And that, finally, is where our favorite friend, the ubiquitous Palm device, comes in very handy.

Updating the flash chip
For us, field updating was a continual problem due to the type of flash chip utilized. In the past, updating was done in two ways.

The first method was to physically replace the flash chip. This was unsatisfactory because of the expense of purchasing and shipping the new chip. Problems could also be encountered if the chips arrived at the far-flung sites in a less than serviceable condition. Physical replacement was also cumbersome since we use the same flash chip with a different program for other drying products. Problems would naturally occur if an incorrect chip were mistakenly sent.

The second method was the use of a specialized flash chip programming device (a piece of hardware) to reprogram the chip on site (via an RS-232C serial interface provided for this purpose). This was also pretty unsatisfactory since the flash programming device was somewhat expensive (approximately $200.00), had no other use, and required the use of an archaic DOS program to reprogram the chip.

A more practical solution was needed. An engineering team consisting of Jeff Falconer, John Frankovich, and Steve Logue was formed to address the problem. Laptop computers were an obvious, yet inappropriate solution due to the expense involved and the high level of loss (i.e., theft, breakage, etc) that could be expected.

Instead, the team decided an inexpensive handheld device that could be used to reprogram the flash chip at the dryer site would be an ideal solution. The two devices considered were the Palm computer and Microsoft's Pocket PC. At that time the company itself had not purchased any handheld devices, however Palm OS devices individually purchased by "early adopters" in the engineering staff members were already quite popular (see "Selling on enterprise time" elsewhere in this issue for more on grassroots adoption). There were also some privately-purchased Pocket PC devices available. As a result, in-house knowledge and background was available on both operating systems.

Choosing the right device
The team quickly arrived at the Palm OS-based devices as the best option for this project. The primary reason the team chose the Palm device is the Palm device's superior ease of use and solid reliability. This was of primary importance considering the diverse user base. Other factors were the ease of development for the device, the widespread acceptance and availability of Palm OS devices, and the low device cost. Another factor that went into choosing Palm devices over Handspring or other devices was the serial connection, which was considered most compatible with the existing electronics and hardware.