · 06-18-2009, 10:08 AM

I've been working a LOT with the Sheeva plug -the embedded Linux device. It is a great little device but it doesn't have much in the way of video capability.

I've been focusing on learning Linux, loading a web server and php and mySQL, and lately I've been learning how to compile programs for the ARM chip that's on it.

I'm pretty close to getting OBDGPSlogger by chunkyks to work on it. I got it to compile, and I also got gpsd to compile. I've been working to find out how to get usb to serial to work on it. That will make the link between any FTDI serial to usb device, including XM, Fusion Brain, OBD Elm327, NMEA GPS devices and so forth.

Fortunately, there's been a lot of interest in the Linux community and at least one other much more knowledgeable person than I now has a Sheeva plug and is working with it.

I'm sure we can solve some of the technical issues with accessing devices via Sheeva os the iPhone can control stuff on the OUTPUT side.

On the INPUT side (i.e. touchscreen), I've temporarily tabled the issue of the touchscreen for awhile since the new 3.0 software seems to give more options for that and who knows, maybe a vendor based solution will appear in the very near future.

**HiJackZX1** · 06-18-2009, 10:56 AM

I know I'm not really sure how the iPhone works, but I am signed up to a site called Alibia or something along those lines. Its a Chinese site for whole salers and one thing that keeps popping up is a iPhone replacement touchscreen. I do recall that the iPhone uses a multitouch panel, but it looks like its simply a plug with a adapter that plugs into a control board on the phone. Now my idea requires modding, but what if you can take apart the phone, make that connector on the board a dual type connection. One for the existing touch panel, then the other for the touch panel on the large screen. That way your doing a direct connection, minus the middle man. The only obstacle I can see is that the fact that its a multi touch type screen may be an issue, I don't know if it will work on a regular panel. Unless it uses a regular panel, and its the control board that actually makes it multi touch. There is also a chance maybe they now sell 7, 8 and what not sized multitouch panels, I can imagine if they did its so so expensive.

**kandyman676** · 06-23-2009, 11:28 PM

*cough cough*
http://www.mimomonitors.com/

USB 7" LCD monitors...supports MAC OS X :-)

**cgalpin** · 06-24-2009, 07:03 AM

They definitely looks like the leading candidate but they only work with intel based macs right now which rules out the ipod/iphone/apple tv etc as well. See their FAQ page.

**helllordkb** · 07-23-2009, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

I know I'm not really sure how the iPhone works, but I am signed up to a site called Alibia or something along those lines. Its a Chinese site for whole salers and one thing that keeps popping up is a iPhone replacement touchscreen. I do recall that the iPhone uses a multitouch panel, but it looks like its simply a plug with a adapter that plugs into a control board on the phone. Now my idea requires modding, but what if you can take apart the phone, make that connector on the board a dual type connection. One for the existing touch panel, then the other for the touch panel on the large screen. That way your doing a direct connection, minus the middle man. The only obstacle I can see is that the fact that its a multi touch type screen may be an issue, I don't know if it will work on a regular panel. Unless it uses a regular panel, and its the control board that actually makes it multi touch. There is also a chance maybe they now sell 7, 8 and what not sized multitouch panels, I can imagine if they did its so so expensive.

I think something along these lines would work best but it would need to be done from the dock connector. I don't think I or most people wanna pull apart their phone for something like this. Most touch screens will use USB for the touchscreen control and vga just for the picture.
What you need to have is a function or feature in the iPhone OS to respond to touch screen controls coming at the phone from the dock connector. This feature would need to be done at the phones OS layer and would require apple to do this. The other option is with a background app that the user loads that stays running in the background (like they planned on allowing apps to run in the background on the iPhone OS for a while now...)

The other option that might work that I can see someone here in the forums like I am working on this myself, is a dongle device running on some embedded hardware like the gumstix that simple controls your touch screen and passed it a video signal from the dock connector and that also converts the usb touch screen connection to signals the phone would think are the input variables mapped to the built-in touch screens cocoa touch values.

Those are some ideas though, im working on something like the last one, but taking time.

**DarkStar02** · 08-03-2009, 11:08 PM

Any updates?

**Bugbyte** · 08-04-2009, 01:22 AM

Nope, sorry. I keep looking for some cool Bluetooth device innovations, but nothing so far. I'm a little disappointed!

**DarkStar02** · 11-05-2009, 12:57 AM

Bump.

**Cracker36** · 01-07-2010, 06:12 PM

guys how about this: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/22/v...together-have/

It seems now bluetooth keyboard and mouse control are possible.
Does a bluetooth touchscreen exist?
Is there anyway to convert a usb touchscreen out to bluetooth ?
Another idea would be to use a trackball, at least it is fixed, a hid compilant bluetooth trackball would do the job.