Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 8

Introducing the Dave Design aluminum faceplate for the Visor, just $75

We are introducing a new addition to our replacement enclosure line, the "dave lite", for the Handspring Visor, Deluxe, and Platinum models. It's a replacement faceplate that works with the OEM plastic bottom case half. Like all our enclosures, it's machined from a billet of 6061 T6 aluminum, and includes the same machined buttons as our standard model. More info at http://www.dave.com.

Dave Ruigh
co-founder
Dave Design

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

cool! When will you make the snap on cover avaible on metal

When will us prism users be happy?

ps.. thanx for posting in the appropriate forum!

__________________
-miradu

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 8

Our "full version" Visor enclosure has slots in the side for a Palm III style flip cover, though we don't have one available yet (The enclosure is not actually compatible with the stock Palm cover, but uses a similar mounting system). Haven't thought about a snap cover, though it's certainly possible in sheet metal. Don't have an eta on a Prism enclosure or cover yet.

Thanks,

Dave

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000
cool! When will you make the snap on cover avaible on metal

When will us prism users be happy?

ps.. thanx for posting in the appropriate forum!

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Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I'm almost positive that Handspring has a CAD of the snap cover. It's in the devleoper section of their site. I know I've seen it before..

__________________
-miradu

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: OOB, ME
Posts: 176

Here you go:
http://www.handspring.com/developer...echanical.jhtml

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: East Coast, USA
Posts: 134

kick ass!! i want one of those!

but it's 250 dollars to cover the whole visor ? that's $50 more than i paid for my whole visor.

__________________
all around good guy

brandon
drop me a line

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 69

WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN PRICE BETTWEEN THE FRONT PIECE AND THE BACK PIECE. IS THERE THAT MUCH MORE WORK INVOLVED.

__________________
[file:///C|/eyemodule/RICOROSSI/Unfiled/Rico.jpg]

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 443

quote:

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Originally posted by ricojrossi
WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN PRICE BETTWEEN THE FRONT PIECE AND THE BACK PIECE. IS THERE THAT MUCH MORE WORK INVOLVED.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 8

Cost difference

Many people have asked about the large price difference between the complete
case and the top half, and the high cost of our products in general. Take a look
at the following images on our website, these may give a better idea of what's
involved in making these cases. The 2 images are of the inside of the top and
bottom case halves, where most of the machining time is consumed.

http://www.dave.com/images/visor_top_sim.png
http://www.dave.com/images/visor_bot.png

The CAD images pretty much illustrate the difference in complexity, and
hence machining time. The bottom also requires more secondary machining
operations, i.e. the stylus hole and slot, IR, snap cover latch, etc. Of course,
there are also more components, the battery door, 2 battery contact insulators.
The top has just the button matrix, a rather simple part.

We've looked at many alternatives for reducing costs, including subcontracting.
Every local shop we've shown these to has bid well above our current retail
price. This may partly explain why there is no one else making machined
PDA cases ;+}

Dave

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

Couldn't you jsut mold it?

__________________
-miradu

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 8

Great question, and one that's generated a bit of lively discussion among
my metalworking friends.

A metal case for a PDA could certainly be molded, or diecast. There are a couple
of issues with castings. First, because of the porosity of cast material, anodizing,
particularly color anodizing doesn't look very good. Second, It's very difficult to
get the wall thickness down to the range of our cases, i.e. about 1mm. This kind
of wall would probably require expensive hot-runner dies, and very carefully
optimized design to achieve this. The wall could be made thicker, but then our
case, which already adds an ounce, would become a tank! There is another
process called Thixomolding, which uses plastic injection molding technology to
make metal parts. I know very little about this, I've heard it can be cheaper than
die casting, and I think HP uses this in their Jornada casing. Of course, tooling cost is
perhaps the biggest problem with any of these processes, We're coming up on
about our 700th case, and at these volumes, casting probably doesn't make
economic sense. With higher volume/lower cost, maybe it could work, but I
think the look and feel of a cast case would not equal a machined one.

Dave

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000
Couldn't you jsut mold it?

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