GPIO for PCs

Many years ago I used to use the printer port as a GPIO.

If the board was PCI or PCI Express I personally would consider it but there are plenty of USB GPIO boards already out there.

8 Channel USB GPIO Module With Analog Inputs The first one I found using a google search for the terms USB GPIO

Greg

Arduino can use serial communications to control its GPIO's. Better yet restful API can use Web to control GPIO's on a small SBC like RPI. So in a nutshell, too many other good options to consider before your proposal IMHO.

Clem

I hate to sound like i'm raining on your parade but I already have dozens of different GPIO boards for the pc

ESP8266 based modules to control mains

Industrial Shields PLC, + many other low cost PLCs

TIBBO LTPP3 Linux based controller

Arduino

Raspberry PI

Many different LaunchPads (TI Version of an Arduino)

Beagle Bone Black

SAM4Dx boards

etc etc

My point here is that with almost 100% surety, any board developed to deliver GPIO for a PC would be based on Having a microcontroller and leverage its GPIO to act on behest of the PC. Programs like Firmata already exist to make say an arduino pretend to be an extension of a master controller, an arduino or pretty much any of the above can simply receive commands over serial, USB, WIFI, Ethernet.. to name just a few and these cost only a few $$$

I am already leveraging a 5$ power brick to control mains via an MQTT server and WIFI (5$). can you compete with that, because everything else is free (Or you probably already have it).

So while contemplating such a device is a good thing to do from an educational perspective, you need to consider the existing market / competition and ask your self, why would someone buy mine vs the other. especially if yours is more expensive.

To PO; Great comment and great Videos (on youtube) and great overview on this much jumbled SBC (Single Board Computer) Environment. "Been There. Done That" applies here. That is what I tell my Clients (people who hire my services) that P/A (Prior Art - a term in (US) Patent Law) or USC section 112 on "Obviousness" would negate your Invention. BTW1: here USC =United States Code (codification of Federal Laws) NOT USC = University of Southern California.

USCDADNYC (NY NY USA)

To DJ: Have you every considered Simulation under MatLab/Simulink (Student copy of s/w is: $99 USD [US Dollars]). I am current attending a MOOC on MatLab Programming. When done (early Oct 2016?) will focus on MatLab/Simulink and it's support for RaspPi & Arduino. Why reinvent the Wheel ?

Especially if you get accused of Patent Infringement. ONLY JOKING. The Wheel is in the Public Domain, NO Patent Rights are (were) ever obtained on it.

USCDADNYC (NY NY USA)

I like Adafruit's US$15 FT232H Breakout Board., which has GPIO, UART, SPI, I2C, and JTAG.  I use one as a JTAG controller from GNU/Linux using libftdi.  In the UK it may be cheaper to get boards directly from FTDI.

Thx to JB for the Info. Q: FTDI =?. Yet libftdi = a? Gnu/Linux Library? (software). To date: I have only used GPIO on RaspPi. BUT have various variants on the Arduino. I even bought an Pololu USB AVR Programmer (w/ mini-USB at one end, and 6-conductor female header at other end), EVEN Though I may not use it. I was just covering my Bases. (US Baseball term) The Link to Adafruit gives me another avenue of exploration of these confusing terms "FTDI " , "I2C", "AVR", etc. This stuff is so confusing that doing a WIKI did not help. Anybody knows of a summary/Compilation/explanation of these SBC (Single Board Computers) programming options? . Actually Arduino is a Microcontroller, but let's not go there.  Additional Thx to JB for mentioning (implicitly) that he was in the UK. AGAIN I ask Comment(ers) to leave mention of their Physical Location (Just the Country, you reside in ). Like I said many times "Context is Everything".

USCDADNYC (NY NY USA)

Wrong. John Beetem is in California, Berkeley area, IIRC.

Mike

USCDADNYC Is SO Busted! I should have placed more weight on JB's First Sentence than on the second. Mea Culpa! BTW Q: IIRC=?

USCDADNYC (NY NY USA)

"Usually Someone Can Do A Dance Near Your Cousin" makes zero sense to me. Context is everything.

I live in the UK. North. In England. Not in London. I like tea. I also like coffee. I am just about to go and get some Chinese food. My neck is sore. There are some grey clouds outside. I want a NVidia GTX Titan X 12GB graphics card. I don't like oversharing.

How does the fact that I live in the UK change the meaning of my answer? I didn't use slang or geographical terms. I did however use technical terms which when you consider the audience this forum is focusing on should be acceptable.

FTDI - a device used to program other devices.

It uses a USB port which can send and receive standard serial data.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTDI

I2C - a type of data connection protocol.

A number of master devices can talk to a large number of slave devices. I use it to talk to temperature probes so I can monitor several rooms in my house using just two wires.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%C2%B2C

AVR - a type of processor made by Atmel.

It is the large chip on an Arduino.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmel_AVR

IIRC = If I recall/remember correctly (update to your post)