Page 2 of 9

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 30, 2010 10:29 pm
by rlboyce
"Bert"... :laughing:

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 30, 2010 10:38 pm
by WVCaver2011
rlboyce wrote:"Bert"... :laughing:


Huh? what you talking about lol? I dont understand? Who is Bert? :kidding: Thanks for catching that lol.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 31, 2010 8:39 am
by lleblanc
WVCaver2011 wrote:
rlboyce wrote:"Bert"... :laughing:


Huh? what you talking about lol? I dont understand? Who is Bert? :kidding: Thanks for catching that lol.


I think he was just making fun of the fact you called Beat Heeb as "Bert"

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 31, 2010 9:39 am
by WVCaver2011
lleblanc wrote:
WVCaver2011 wrote:
rlboyce wrote:"Bert"... :laughing:


Huh? what you talking about lol? I dont understand? Who is Bert? :kidding: Thanks for catching that lol.


I think he was just making fun of the fact you called Beat Heeb as "Bert"


Yea, I caught that. Thats why I put the :kidding: symbol and then said thanks for catching that.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 31, 2010 1:49 pm
by WVCaver2011
I tried calling PNI Sensor Corporation today but I believe that they're on holiday break so I will try to contact them after the holidays and then hopefully we can make some headway with these parts.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Dec 31, 2010 7:55 pm
by Bob Thrun
WVCaver2011 wrote:I tried calling PNI Sensor Corporation today ...

PNI made the sensor module used in the Brunton Nomad digital compass. I checked into it a few years ago. The PNI website gave much more information about the Nomad than the Brunton site. I can't find that page anymore.

The PNI module was supposed to be gimballed so that it would remain level. I went to the local REI store to look at the Nomad. Its reading varied wildly when I tilted ir front to back and side to side. It could have been just that particular unit was bad, but I would be cautious. The Nomad has been replaced by the Nomad V2.

I called Brunton and talked to the head of engineering (again years ago). I suggested that the digital compass module be used in a model with the circular bubble level and folding sights of the Pocket Transit. He said it would not be as accurate as the current Pocket Transit.

A digital compass needs either a gimballed 2-axis magnetometer or a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis magnetometer.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 3, 2011 12:39 am
by WVCaver2011
Bob Thrun wrote:
WVCaver2011 wrote:I tried calling PNI Sensor Corporation today ...

PNI made the sensor module used in the Brunton Nomad digital compass. I checked into it a few years ago. The PNI website gave much more information about the Nomad than the Brunton site. I can't find that page anymore.

The PNI module was supposed to be gimballed so that it would remain level. I went to the local REI store to look at the Nomad. Its reading varied wildly when I tilted ir front to back and side to side. It could have been just that particular unit was bad, but I would be cautious. The Nomad has been replaced by the Nomad V2.

I called Brunton and talked to the head of engineering (again years ago). I suggested that the digital compass module be used in a model with the circular bubble level and folding sights of the Pocket Transit. He said it would not be as accurate as the current Pocket Transit.

A digital compass needs either a gimballed 2-axis magnetometer or a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis magnetometer.


Thanks Bob,

I think Beat went with the 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer approach which I figure is probably for precision and tilt capability if nothing else but I'm not the electrician. :laughing: Beat is working hard trying to find a solution to the DistoX situation buy looking at various sensors and analyzing every aspect of them. He is currently having difficulty finding a solution. Hopefully he will email me tomorrow and tell me about the sites that I have sent him for the "obsolete" parts. Then we'll see what he wants to do.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 3, 2011 2:44 pm
by WVCaver2011
I just got off the phone with PNI Sensor Corporation and they have a little less than 1000 of the PNI 11096 magnetic sensors left. This is good news for that sensor! Hold off on ordering these until Beat replies to the email I just sent to him. Perhaps with this kind of quantity he will order them his self!

I've contacted a sales representative of VTI and he is calling VTI for me to see if they have any SCA3000-D02 acceleration sensors left.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 4, 2011 6:43 pm
by WVCaver2011
I should be receiving an email tomorrow about the acceleration sensor from VTI.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 5, 2011 3:29 pm
by WVCaver2011
VTI has officially informed me that they still have some acceleration sensors. They did not specify how many they had but they did say that these sensors are now winding down. I have told them briefly what these sensors would be used for and who was going to use them (NSS). They may donate them but dont get your hopes up. VTI is located in Finland so its hard to communicate with them because usually they're working while we're sleeping and visa verse. I hope to get an email back from them tonight and hopefully they have over 50 of these. I have also asked them to hold them for us as well if they would do so...

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 6, 2011 1:15 pm
by WVCaver2011
I have emailed Beat and told him of the progress that we have made and I gave him phone numbers and other contact information of the companies that I have located in regard to the sensors that are obsolete. I have told him that PNI had a little under 1000 of the PNI 11096 sensors left over and VTI had some of the acceleration sensors left over but they didnt state how many. Now it is up to Beat to let me know if we are in the clear and if he will order these and if he will make our X-boards...

I will post back on here when he does.

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 6, 2011 4:31 pm
by philémon
Hi,

I'll take two of them.

Thanks,
Phil

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 6, 2011 9:46 pm
by WVCaver2011
Thanks Phil!

Got you down for 2!

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 6, 2011 9:50 pm
by WVCaver2011
Hey guys,

Beat emailed me back and told me that he would contact VTI's main factory in Finland via email and place an order if they have a large enough quantity. He said if this works out he will also order the magnetic sensor from PNI Sensor Corporation. If both of these work out then we're back in business and can order the X-boards once again.

It's time to cross our fingers, grit our teeth, and hope for the best.

Also, I know a lot of you are patiently waiting to see what comes out of this before you tell us you want an x-board but so far we have 15 possible x-boards that are to be made by Beat so far, if everything falls through. There are also others who seem to want one by the way they talk but are skeptical of the approach. For you people, please follow the thread contantly and we shall see what comes about.

Since Beat lives in the Switzerland area he is able to keep a better contact with VTI and he should be able to email them more efficiently than I would (being 8 hours behind finland time).

I'll let everyone know the official price if things fall through.

Keep checking regularly and keep those fingers crossed! :pray:

Re: Need 50 persons or more for purchase DistoX circuit boar

PostPosted: Jan 7, 2011 11:30 am
by WVCaver2011
I have unfortunate news and possible good news as well...we'll see.

Beat was too late when he asked VTI if they had anymore of the SCA3000-D02 acceleration sensors....however, I have talked to a couple of sales agents and they have specifically stated that they had sensors that were nearly identical to the SCA3000-D02 sensor. They are the SCA3000-D0x and the CMA3000-D02. We'll see what turns up.