.NET CF PC/PPC connectivity

[Guest]

Let me explain:
This is a 3 layer project that each layer is still under construction.
Desktop layer | Pocket PC Layer | Datalogger (hardware) Layer.

Our first goal is established the connection between the datalogger ( that
will have a real time SO with some connectivity support like USB or Bluetooth
but is still under development). After, my job (Pocket PC team) is to create
a application to gather the data from the Datalogger , process the data
unplug it from the DL, plug to a PC and send the data to the a Desktop app
(desktop team).

Problem:
What physical connection should I use use between the Datalogger?
I was thinking about USB, but I did not found some USB app for pocket
because the PPC is a Device unit in the USB Host/Device . So I need to create
a app to the gather the data from the datalogger ( via USB, BT... whatever).
I was using Visual Studio C# mobile.
Im not sure if I can use MS ActiveSync because the hardware may use a Micro
UC linux embedded so probally ill use a generic USB protocol.

 

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

Problem:

What physical connection should I use use between the Datalogger?

Only you can answer that. What communication methods does the Datalogger
have? Network connection? Bluetooth? There is no answer which would be
globally successful with all Pocket PC devices. Most of the WM5 devices
seem to have Bluetooth and a number have WiFi, but your hardware has to
match something about the PPC that you want to talk to.

I was thinking about USB, but I did not found some USB app for pocket
because the PPC is a Device unit in the USB Host/Device . So I need to
create
a app to the gather the data from the datalogger ( via USB, BT...
whatever).

Yes, that's true. I suppose that you could arrange for the Datalogger to be
a USB host device and connect the Pocket PC the same way you connect to the
PC, but that's a lot of work.

 

[Guest]

Ok. The datalogger that has a real time O/S that will have generic USB (host)
drivers.
But the thing is, assuming that the datalogger have the drivers I still
have to create a program in the PPC to talk to the datalogger via USB. What
technologies in .NET, example codes for my PPC to send and gather the data
from the DL.

 

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

That depends. I doubt that you'd create a 'program', but you certainly
could. The PPC would have to have a function driver to make it look like a
device that the host knew about. If you had that, then whatever protocol
you came up with to communicate from the function driver on the PPC to the
host driver on the host would be responsible for doing the transfer. Very
complicated; very low-level; see you in a year or so.

You could make a function driver which causes the PPC to appear to be a
storage device, like a USB hard disk. The datalogger/desktop program could
then simply write some files on this 'hard disk' to put the data on your
PPC, assuming that the datalogger software knows about USB storage devices.
I can't tell you how to make this work, but I think it's possible and would
avoid multiple development efforts on multiple platforms. However, it might
interfere with the basic PPC functionality when connected to a computer that
it wants to ActiveSync with.

In neither case is there *anything* in C# or .NET CF to help you.

If it were me, I'd put network support in the datalogger and communicate
with only PPC devices that have WiFi. Network programming is pretty easy in
..NET CF and you don't have to write any low-level code, at least on the
Pocket PC. The datalogger would have to have a TCP/IP stack and the ability
to connect to a wireless network.

Paul T.

 

[Markus Humm]

Hello,

the easiest thing would be to use RS232.
Another option would be: built FTDI Chips into the dataloger, tey're
UART to USB slave and use a USB host enabled PDA. FTDI supplies drivers
for PDA as well. There it's like a RS232 port then. You can tell active
ysnt then not to mess aroung with that and all is fine.

Greetings

Markus