Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 13

Here's an idea for a springboard...how about a springboard that allows you to connect cables and devices designed for a traditional Palm device? It could have a serial connector at the top that allows you to connect the synch cable and/or other devices like the traditional Palm Modem (for those of you that don't want to spend another $130).
Maybe you could even plug in your Visor to a standard Palm cradle...only upside down!

This could be a great product to help all the current Palm users that want to migrate to the Visor but don't want to lose functionality or their investment in add-on devices.

Hey, if anyone makes this product, I want a couple of free units as compensation ;-)

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 32

JAndrews,

I couldn't agree with you more. I sure hope someone has heard your request. If someone is out there and is making such a thing, you can put me down for one. I noticed that Handspring is making a HotSync cable, but it has a USB plug instead of serial. You can see it here. http://www.handspring.com/products/cradlescables.asp
I hope they come out with this cable but with a serial plug on the end. Maybe that would work. Anyone have any ideas on this?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 27

The serial pins on the Visor are good enough to transmit and recieve data (TX, RX, and ground), but they don't have all the control lines (I know there is no CD line, therey might be RTS/CTS). So you can't just make a cable that hooks to the Visor's serial lines and works with all PalmIII stuff.

One could make a springboard, all it would take is a UART, and a small ROM. As an added bonus you could provide both PalmIII-style serial, and a DB-9.

It is also possable that someone could make a USB driver for the existing USB-serial ports (or other USB devices). The Visor's USB port is unpowered (so you would need a powered hub), but other then that there is no theritical reason (except lack of software) the Visor couldn't drive any USB device. I'm not sure what one would use a force feedback joystick for, but printing could be nice.