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Why can't this be done with a download and USB?
by DavidSJ 17y ago
Why can't this be done with a download and USB?
- kelnos 17y agoDoes the Roomba have a USB port? jwz mentioned a 'serial' port...
- brk 17y agoIt does not have a USB port. The serial port is also a non-standard (for serial ports) connector (it is a standard DIN connector). My guess is that the average Roomba owner doesn't have a PC with a serial port, and probably wouldn't want to acquire an uncommon connector and wire up a serial converter cable, and then run some program on their PC to dump the firmware image in to the Roomba. The osmo dongle makes the process near foolproof for soccer moms and grandmothers and so on.
- torpor 17y agoIncidentally, there is evidence that the OSMO dongle collects data, also ..
- DavidSJ 17y agoPart of my question is why it doesn't have a USB port.
- djcapelis 17y agoCost. USB is a very complex protocol that requires a controller. For most embedded systems a serial port, which is very very cheap and dead simple to implement, is sufficient. There's really no need for a USB port on the Roomba, so it's silly to incur additional costs on every single unit to add it.