Data Acquisition Software runs on Palm OS devices.

Datastick Systems Inc. Apr 22, 2002

Press Release Summary:

Connection 2.0 and Plus 2.0 software runs in Palm-OS-based MyCorder DAS-1206 Data Acquisition System. It allows users to take measurements in field, record them, display them on Palm handheld, and sync them later to desktop computers for analysis. Enhancements in this version include more logging and display options, ability to assign alarms and recording thresholds to input channels, easier-to-use interface, faster data logging, and greater accuracy.

Original Press Release:

New Datastick Connection 2.0 and Datastick Connection Plus 2.0 make data acquisition using Palm OS devices faster, easier and more accurate

SANTA CLARA, CA, April 8, 2002 -- Datastick Systems, Inc., the industry leader in data acquisition software and peripherals for the Palm OS, announces the availability of Datastick Connection 2.0 and the alternative Datastick Connection Plus 2.0. Datastick Connection is the software component of the Palm-OS-based MyCorder DAS-1206 Data Acquisition System, which allows users to take sophisticated scientific and industrial measurements in the field, record them, display them on a Palm handheld, and sync them at a later time to their desktop computers for analysis. Datastick Connection Plus 2.0 extends an already rich feature set to include a broader set of logging and display options, such as the ability to assign alarms and recording thresholds to various input channels.

The flexibility of this software makes the MyCorder the tool of choice for a wide range of environmental, industrial, safety, laboratory, education, and research and development applications. Both Datastick Connection 2.0 and Datastick Connection Plus 2.0 were specifically designed from the ground up for the Palm OS, and feature a user interface optimized for the platform handheld use.

Datastick Connection 2.0 includes a host of improvements over the previous version, including a streamlined, easier-to-use interface, faster data logging, and greater accuracy of measurement. The software now provides four viewing modes: numeric, bar chart, line graph vs. time, and a new gauge view -- with needle and dial. All are shown in real time and include numerous user-adjustable features. Users can monitor up to six input channels simultaneously, using the Datastick MyCorder DAS-1266, and configure each input to the functionality of their specific hardware.

The software allows users to easily compensate for a sensor's non-linear response curve by custom-editing any of seven different conversion functions, which enables real-time data acquisition in appropriate units of measure, such as degrees of temperature or pounds per square inch. Each display channel can be easily labeled for quick identification. Users can save channel configurations for a particular sensor suite, and quickly load the necessary setting when swapping out different sensor arrays.

Datastick Connection Plus 2.0 includes all the functionality of Datastick Connection and adds two additional display channels and several unique features that extend the range and usefulness of the MyCorder system: With Datastick Connection Plus, a user can set recording thresholds for individual channels, causing the system to automatically begin recording when the threshold is exceeded and continue to record until the signal drops below the threshold. In addition, each channel can be set to give audible and/or visible alarms at user-defined thresholds. Alarm thresholds can be set independently of recording thresholds. Each channel has three different alarm thresholds, and the user can select a distinct alarm sound for each one. The user can also select a visible warning, which will either outline or invert the display graph of the selected channel when the alarm is triggered. Added display options allow the user to configure channel assignments to allow the same input channel to be seen multiple display channels, each with a different scale, so the user can, in effect, zoom in on a different portion of each.

"We've built a very flexible platform that other companies can build upon to meet their own data acquisition needs," explains Steve Sabram, Datastick's president. "They don't have to pay hundreds of dollars per channel for custom instrumentation. Datastick Connection 2.0 makes it very easy to configure, record, and export data quickly and accurately." Datastick created the first multi-channel, multi-range data acquisition system for Palm OS handhelds, and continues to lead the way with expanded capabilities for the system.

Datastick Connection is a versatile, general-purpose software package that makes it easy to view and store analog data measurements on these small, lightweight devices. It includes all the necessary software tools to display measurements and store them in a Palm OS database, and also provides a conduit for HotSync export to desktop or laptop computers for later analysis in spreadsheets and statistical packages.

"The MyCorder system first put sophisticated but moderately priced instrumentation within the reach of professionals and hobbyists alike, and it greatly expanded the market for Palm OS handhelds," said Penny F. Melrose, Vice President of Marketing for Datastick Systems. "The new features and expanded capabilities of version 2.0 of Datastick Connection and Datastick Connection Plus were developed in response to the needs of our users, and broaden the market to encompass more demanding applications." Datastick Connection 2.0 is included with the MyCorder DAS-1206 Data Acquisition System, which also includes the MyCorder peripheral that snaps onto the modem connector of the Palm handheld. Current MyCorder users can upgrade to Datastick Connection 2.0 for a fee of $45.00. Datastick Connection Plus 2.0 is $165.

Datastick Systems, Inc., is located at 275 Saratoga Avenue, Ste. 160, Santa Clara, CA 95050, in Silicon Valley. For more information, call Datastick Systems, Inc., at 408 615- 5774, fax 408 615-5778, or visit the web site at www.datastick.com.

Datastick is a registered trademark, and MyCorder and Datastick Connection are trademarks of Datastick Systems, Inc. Palm OS is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc.

Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc.