NewtonTalk.net November 2008 archive: Re: [NTLK] Question about

From: Ed Kummel <tech_ed_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Sun Nov 16 2008 - 05:49:29 EST

While this may not help you in your quest, there is a story related to this issue...

Back in the day (mid-90s I think) the company I worked for (we rented for short term, portable communication devices and integrated communication and computing such as cellphones and computer, satelite phones and Newtons...Ardis two way pagers and HP handhelds)
we got a request from the department of transportation for some units for testing a new telemetry system they were designing. For the more complicated rentals, I would sometimes go on-site to help with the setup. I delivered the Newtons to the DOT in McLean Virginia and gave them a basic crash course in the Newton and it's technology along with some Newton programming applications and documentation. They were thrilled and invited me back in 2 weeks to see what they were working on.
Two weeks later, I get to observe a Newton that was mounted in a vehicle that was hooked up to the car's computer and gathering data, analyzing it and sending that data and analysis via telemetry to a main processing station several miles away.
If I remember correctly, they had hooked the Newton to the OBDC connector via the serial port (the Newton serial port is RS422 compatible if I remember correctly) through a custom converter. They had a Farallon wireless card in the Newton and their test track of about 2 miles in size had access points installed at various places on the track. This relayed back to headquarters the data collected and processed by the Newton.
The DOT was so thrilled with the ease of use and the ease in which the Newton integrated into their solution, they immediately placed an order for several thousand Newtons...Apple refused to sell them saying that they cannot bypass the vendors and sell us the Newtons directly. They said that we would have to go through the vendors...and since each vendor was only getting 10-20 Newtons per shipment, this would take years to gather the Newtons necessary to satisfy the DOT (note, this story was repeated many times with many different large customersl And each time Apple refused to sell outside the channel)
When we relayed this information to the DOT, they couldn't wait and instead went with HP portables...With what they said was (their words) "a much more reliable and business friendly company"
Needless to say, this was just another nail in the already closing coffin that is the Newton saga!
Ed
web/gadget guru
http://newton.tek-ed.com (download Newton packages)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Richard Feynman, Physicist, Nobel winner (1918-1988)

"There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers."

--- On Sat, 11/15/08, McHugh Frank <madmax_2069@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: McHugh Frank <madmax_2069@yahoo.com>
Subject: [NTLK] Question about using a newton MP 2100 as a ODBII scan tool
To: newtontalk@newtontalk.net
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008, 4:47 AM

Hello

I know it sounds far fetched, but would it be possable to somehow use the
newton as a ODBII Car diagnostic tool/scanner. i seen some open sourced projects
but couls one be ported to work on the newton (with the proper adapter).

Frank

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Re: [NTLK] Question about using a newton MP 2100 as a ODBII scan tool