I heartily agree - most likely it is done because having an external
computer is cheap - all you need is a data port.
Partial solution is to use old el-cheapo laptops - one can get something
that will run most of the newer OS for as cheap as $200 and most of the
'simple' lab equipment will normally run. It depends, of course, on the
equipment. Most of our simple-minded spectrometers, cameras, chiller
controllers, etc. are run by derelict laptops. While they're not as small,
they're far cheaper than the grade of pocket PC needed to really run the
instrumentation.
A.G.E.
"Duncan Clark" <junk@[127.0.0.1]> wrote in message
news:Vr1SFBIMog88EAZo@[127.0.0.1]...
> Historians believe that in newspost <acn3r1$5o$2 at news.doit.wisc.edu> on
> Sat, 25 May 2002, D.K. <dk at no.email.thankstospam.net> penned the
> following literary masterpiece:
> >Stupid computers everywhere.
>> This a a real problem with most hardware now. Every item has to be
> linked to computer which, with some hardware, takes up more space than
> the hardware it is controlling. In the case of a computer acting as a
> simple controller, connected by serial or USB, I wish the hardware
> manufacturers would supply a version of software that would allow a Palm
> or Pocket PC device to do the work. By all means use the PC to write the
> control program but then let us sync it to a handheld that will do the
> final control. We might gain a lot of bench space back!
>> Duncan
> --
> I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing noise they make as
> they go flying by.
>> Duncan Clark
> GeneSys Ltd.
