Development tools for Palm, was Re: Palm CNC

If the Palm offers an interface to their USB port, you might be able to use
the Gecko G2002 system as your step/dir driver and then simply use any
step/dir stepper or servo controller. At this point, however, you're
completely on your own for software to drive the G2002. It's a new product
and there are a few sets out there that folks are working with to adapt
their CNC controllers to. Unfortunately, the software is either DOS,
Windows, or Linux so you're on your own as far as developing something for
the Palm. Nonetheless, it sounds like an excellent application, as there's
usually not that much space available in a basement shop near the machines.

If the Palm has anything that looks like a PCMCIA card, you should be able
to buy either a parallel printer card or parallel I/O card for it. (Note
that the printer card and parallel I/O cards are different things. The
printer card is set up to support a printer, possibly using a few
bidirectional ports while the parallel I/O card is based on something like
the 8255 chip and usually will offer more I/O points, and these points will
be programmable.

What kind of development tools are available for developing software for the
Palm? Languages? The caveat to your ideas is that, since the Palm is not
within the mainstream of CNC hobby development, you're going to have to
understand enough of the CNC methodology and software programming techniques
to write your own G-Code interpreter that runs on the Palm. The bright side
is that, if you're successful, you have the makings of a product that could
probably amortize your development costs at, say, half of the minimum wage.
:)

-- Jerry

> They have a "Synch" cable that allows you to connect it to a computer
> via USB port or Serial Port where typically it synchronizes the data
> between it and your PC applications. So, they must use some form of
> microproccessing "outside the box" ?? Obviously, I'll be browsing a few
> sites and absorb all I can. Most of the new ones are 8meg units, but
> have a slot or port for multimedia and SD cards like your camera has. I
> think I also saw a Bluetooth device using the same socket so it could be
> that that port does a lot more. I'm still learning. I can't believe I
> have been missing out on this technology ! There is a lot of software to
> integrate with excel and MS Access. Oh, it also can "Beam" info to a PC
> or another Palm thru the built in Infrared. ( I think I finally have a
> remote for my TV that the kids won't run off with !)