iConnection News

Last Update: August 29, 2005

August 29 Update

Thermochron iButton Application Version 5 for Palm and PC is now available with new user interface features

New options are now available to help users setup and start thermochron missions using their Palm Handheld, including a setup wizard that guides the user through a series of Palm screens to collect necessary mission data. Other setup aids use a database template and a user preference construction.

On the PC, the applications now allow the user to select filename and directory for archive of tabulare temperture data and graphic temperature data files allowing data to be organized in one more way. Also new in version 5 is print and print preview support for graphic data and a new Mission Viewer Application allows the user to open temperature tabular data in a read-only manner.

Visit the New Thermochron page for more details.

January 20 Update

New Hot-Sync Conduits link iButton databases on Palm with Excel Spreadsheets on PC

New Series of Scanning Devices Conduits have been released for specific iButton products and Palm Handheld Utilities. These applications link the handheld iButton database with Microsoft Excel compatible spreadsheet files, allowing iButton Handheld data to be transfered to and from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Follow this link to more Conduit Information or details about iButton Utilities for Palm Handhelds.

March 31 Update

New Palm OS Libraries released for iButton applications.

Scanning Devices iButton SDK for Palm OS now includes library support for Palm OS 5, the operating system installed on Palm Tungsten/T. Icn (iConnection) and Tcn (Thermochron) libraries provide high-level, multi-step functions to read and write iButtons. Libraries handle Palm serial port operations and memory managment to establish and control communications between Palm and iButton. See library information for details.

Libraries automatically determine Palm OS and Serial Port configurations and provide the proper communications control. Applications developed using previous releases of the libraries can be upgraded to include support for Palm Tungsten/T without source level changes. Install the libraries and rebuilt the application.

Scanning Devices iButton applications for Palm OS, Thermochron Application System (tcButton) and Checkpoint/Route Tracking (crButton) now support Palm Tungsten/T.

For more information, visit the Scanning Devices website, iConnection pages.

September 30 Update

tcButton for Thermochron iButtons, Version 3, is now available. This tcButton version supports new High Resolution Thermochron iButtons: DS1921H (Human Temperature Range) and DS1921Z (Freezing Temperature Range). In addition, when used with new iConnection 3305m, it operates on Palm m125, m130, m500, m505, m515 and i705 Handhelds. Click here for more information on tcButton

August 28 Update

NEW iConnection 3305m is now available. Model 3305m clips on to new Palm Series Handhelds M125, m130, m500, m505, m515 and i705. It is housed in Scanning Devices' new "sled" style plastic enclosure. The Palm Handheld clips into the enclosure making a secure mechanical and electrical connection. The combination can be easily held in one hand. For more information: iConnection 3305m

January 30 Update

NEW Utility Applications for iConnection and iButton are now available. Utilities are designed for Palm Application Developers. They provide a tested means of verifying that iButton data manipulation on Palm produces the proper result. Utilities read and write specific iButton types with Palm, display and edit data, store and retrieve iButton data in the Palm database. The first available is for the DS1994 iButton.

January 25 Update

crButton Application Demo is now Available. If you have a Palm, you can try a demo Application of crButton, the Scanning Devices Checkpoint/Route Application for iConnection and iButtons. The demo doesn't read iButtons, but it does everything else: setup routes and checkpoints, view routes stored in the Palm database, simulate working a route, collect data at checkpoints, and review finished routes. Click here for more information or to request the crButton Application Demo.

October 23 Update

Developers' iConnection 3303D is Now Available. This new iConnection includes a d-sub connector and cable to allow PC-base and MAC-based Palm OS Emulator (POSE) to read and write iButtons as if you were attached to a Palm. POSE is the Palm-provided tool for development and testing of Palm OS Applications. Developers' iConnection speeds Palm application development and deployment with POSE. Click here for product information on the .

August 4 Update

iConnection 3301A for Palm M100 Series is Now Available. This new iConnection clips on to M100 and M105 low-cost Palm Handhelds. Click here for product information and actual photographs of the iConnection 3301A enclosed in its new plastic housing.

July 5 Update

iConnection 3303C for Palm IIIC (Color) is Now Available. This new iConnection clips on to all Palm III and Palm VII Series Handhelds (including Palm III, IIIe, IIIxe, IIIc) and performs all functions of iConnection 3303A. Applications written for iConnection 3303A on Palm III run without modification on all Palm III Series (including Palm IIIc) with 3303C. Let 3303C extend your applications to Palm IIIc with color, improved visibility and rechargable battery.

Scanning Devices has begun shipping iConnection 3303C. Pricing is the same as iConnection 3303A. iConnection 3303A continues to be available in quantity.

For more info on iConnection 3303C.

Announcing iConnection 3301A for Palm M100 and M105. Lower price iConnection clips on low cost Palm M100 Series Handhelds. iConnection 3301A is contained in a small package and sports a small price, yet delivers all function and performance of 3303C. All Palm OS Applications written for iConnection are now available on the low cost Palm M100 and M105 Series handhelds, without modification!

iConnection3301A will be available at the end of July 2001.

For more info on iConnection 3301A.

So Pick your Palm - M100 Series, III Series, or VII Series. Then get the iConnection that clips on it.

Check out the new iConnection Product Lineup .

June 12 Update

iThermo Version 2 is now available. This new version integrates the look, feel and function of the Palm into tcButton's iThermo Palm OS Application. Palm users will find iThermo Version 2 more like a Palm Application, easier and quicker to learn and use. Click for specifics of What's New In iThermo

Previous News

Application Development for Palm

1. Released new users guide for PC program ThermoChron Dialog. It has information about displaying temperature in columnar form and details about the filespec for tab-delimited temperature and mission info data. Check it out here

2. iConnection applications and libraries are now being distributed for MetroWerks Code Warrior Release 6. The software development kit (SDK) also retains the directory structure produced by Code Warrior, so that the distributed projects can be opened without file conversion. This should help you get started quickly with a project that works.

Thermochron Applications

3. The Themochron Dialog (PC program) receives hot-synch'd missions from Palm and allows preparation of missions to be hot-synch'd to Palm. The Thermochron Dialog has been extended to display temperature readings in columnar text form. The temperature data is displayed with sample number, date and time, degrees F and C, and Alarm condition. All 2048 data samples may be displayed in a dialog list box. Alternately the user may choose to display only Low Alarm temperature samples, High Alarm temperature samples, every 10th sample or every 100th sample.

4. The Thermochron Dialog has also been extended to allow the user to format a webpage with mission specifications and data. In webpage format, the result can be printed, emailed and even (heaven forbid) edited. Some care is needed as webpages and printed pages with 2048 temperature samples can get pretty big. Suggestion: distribute mission data and specifications in the compressed format produced by the thermochron conduit, then use Thermochron Dialog to produce the reporting which you require. Remember, we distribute Thermochron Dialog C++ sources, so you should be able to adapt the program to your situation.

New Palms

Palm IIIC - Palm in color. Next version of iConnection (due June 2001) will be attachable to Palm IIIC.

Scanning Devices software (and any that you have written) will be unchanged, which means that the Palm OS Applications will look black-and-white. But they will run! This gives you the opportunity to generate color iButton applications for Palm IIIC.

Palm M100 Series New iConnection series will be available for Palm M100 Series, July 2001. Based on our testing thus far, we expect that software written for iConnection 3033A on Palm III will operate without change on M100 and M105 Series Palms. Your Palm OS Application Software investments are extended to the lowest cost Palms!

Palm M500 Series We haven't seen these yet. The new SD port may be an opportunity for iConnection in a new form factor. Let us know if you have a need for Palm's M500 series.

Bug fixes

I can't get the Rollover bit to work right - Now you can. The thermochron manager has been adjusted to return proper pointer to the rollover bit. If your tchron.h header file has data type

MissionTimeAlarmFlagType * MissionTimeAlarmFlagPtr

Palm crashes on trying to save multi-page instructions - Not good, but we fixed it. Too many MemHandleFree's in the loop, Palm only crashes on the last one. If your application saves multiline instructions, email us for advice on how to do this.

We want to hear from you. If you have questions, comments or materials to contribute, send them to us.

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