Weird Question That noone can Answer

Eidolon

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I'm looking for a way to take an optical input from any device...most likely sound and read the code that the optics is sending. I need to be able to analyse the code comming in from some audio/optic source and manipulate it. If anyone knows if this is possible and how to do it and what I need, please let me know. Please e-mail me responses at cavedrummer@yahoo.com. Thanks for you help.
 
I'll assume you don't know either then Terencentanio?

This is more of an electronics question...
To read the optical input you'll need an optical reciever.
look.

Then you'll need an amplifier to increase the relativly weak signal, then you'll want a wave shaping section to clean up the signal,
The signal should be of a serial type if it is data sent as an optical signal...

If it is raw analogue you will also need an ADC (analogue to digital converter), these can either be bought of made quite easily using op-amp comparators. (again use that rapid electronics site, or maplins, or RS).

If you made your own level detector you'll need to consider a stage to convert to binary, (this is a little harder but I can send you designs for a flash level - binary converter) (flash means it happens instantly, not that it's really cool).

Now you have an eight bit binary signal (I've assumed you've understood so far)...

the eight bits arn't much good to you because you can't access the parallel port unless you write a DLL and load it into ring 0 security because the hardware is protected under XP, however the serial port is a sinch to interface with when using visual basic. (actually I'm told PHP can access the serial port com:1 as a virtual drive, allowing you to read and write data as if it was a hard disk).

You you've converted your signal, from optical to electronic, from analgoue electronic to discreete levels and then encoded that to binary, you've taken the parallel signal; and made it serial (I recomemnd using a PIC chip for ease, you might even consider USB support!)

Now you have raw strings of data comming into your PC indicating the levels of the signal at any given time...

what exactly did you want to do with it?
you have the raw streams of data so you can manipulate it however you like...

However...
since you are mostly dealing with sound it'd probably be much easier to buy a sound can with optical in, (or at least a daughter card for your existing sound card with optical in).
and just use an off the shelf sound package like Cubase or cakewalk to alter the sound once it's on your PC...
(this last solution will only let you edit sound and not any not other types of data.)
 
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