newbie question on interfacing with a mobile phone.

Projects Networking, Protocols, and Devices
1

i was browsing the cavernous halls of the Playground and found the treasure room that is Interfacing with Hardware.
i latched on to the Sony Ericsson item since i have one, which led me to this http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,22411.0.html
sadly the images are no longer available.

anyway, i found a good website to learn the basics from the computer first before attempting to do the same from my Arduino;

i've managed to connect to the phone, a K320i but sadly got "SMS text mode is not supported" from that foray.

does this close the option of using that phone or are there other methods to "hack" a way to send an SMS via programming ?

okay - scratch that, i dived down deeper and found what's called the PDU mode - looks quite daunting, so this project will slow down a bit....

anyway, am i right to be under the impression that having a phone with SMS support saves me from having to get a GSM shield do make the Arduino interact via SMS ?

let's say, one sends an SMS as a command to do something ?

2

no comments from anyone ?

would appreciate at least some input on this part;

retronet_RIMBA1ZO:
anyway, am i right to be under the impression that having a phone with SMS support saves me from having to get a GSM shield to make the Arduino interact via SMS ?

let's say, one sends an SMS as a command to do something ?

3

is this question not appropriate for this forum ?

4

Your questions make no sense .
What are you trying to achieve here?
You will need as a minimum as Arduino with a GSM shield to be able to receive SMS messages.
What do you want the Arduino to do ?

How you create them is another matter altogether and probably beyond the scope of this forum.

5

mauried:
Your questions make no sense .

THANK YOU SO MUCH !
even that response is appreciated !!
it would make no sense being i'm a total n00b !

mauried:
What are you trying to achieve here?

i'm trying to use SMS as a means of controlling a robot.

mauried:
You will need as a minimum as Arduino with a GSM shield to be able to receive SMS messages.

so, using a mobile phone can not replace the GSM shield ?
i can't connect the Arduino to the phone (as a modem) via UART(?) and send Serial text AT commands to send/receive the SMS?

mauried:
What do you want the Arduino to do ?

to connect to the mobile phone and use it as a modem - is this not what the Playground page above is showing ?

mauried:
How you create them is another matter altogether and probably beyond the scope of this forum.

as long as someone can confirm my understanding of the situation above is accurate, then i can proceed to search for more extensive information.

6

What kind of mobile phone are you using.
Does it have a serial port?
Most mobile phones usually only have a USB port, and need a custom driver for whatever they are being connected too.

7

i can't connect the Arduino to the phone (as a modem) via UART(?) and send Serial text AT commands to send/receive the SMS?

I think some phones have Bluetooth capability, but you would probably have to find/write an application that does what you need on the phone end.

8

The issue is how are you going to connect the Mobile phone to the Arduino?
Most mobile phones only have a USB connector designed to connect the phone to a computer.
To connect a USB device like a phone to an Arduino, you need a USB host shield for the Arduino.
But this only allows the phone to be connected.
You then have to somehow get the Arduino to recognise the phone so you can talk to it.
Its far easier to junk the mobile phone and use an Arduino GSM shield.
Why do you want to use a mobile phone?

9

mauried:
What kind of mobile phone are you using.

retronet_RIMBA1ZO:
i was browsing the cavernous halls of the Playground and found the treasure room that is Interfacing with Hardware.
i latched on to the Sony Ericsson item since i have one, which led me to this http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,22411.0.html
sadly the images are no longer available.
...
...

mauried:
Does it have a serial port?
Most mobile phones usually only have a USB port, and need a custom driver for whatever they are being connected too.

yeah, i guess that's the key question - i was probably naive to think "just connecting" it i'd have access to the "TX & RX" pins of the phone !

mauried:
The issue is how are you going to connect the Mobile phone to the Arduino?
Most mobile phones only have a USB connector designed to connect the phone to a computer.
To connect a USB device like a phone to an Arduino, you need a USB host shield for the Arduino.
But this only allows the phone to be connected.
You then have to somehow get the Arduino to recognise the phone so you can talk to it.
Its far easier to junk the mobile phone and use an Arduino GSM shield.
Why do you want to use a mobile phone?

to skip having to use a GSM shield !!
hence the thread, to query the viablility of it.

i guess in this age of simple "plug & play" one loses sight of what detail is going on between that "simple connection".

i had an old PCMCIA modem for the (also old !) laptop and succeeded in sending an SMS via AT-commands.

so i surmised it should also be possible if i can connect the Arduino to the phone modem 'function' - whether or not i can simply use the USB connection is the issue here.

i'll try to make a (pseudo) block diagram and see if you can correct my understanding of it;

PCMCIA modem method works

HARDWARE
[ Windows XP ]  -->  [ appropriate driver ]  -->  [ PCMCIA hardware (connects to SIM card) ]
SOFTWARE
[ Hyperterminal ] -->  [ using AT commands ]  -->  [ sends SMS ]

theoretical Arduino to modem method

HARDWARE
[ Arduino ]  -->  [ **this is what i'm missing ? ** ]  -->  [ USB cable ]  -->  [ Phone ]  --this also not a given-->  [ internal modem ]
SOFTWARE
[ **what am i using here on the Arduino ?** ] -->  [ using AT commands ]  -->  [ sends SMS ]