Data acquisition via PDA

[Ken Moore]

Does anyone know of a system that we could use for the following: We would like to have one of our maint. guys go around each morning and enter various readings into a PDA application. He would then sync the PDA with a desktop PC, the PC would automatically retrieve the entered data and upload it to a network database, or upload a new spread sheet with a day/date stamp as the name of the file. thanks, Ken

[geniusintraining]

Hey <---(southern for hello or hi, for all you northern boys) Ken, Depending on your funding, you could do several things, a portable PC with a VB application, if you wanted to roll your own Look at these two sites they have some good options but again, if you have the money, you can get anything http://www.scadalliance.com/en/products/handheld.shtml <--- I like these http://www.scanplanet.com/

[Ken Moore]

Thanks for the links, but that's not what I'm after. I'm looking for a simple version, no scanning required. I / we want to do manual data entry, with the rest of it automated, I've searched the web, and can find lots, and lots of RFID, barcode, wireless scannes etc.... Closest thing so far is survey software, you can write your own survey questions, and then after the data collection, generate a flat file. Oh well.....I guess I'll have to get someone to develop it. I was hoping for an off the shelf solution.

[DanW]

Ken, Search the web for "Pocket PC" applications you'll get dozens of hits with some specialty sites with hundreds of apps. There are quite of few sites that have dozens, if not hundreds of app for a pocket PC. Same thing for Palm applications. Something like TimeTTracker seems to be a general purpose database: http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=13995 Opinion mode: I've used a Palm for 6+ years and I love them, they are easy and intuitive to use. I've had a Pocket PC for 2 years and only drag it out when mandated to. It is unintuitive and the O/S changes with the phases of the moon. Major firmware updates hvae been needed, new, out-of-the-box! ! ! Yuck. To me, you find the app that fits, then buy the hardware platform it runs on. But in the end, whomever has to do this has an app into which he enters data and from which the data is transferred. Either would probably do the job with the right app software. I do know a custom pocket PC programmer who works primarily in the biomed field. If you're stuck and it looks like custom software is the only solution, I could send his name on. But it's worth a couple minutes checking out the ready-to-sell apps on the Pocket PC and Palm sites. Dan