john banks

I am trying to design an EBC and other goodies for the engine, but it has got beyond the stage where I can use voltmeters and potentiometers to tune things.

I know nothing about palmtops. Is there a cheapish, low power device with a keyboard and RS232 with terminal emulator and even better a nice BASIC language that I could use to send commands and maps to my boost controller and possibly a forthcoming fuel computer?

I would quite like to use it to datalog stuff from the RS232 such as MAP signal, RPM, TPS etc - I can just use a "print" command with my uC to send all sorts of cool data out and wow you all with amazing graphs.

Are there even any mobile phones to which you can attach a 9 pin D serial plug and send stuff down RS232 with a terminal emulator?

If this is all too complex/expensive, I guess I'll have to build a keypad and LCD myself with the device

[Edited by john banks - 3/3/2002 8:16:42 PM]

WillieF

John

Building a keyboard ascii adapter may be a little like reinventing the wheel.

I use a Palm M500 (expensive but you can get the Palm V pretty cheaply) with a serial cable to program routers etc without much problem. You can get a full size add on keyboard for doing large quantities of typing otherwise using the onscreen keyboard or palm handwriting is pretty easy.

Connects to your PC so that you can transfer large quantities of data to it then onwards to external items. I usually connect it to my PC in the office to copy configs over to it then on site it is just a matter of sending the config via a wee serial term emulator.

Jeff Wiltshire

John

Your probable best off with a S/H Psion...I'd check out some of the auction sites (ebay, qxl etc). They come with a Keyboard, Basic, RS-232 & Terminal Emulator.

A Palm would also do it (or Handspring Visor) but the Psion is probable a better bet.

Jeff

dsmith

A Friend used to have an HP handheld which would do the job for you. It actually ran a version of DOS, had a com port and and I'm 99% sure had a built in BASIC interpreter.

Depends how "custom" you want to get with the data logging I guess.


Most handhelds (e.g. palm etc) have a Serial Terminal program. Not sure whats available for logging serial port data.

Regards

Deano

dowser

Crappy old 486 laptop with a good battery and/or car charger? Cheap as chips - just given my old w4w's one to work, easier to lug around than a *real* vt100

Richard