Skokie, IL —Rand McNally's attachable GPS receiver for 3Com's Palm Pilot organizer allows users to navigate their way through town, as well as their appointment calendars. The product was developed by Magellan Corporation, a manufacturer of satellite access products.
The receiver clips onto the back of the organizer, providing users with an all-inclusive navigation solution. The concept for attaching a GPS unit to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) has only recently become possible due to advances in the technology. Previous attempts were unsuccessful because the organizer design did not allow for a compatible design solution.
The major hurdles overcome for successful development were reducing the high signal outputs from the PDA compared to the relatively low signal strength of the GPS unit. Developing a lightweight and compact package size for the GPS receiver was equally important during the five-month concept to production design phase. NMEA communication standards and a universal programming language also contributed to the successful design. Users can get address-to-address directions from their computer via the Internet, then download them with customized maps to their organizer.
The company's StreetFinder Deluxe 2000 software can also be run on a personal computer to enable interactive mapping and trip-planning capabilities by downloading maps, directions, and points of interest to Palm organizers. The GPS package also includes a carrying case, cigarette lighter power adapter, rechargeable AAA lithium ion batteries.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
