I would like to have a device that inserts into the POTS line and gives caller ID through the USB port. If I can also obtain length of call, that is great, of not, ok. Don't care about outgoing calls.
A brief search on google gives all sorts of wondrous high end devices with this capability. I want less.
Hopefully someone here has designed or heard of such a thing.
There are various caller ID ICs out there that spit out serial data. (Effectively, they're a MODEM, well, er, a DEM, on a chip -- I believe caller ID is done using standard Bell modem protocols at 1200bps.) The simplest thing to do would be to combine this with a USBSerial adapter (such as the FTDI232) and you'd be all done, no new development necessary.
For a more challenging project, you could implement the demodulator and everything else in a so-called 'USB microcontroller' (one that has USB packetizing/encoding hardware built-in). For a really challenging project, use a regular microcontroller with bit-banged USB.
---Joel Kolstad
Many of them don't do caller ID? At least not without some amount of hacking?
But it's an excellent option; I hadn't thought of that.
I read in sci.electronics.design that Aubrey McIntosh wrote (in ) about 'Caller ID over USB', on Fri, 21 Jan 2005:
I want an interstellar spaceship that is not a wondrous high-end device. I want less, too.
-- Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only. The good news is that nothing is compulsory. The bad news is that everything is prohibited. http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk
What's wrong with a USB modem?
The USB modem idea only costs a little more than an Olimex order.
Thanks. Another Google search turned up
I saw some prices of about $5 @ 1,000 ea. so I suppose they are pocket money even in single quantity.
More reading at
Does anyone have a comments on a specific caller ID chip with respect to these USB chips?
I did bit bang 3 channels of RS-232 on a daughter board for my project. Somehow I think bit-bang USB is over the top.
The microcontroller board picture is online
I'm going to stay with PIC projects for a while. However, I do have hobby space on that board, both SOIC and DIP, so maybe I can do a one-off without a new PCB.
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