[ricardobeat]

Is there any kind of gpio board intended for real-time/thetered use, without code reloading or writing my own communication layer?

[HeyLaughingBoy]

I used to sell a couple, waaay back when. These days I think Phidgets might be what you are looking for.

I have a few designs (Bluetooth & RS232 based) that I customize for my clients. I may be able to help you, but I should warn that my prices are not exactly hobbyist-friendly :-)

[ovi256]

Maybe you could consider open-sourcing one of your designs ?

It could attract future clients by showing your proficience. And one design would not endanger your paid work in any way :)

[minus1]

Anything based on the AVR USB series can be configured to auto-detect as a keyboard/joystick/misc (see http://www.fourwalledcubicle.com/LUFA.php), so that would simplify your comm layer. However, I'm not aware of a good off-the-shelf board that wouldn't require some microcontroller development.

I am actually working on a simplified AVR USB board for just this purpose, I'll post it to HN when I'm done.

[ricardobeat]

Interesting to hear. I imagined simple IO interfaces would be popular, but every project focuses on programmable, self-powered boards (maybe because they are so cheap anyway?). Wish you success.

[seany]

seems like an USB DAQ board would work for this, right? maybe labjack or a board/card from national instruments?