Ronja FAQ
This is based mainly on real questions and answers from people
interested in building or developping Ronja.
- Is there a PCB for Ronja 10M Metropolis? No, I have been making it
without PCB. Some people apparently prefer PCB so that I aranged with my friend
a design of PCB (as he is building Ronja 10M Metropolis). As soon as it will be
ready (and tested), I hope I will put it onto the web page.
- Is it possible to use Ronja 10M Metropolis over TP (twisted pair)
interface? At the moment definitely not. The so called link integrity
pulses do not pass through the device so the cards refuse to transmit.
Nevertheless, adding a circuit that fakes the pulses to the interfacem, plus
adapting the interface from AUI voltage levels and impedances to TP levels and
impedances would do the job. But you would also loose the possibility of
powering the electronics from the PC - TP has no power.
- Is it possible to use Ronja together with a mirror halfway on
the path?
Yes, it is possible. However, ordinary mirrors from glass cutter's shop are
not perfect planes, so they spread the light a little. So the signal
is a rather weaker than if the mirror was not there. It is also advised
to have the mirror bigger than lens diameter to make it prone to misalignments,
air waving and imperfections in the mirror. Also the mirror should be protected
from dirt and weather by some kind of hood and the back of the mirror must be
waterproofly sealed in order for the reflective layer not to be damaged by
moisture over time.
- Is it possible to use Ronja 10M Metropolis over 3 kilometers?
You wold have to adapt the design to A4-page sized Fresnel lenses held between
two glass plates. The holders would have to be a little bit stronger, and the
hoods massive. But in enough visibility it would work of course. It is better
to change the LED end of the transmitter for a laser pointer and old projector
lens assembly. However, this particular part (which distinguishes the future
Ronja 10M Bithazard from Ronja 10M Metropolis) has not yet been tried.
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