Can anybody recommend a brand/type of PDA suitable for control of rs232 lighting controller? controller uses an ascii command set

 

An opinion from a user of vendor software on PDAs:

Several vendors implemented Palm software solutions (configuration utilities are what I was exposed to). All those vendors have since switched to Pocket PC running Windows Mobile O/S.

The explanations have been that Palm had a problem internally with serial communications and refused to address the problem, so the vendors' engineering migrated to Pocket PC.

A couple Pocket PC apps don't care whose Pocket PC they run on, others (a HART modem configurator) is so fussy it only runs on one model HP IPAQ.

The O/S changes in the Pocket PC arena seem to be about as frequent as the PC.

I don't envy the project developers: the model development is done on is likely obsolete by the time the software hits the market.

 

In my experience, you can use any PDA that runs Windows CE or Pocket PC *and* accepts a PCMCIA or CompactFlash serial card.

We've used the HP (Compaq) iPAQ with the expansion pack that accepts PCMCIA cards. They also offer one for CompactFlash cards. If you want complete flexibility, you can use a CompactFlash serial card and use a CF to PCMCIA adapter and use the CompactFlash card in CF or PCMCIA slots.

The benefit of using a PDA running CE or Pocket PC is that they automatically recognize the serial cards as a serial port. You'll need to find lighting control software that runs on the PDA and communicates through a serial port.

Sealevel Systems (www.sealevel.com) offers serial products in a wide range of interfaces, including:

PCMCIA serial (3603 or 3604):
http://www.sealevel.com/products.asp?bus_id=3

CompactFlash serial (3101 or 3103):
http://www.sealevel.com/products.asp?bus_id=30

CF to PCMCIA adapter:
http://www.sealevel.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=820
(Note: There are a bunch of cheap Type I adapters out there, but the CF serial cards are thicker and require a Type II adapter - notice the cut-out on the CF side of the adapter).

 

If you should choose any pocket pc, there is software available to send commands to your device at the following site. http://dataanddesign.com/pocketpc2002.html

 

Hello
Can you help me, can you tell me more information about Control RS232 Device With PDA.
What Software is suiting for PDA? When i use PDA to control RS232 Device such as Relay by Schweizer

Thank You very much
I waiting for your Email