Hey everyone! I'm currently taking an engineering class and I'm exploring optical connections for my final project. I'm curious if there's a way to connect USB to optical interfaces that isn't limited to audio. Basically, I'm looking for options that would allow file transfers or similar data usage, rather than just sound. Any suggestions or advice would be super helpful! Thanks!
8 Answers
Also, there are USB to SFP module adapters available, and SFP modules can handle various media types. You could play around with sending data over audio as ham radio folks do or utilize something like an Arduino with the right transmitters.
Using a USB to SFP NIC combined with some transceivers could allow you to use SAMBA or FTP for file transfers while handling audio via VoIP.
One option is to go from USB to serial and then to optical. There are definitely hardware solutions for industrial applications that work like this. It's pretty common!
You might want to look into Ethernet over optical links, or even IrDA, which can be adapted to work with fiber optics. There are quite a few possibilities out there!
Check out USB to TOSLINK converters—those exist too!
Don't forget that there are optical USB cables available now, along with HDMI and DisplayPort over optical. Fiber Ethernet is also a good option if you're looking for high-speed data transfer!
Here’s a DIY approach: you'll need two TOSLINK sockets (Tx/Rx), TOSLINK cables, FTDI serial cables, and some resistors. If you set this up right, you can transfer files through optical cables using a Linux system with SFTP. It's not the cleanest method, but it could work!
What about designing your own protocol for data transfer over a fiber connection? That could be a cool project!
Yeah, I've seen media converters that link RS-232 or RS-422 to optical for long distances or tricky environments. But if you’re in engineering, making your own should be straightforward! You just need a USB to TTL serial chip and some optical components.