Developed with one of the original equipment manufacturer’s sub-suppliers, the wireless pocket PC has a serial port that allows direct connection to Bucyrus’s programmable mining controllers (PMCs).

The MDA also has a diagnostic port to monitor connections and signal quality, as well as display the amount of clients logged into the network.

Coming with a 1GB memory card, the MDA has an impact-resistant 3.5-inch touch screen with a 64,000 colour display and uses Windows Mobile Pocket PC as an operating system.

“The fact that the MDA can store service documents, product manuals and other information (or access these via the network) saves trips to the surface to review technical documentation as was often necessary in the past,” Bucyrus said in a news release.

“The MDA can also store all required software programs and backups, such as those for electrohydraulic roof support controls (PMC-R) and drive controls (PMC-D), making it unnecessary to carry numerous memory sticks or controllers.”

Bucyrus’s MDA can also download data from the PMCs, making it easy to take the data to the surface for analysis.

Network connections to the MDA are made either through a serial port or a wireless local area network, and the pocket PC has software for network analysis.

“The MDA can connect directly into a PMC network or shearer via wireless LAN and a special serial interface allows a point-to-point connection to be established,” Bucyrus said.

Unlike other electronic gadgets, the MDA can handle some abuse.

“The MDA comes in an antistatic non-corroding housing with degree of protection IP 65,” Bucyrus said.

“It is designed to withstand a drop onto concrete from a height of one metre (3.25 feet).”

Approved for underground use in Australia and Europe, Bucyrus says certifications for the US, Russia and China are well advanced.