I am running Labview 7.1 on Windows 2000, setting up a communication process between my VI and an application-specific IrDA-complaint handheld device. Basically, this device is custom-built just to dump its data into my application, like a PDA sync but with no interoperability aspect (so not a PDA). The current IrDA chip on this handheld device supports secondary device (client) IrDA protocol, so my PC is acting as the primary device (server).
Looking at the National Instruments Application Note 179, it seems pretty likely this data dump will be handled well enough by use of the IrDA VIs, rather than VISA, which requires an Ir:COMM layer added onto the IR port on my PC I think. My question is about the "service name handshake" that is called for with IrDA VIs in order to ensure recognition and opening of a useful IrDA connecion. Since I control the programming on both sides of this link (albeit I do not have Labview running on the handheld, which the Application Note seems to assume is the case...), I can ensure recognition by issuing commands to the handheld after the connection is established, and may therefore not necessarily have a risk of wasting time on a connection to the wrong device that wanders into the line of sight. I am thinking that for a situation like this there is probably some kind of generic, built-in sevice name for simple 2-way communications. Is this so? Or is it a better practice to implement my own proprietary service name by the handheld device (assuming any IrDA-compliant chip supports this)?
A general comment is that NI could write a more general application note for communication with IrDA devices that more explicitly includes secondary (client) devices that are nt running LabVIEW! Did I miss one that is out there?
Thanks
