My project to make a wireless router out of a USR8200 router.


Since you are here... I guess you can guess my email address at Comcast. I don't use it, but have the same johnrw in gmail. I use that. At first, I just used Irfanview in Windows to make this thumbnails page. Cool tool.
(Now I have to try and make a real webpage out of it :)

These images were my first try at making some macro photos with a 5.1 megapixel camera. After getting a basic tripod and alot of light... I am impressed with it. I can see some of the labels on some very tiny parts. It pays to read those directions that come with the camera.
The USR8200 is one underated router! With 16MB of Flash and 64MB of ram, two usb 2.0 ports and one IEEE 1394(Firewire) port which btw, blows the doors off USB 2. When I write a 1.5GB file to my drive over the network... and have the drive hooked up to the router using USB, all I can get is 2.8MB/sec. Using Firewire, and the same drive plugged in on the Firewire port... I get 4MB/sec. That's sustained when writing a 1.5GB file. The firmware that came with it... here is a hint. Make sure any hard disks that you attach to it have power saving features turned off! I had to get the disk out that came with the drive I have, a Maxtor 200GB One Touch with Firewire and Usb 2 connectivity, and use it's setup program to turn off "Sleep Mode." See the 1 star reviews at Amazon.com. (Does anyone think I should tell those folks who paid alot of money for great hardware and lousy firmware how to make that router work like it was supposed to?) I can say this much, if you let an attached drive go to sleep... the firmware winds up thinking the drive has become corrupt. It uses an older linux 2.4 kernel, so it is not really the firmware's fault. I plan on upgrading the firmware to a 2.6 openwrt kernel. I did decide to reformat the Maxtor to a Linux ext2 partition... so I could store files larger than 4 GB on it. But it also needs to be unmounted from the router's http server menu for doing that, before you unplug the router or even a drive attached to it. If you don't then you may wind up with a corrupted drive. Maybe I'll put a picture of that up.

This router had wireless planned. It has the solder points for a type III mini-pci wireless card, which you can see in
this image. Look for the 2 vertical rows of solder points.
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Here I have some notes.
USR8200_notes.txt
USR8200_notes.txt
13.40 KB

The U.S. Robotics USR8200 Router

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JTAG Connector
and Serial Port
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Bottom Views
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Inductors known

Zephyrtronics. The right tool for the job.

Here is a video of a tool I just got on ebay... yippeeee!. This is a great tool.
I am halfway there... still I want to get a airbath preheater. To do things right!
But.......
ever wonder how they get those tiny connections soldered on pc chips. I'll bet you think you could never do it.
You are wrong. I'll bet you can with the right tools. The right tool uses a very focused, but very subtle hot air stream.
It won't blow solder all over the place. But don't forget it's part of a system. They make top quality solder paste.

Here is a list of things you will need to get started.
  • Zephpaste No-Clean 63Sn/37Pb Eutectic solder paste...$12.95
  • and an Econo Plunger...$3.50
  • Applicator tips (variety pack, don't forget these!!!!)...$12.95
  • and their non-flammable Flux Remover...$19.85


    • But don't even try this without some way to preheat the board. They make those as well...
    from very expensive to affordable. The preheating must not be too drastic, or thermal shock
    damage can occur. All that is calculated into the preheater's ramp up rate for you.
  • Warm air bath preheaters

    • Watch this video.



    This video is the same one from Zephyrtronics website here ZT-2 Hot Air Pencil

    Created by IrfanView