I'm sure you could still use the PDA with the flash card idea, because i'm sure there are PDAs that will read flash cards and let you up load them to the PDA and the clear the Flash Card so that you can insert it back into the units. This way you dont need to bring blank flash cards and you can collect all the data at once. It also gives you the portability that the idea of using flash cards allows. George Rosier James Nick Sears wrote: >This isn't a bad idea, but there are going to be 5-10 of these units around, >so I'd need a flash card for each. Also a big part of the PDA idea was to >allow each round of data collection to only require one trip out to the >devices in the field (they will be spread over a large pile spanning ~10 >acres) so in order to achieve this with removable memory I'd then need twice >that many (one to take inside and a new blank to place in the device). So >at around $15-20 per card, I'm quickly back up to the $300 range. And with >no ability to check conditions live in the field as I was planning to do >with a PDA. > >Not to mention my design is basically complete with RS232 comms to a PC, so >if I can get a PDA working with RS232 I'll save big in time, which is really >my main concern at this point in the project as it is going to be very low >quantity production and my time is limited so I'm willing to spend a few $$$ >to save a few days of development time. But $150 for a CF serial IO card on >top of my $300 PDA does seem to push things into the realm of being extreme. > >As another alternative, does anyone know about accessing the IR port on >PDAs. I know there is a thread going right now about PICs and IR so I'll >read that and check through the archives and see what I see. How reliable >is an IR data connection, especially during real world conditions of shaky >hands, dirty windows, etc. > >Still for the reasons above I'd rather stick with RS232 so any more >suggestions on PDAs would be greatly appreciated. > >Thanks, >Nick > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Hulatt, Jon" >To: >Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 10:21 AM >Subject: Re: [PICLIST] [EE]: PDAs and Serial Ports > > > > >>Only partly helpful, but did you consider driving a compactflash card for >>mass storage? then stick the flash card in a card reader on a pc? and you >>don't need a $300 PDA. robably a bit more professional like too, in a >> >> >touchy > > >>feely kind of fashion. >> >>JOn >> >> >> >>>-----Original Message----- >>>From: James Nick Sears [mailto:jsears2027@HOTMAIL.COM] >>>Sent: 04 December 2003 16:12 >>>To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU >>>Subject: [EE]: PDAs and Serial Ports >>> >>> >>>Yesterday I bought an IPAQ 1945 to use for my datalogger >>>project as a relay device to take data from the loggers in >>>the field to the PC in the office. After being unable to get >>>activity on the serial cable I purchased with the unit I >>>called HP/Compaq support only to find that apparently this >>>device has no serial port. Does anyone have a recommendation >>>for a PDA that does have a serial port, preferably commonly >>>available in the sub $300 range? Thanks for any tips. >>> >>>Nick >>> >>>-- >>>http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out >>>subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See >>> >>> >>http://www.piclist.com/#topics >> >>-- >>http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics >>(like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics >> >> >> > >-- >http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics >(like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics > > > -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics