Could you guys let me know if I’m wasting my Time and Resources?

[piscis]

I’m designing a project that I will like to offer to AutomationDirect to sell to its customer base.



I’m programming an application in Visual Basic 2005 that will allow a customer to create up to 15 text messages to be sent by a cellular modem connected to the serial port of any DirectLogic PLC family.



Each message can be up to 160 characters long and can be initiated by just setting 4 outputs (binary encoded).



The approximately $450.00 package will be called PLCellular and will include ALL Hardware and Software with a user friendly setting, no programming necessary.



The modem can send SMS text messages to any cellular phone from any cellular network. It can also send faxes plus send and receive DTMF Tone Generation.



The cellular modem works very well with any plan similar to the $11.99 Cingular Telemetry Connect Plan, this plan will give you up to 1MB a month for SMS sending and data transfer.



Question:

Would this be a project that the management people at AutomationDirect will be interested in? Please let me know if I’m investing my time in a worthy application?



Thanks

 

[CaseyK]

Hard to say.

Other manufacturers are already offering something similar.

regards.....casey

 

[BobB]

I write my own in ladder and ASCII string straight out of my trusy Omron CJ1. Easy.

 

[ayman metwally]

My advise:

Try before you buy .. sorry .. before you sell !!

You may develop the user interface, prepare a pretty brochure with some of the details and send them all of these and see what is thier feed back which will guide you to continue or not.

 

[zmanvortex]

A lot of the things AD will look for is not just in the product itself. AutomationDirect is well known for their excellent support. They will want to see if you have the ability to provide support, as in a call center (more employees $$$). They will also want to see that you will be able to provide updates and basically that you are going to be around for a while. They would rather make a deal like this with a well established software firm and not a single developer. Just my two cents.