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Model Train Control Using Your PDA

Posted by michael on from the obsessive-compulsive dept.

VP writes "Forget that crap about PDAs making you more productive by keeping useless contact lists and appointment reminders. Here is the real reason PDAs exist: locopalm.com. You might want to check out the TechTV spot as well."

2 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Ah, memories by TheBracket · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This reminds me of when I was young. My father and I built a trainset controller from Maplin Electronics; each train had a small circuit board added (with a unique ID number), and we could give each train individual commands. Once we had that running smoothly, we used an old Dragon 32 to build a complete train management system (in 6502 assembly, if I remember rightly; the Dragon was a bit limited, so we ended up writing the programs on graph paper, validating them, converting the notation to hex and poking it - before saving a memory dump). I remember being particularly happy with our simulated inertia system, even if it did make crashes more likely!


    Projects like this are a lot of fun, and a great way to get into electronics.

    --
    Lead developer, http://wisptools.net
  2. ... the real thing. by hopscotch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The locopalm is nice, however ...what is really amazing are the goals my 9 year old met to be able to Rent-A-Locomotive at the Golden Gate Museum Railroad!

    His face was full of delight as he drove an actual locomotive (under an engineer's instruction, of course).

    Sometimes there's nothing quite like the real thing.

    --Hopscotch