This sounds a lot like bug reporting software, which allows users to upvote issues/bugs. I've seen one that gives each user 10 votes which they can cast however they want, even spending all 10 votes on a single issue. They can change their votes at any time, or automatically get their votes back when the issue is marked as closed, but they can never have more than 10 votes on anything at any given time.

Or alternatively you could use other software development / project management tools, such as Trello, which allow people without edit access to upvote cards or lists.

Though, while these things do allow you to have hundreds or thousands of entries, viewing/browsing/discovering them all is not necessarily handled well in any  of the tools I've seen before. I can't imagine trying to scroll through a Trello board that has thousands of cards.

Sorry for my delayed response. I got kind of overwhelmed and stressed out over things, so I decided to take a break from the thread to give myself time to process the information and not act too hastily.

I can report that the Keep Connect suggested by mouser seems to be working nicely since I installed it last Wednesday. It has reset my modem 6 times so far. 3 or 4 of which happened just yesterday alone.

That definitely puts my mind more at ease and allows me to feel less stressed and rushed about putting together my own device to do this for me.

If you want to get familiar again before trying on your actual parts, there are a few kits on there. I used to pick them up to hone my skills when there was a lapse in my soldering. And they make cool gifts. :)

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0006HJSIW/

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004NVVV3W/

-wraith808 (February 14, 2021, 02:28 PM)

Thanks. That's a good idea. It didn't occur to me to train myself using kits which seem geared toward children. I guess it's more appropriate to think of them as kits for beginners. :Thmbsup:

I do have a soldering iron. I'm almost completely inexperienced with soldering, but I have replaced a couple of microswitches in my computer mice a few times. And I do have an old modem power supply which probably has the same rating as the current one, which I think I could cannibalize for this project. So it looks like that list includes just about everything I'd need, but wouldn't I also need some kind of breadboard wires (jumper cables?) for connecting the RasPi directly to the relay?

-Deozaan (February 14, 2021, 01:03 PM)

If you've got a soldering iron I'd order 2 or 3 of the transistors, (they're the only really temperature sensitive parts), just in case and a small protoboard instead of the breadboard.

Yes, you'll need a lead to plug onto the RasPi GPIO header, (I'd probably butcher an old IDE, SCSI, or floppy cable plug), but for simplicity a purpose made pack of leads is probably cheap enough.

Does the plug on the old PSU match the socket on the modem?
It needs to be a secure fit like the current PSU plug ...

Actually, if the old PSU is still in working condition, has the same plug, and has the same voltage/current rating as the current one, it'll be easier to cut the cable and insert the relay board into it ... no socket required.

Jumper wires (10 pack)
Protoboard

-4wd (February 14, 2021, 03:42 PM)

My old PSU is from a previous model of the same brand of modem, so I'm almost certain they're exactly the same. I'll of course double check before I tear anything apart, but that's the assumption I'm operating under at the moment.

Thanks for the links to the jumper wires and protoboard. It looks like I now have links to everything I need to build the device.

It's not making me rich, but it's earning me a decent amount of money simply for keeping a device running/connected that I'm already leaving running/connected 24/7 anyway as my personal media server and whatnot.

-Deozaan (February 14, 2021, 02:10 AM)

You buried the lede. What is that, and how does it work? Maybe on a new thread. That sounds interesting...

-wraith808 (February 14, 2021, 02:23 PM)

Considering I have two RasPi 4B's on 24/7 running Docker services, (and spare 2B, 3B, & 3B+), I'm also interested in this. :P

-4wd (February 14, 2021, 03:50 PM)

I should clarify that my definition of "a decent amount of money" is really not a lot. I usually start to question whether or not I really need/want something when the cost reaches the $25-50 range.

I tried to write a really brief summary of what it was, but I just kept feeling the need to add more details. So I think making a new thread about it would be appropriate. I'll try to get to that sometime over the next few days. :D

To everyone who has responded (or will yet respond) to this thread: Thank you very much for your input! I'm reading it all. If I don't respond to you directly or to something you said, it's not because I'm ignoring what you said. It's more that this is such a new area for me that I've got a bit of information overload and can't hold all these things in my mind at once. I don't know enough about these things to properly discern which information is most relevant and which is somewhat ancillary.

If you feel you've said something that warrants a direct response, please follow up with me so I can make sure to give you the response you deserve. :)