Serial Earthmate to Clie?

jonnythan · 03-31-2004, 07:18 PM

I have a Sony Clie (T615c) with a serial Hotsync adapter. I have a little SCUBA dive logging device that connects just fine to the serial adapter and lets me download information.

A friend is selling his old Earthmate Serial. Would it plug in and work OK through the serial Hotsync adapter, or will I need a special cable? Where could I get this cable?

Chairboy · 03-31-2004, 08:15 PM

Problem with Earthmate is that it doesn't support NMEA, the standard language almost all GPSs use. It uses something called the Rockwell Binary protocol, and it would literally be cheaper to buy a new GPS then to buy the serial Rockwell->NMEA adapter.

If your program explicitly supports the Rockwell Binary protocol, on the other hand.... yes, you could use it.

jonnythan · 03-31-2004, 08:20 PM

I thought it was made to connect to a PDA..

Chairboy · 04-01-2004, 10:41 AM

The EarthMate is not specifically designed for PDAs. It'll work if your software supports the rockwell protocol, but that's rare on PCs and probably even rarer on PDAs. I remember that Solus supported it, but I don't know about CE software. Check the options on your software. If it just says NMEA, you're out of luck with a serial Earthmate. If it says Rockwell somewhere, you're probably in luck.

BTW, the USB Earthmate supports NMEA too, I think.