inexpensive operator interface (mini-terminal)

Jul 07, 2005 7 Replies

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Gary Peek 21 years ago

I'm trying to locate something for a customer to connect to one of our SBC's.

Why can't I find an inexpensive operator interface? You know, something like a mini-terminal with RS-232.

A squared away design where you can cut out a rectangiular hole and drill 4 mounting holes and put it on a panel inside a NEMA box or something. Not pretty, but inexpensive and useful.

(Not some PIC project, I have found most of them. I have also found all the so called inexpensive PLC oriented ones for $500. Not those either.)

Gary Peek mailto:mylastname@mycompanyname.com Industrologic, Inc. http://www.industrologic.com Phone: (636) 723-4000 Fax: (636) 724-2288

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Dave Hansen 21 years ago

How about

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HTH,

-=Dave

Change is inevitable, progress is not.

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Dave Hansen 21 years ago

[...]

Sorry to followup my own post, but I forgot to clarify: I haven't used any of these, and have no connection whatever with either company. They just look like interesting parts.

Regards,

-=Dave

Change is inevitable, progress is not.

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Bob Monsen 21 years ago

How about a PDA? I used to use a Newton for this sort of thing, which had RS232 built in, but you can probably get a palm pilot for $100, write or contract the interface program, and mount it without too much trouble. This way, you could have a nice, customized touch pad display for your widget.

Actually, this isn't a bad product idea, for those who have the channel to get it out there. Licensing the guts and OS from palm or whomever is probably not a big deal, since they would make most of the money.

Regards, Bob Monsen If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger? Thomas Henry Huxley, 1877

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joep 21 years ago

Not enough demand, off the shelf PDA's/small laptops could be adapted to do what you want.

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James Beck 21 years ago

The local home improvement big box has a "inventory control" system that uses a Palm Pilot for the input device. It is mounted inside the enclosure, but if you look, just right, you can see the unit. I have seen ads in one of the trades where some Asian company has a Palm Pilot rip off that is basically a PDA with none of the OS goodies installed, along with some development tools to get it going, if I stumble across the ad again I'll post a link here.

Jim

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Oliver Betz 21 years ago

[...]

Which PDAs have still a serial interface?

Palm "Zire" don't:

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(20418)

"Please note that Palm Zire Handhelds DO NOT support serial (cabled) connections to the computer."

What a pity.

Oliver

Oliver Betz, Muenchen (oliverbetz.de)

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randallchaas 21 years ago

I have used Two Technologies a few years back and remember the smaller units to be reasonable.

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Randy Haas

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