Re: [iPAQ] 2 CF/PC card devices in on expansion pack?

Tom_Kirksey@ingersoll-rand.com wrote:
>
> >It is possible to produce a sleeve for the iPAQ that has 2 CF or 2 PCCard
> or
> >one of each. The current drivers would probably support these variants
> >unchanged (It already looks at both card detects, interrupts, etc).
>
> >-Jamey
>
> Cool. Now someone needs to produce a sleeve with a PCMCIA slot (wireless
> card), a CF slot (microdrive) and a nice battery. Get someone with surface
> mount skills to bring out the LCD connector. Add a LCD HUD and a
> twiddler/data-egg type chording keyboard and you have a wearable. Might be
> do able for under a grand ;-)

Lots cheaper than the competition, too. :)

Only... check out my notes on my "wearable handhelds" page on the
handhelds.org wiki. (Find it at the bottom of the "HandheldsQuestions"
page. I'd rather not post the insanely long URL...) The only "bare"
LCD display suitable for wearable use I have found on the web so far is
about $100/kit (only in qty of 10+, alas) but is *totally* bare in that
it needs analogue signals to make it display anything. So even being
able to bring the LCD connector out of the iPAQ, you'd still need to add
some more custom DAC circuitry before you could really make your own HMD
for your very own homegrown wearable. (For people like me, who are not
EE, would probably need to outsource this circuitry, which puts it back
up in the range of an off-the-shelf HMD. Of course, if you're an EE and
can build it yourself on the cheap, goodie! And in which case,
aforementioned EE should give me a call really quick like... :)

I'm assuming that the built-in LCD either is designed to handle the
digital output from the iPAQ's LCD connector or there is some other DAC
circuitry somewhere between the main iPAQ board and the LCD. If that
circuitry is further "down the line" from the connector without actually
being connected to the LCD, then it might be very much do-able as long
as whatever is brought out of the iPAQ's case is "after" the DAC bits.

Specs for the iPAQ only mention the signals that come off the main
board's LCD connector. Specs for the "Cyberdisplay" are available from
the manufacturer's site. (There's stuff linked on my wearables wiki
page.) If anyone who knows more about this sort of stuff than I do
would like to look at the specs and tell me if it's do-able, I'd
certainly be willing to front the money for a dozen 320x240 color
Cyberdisplay units as long as a) someone would be able to make them work
with the iPAQ and b) ten or so other people would be willing to buy the
finished product (or kit) from me so I wouldn't wind up having paid for
a dozen "spare" units...

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