USB Programming

[Jonathan]

Is it possible to communicate with a USB device from
VS.net? I would like to use VB.net if possible, but I
could use C#. I don't have an actual device yet, I am an
EE and I am interested in building a USB device. Before I
build it, I want to make sure I can use VS.net to
communicate with it.

I know that there isn't a new version of the comm control
in vs.net, but are there any tools for USB in VS.net? It
seems that there has to be something (a library, control,
or class) to communicate with an external device.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good place to
start? Thanks for the help.

[Dick Grier]

Hi,

Yes. However, there is no built-in support for USB. You would have to call
the underlying USB Windows APIs (this is called Platform Invoke or P/Invoke
for short). Jan Axelson's book, USB Complete 2nd Edition is the reference
that I use for this sort of thing. You can find a link to it from Books on
my homepage.

Dick

--
Richard Grier (Microsoft Visual Basic MVP)

See www.hardandsoftware.net for contact information.

Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, 3rd
Edition ISBN 1-890422-27-4 (391 pages) published February 2002.